Social networking is coming of age.

And people are using it for everything from getting a job…to finding long lost classmates and friends…to sharing about the newest high-tech toys…to finding a mate.

But if you’re running an online business, you probably want to use it for something more — something more closely aligned with your business goals.

… like getting new customers.

Here are 3 simple tips for growing your online business using social networking:

1) Seek out people whose interests fall into areas served by your business … and talk to them.

You first need to find people who might be prospective customers for what you are offering. And you start by using the search tools provided by the social networking site (or even tools provided by third parties) to find groups and conversations related to the areas your business serves.

Then you simply start a conversation with those people.

Just a conversation!

No pitch. No selling.

Just talk to people and listen to what they have to say.

Eventually, your expertise and *the person you are* will attract the right people — people who want to do business with you. But be patient. It won’t happen instantly!

2) Make your message unique, clear, and succinct.

When telling others what you do, make your message laser targeted, crystal clear, and as short as you possibly can without diluting it.

Speak first of a specific benefit you offer and can deliver to your ideal customer or client.

For example, if you’re in the diet niche, then you would want to craft a very short, unique message about how you help make people’s lives better by offering sound advice on diet and weight loss.

You might call this an “elevator speech in micro form”.

But don’t make your message about helping just any old person.

Craft your message so it aims directly and specifically at the people whom you most enjoy working with and helping.

Start by getting a really good idea of who these people are and what they’re like. Get as much info about them as you can possibly find through your research.

You want info like age, level of education, income level, marital status, political affiliation, outside interests, etc.

In other words, a composite picture of the person you most enjoy doing business with.

Once you have that picture in your mind, then create your message in full long form. The more laser targeted you can be towards your ideal customer, the better.

Then distill your message down to as few words as possible. Be sure to keep your main keywords intact.

Once you have that message, include it on all your social networking site profiles.

3) Seek first to help. Become a facilitator.

Social networking is about sharing information. So pass on as much helpful information to people as you can.

Since you are an expert in your niche (you are, aren’t you?), this is a great opportunity to provide information for people based on what you know and love.

Once you are seen as an expert, your status goes WAY up in the eyes of people.

Suddenly, you’re no longer JUST a “seller” of stuff! You’re now a bonafide expert who provides helpful information. And later, when people are trying to decide who to buy from, your name will come to mind.

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Social networking is rapidly becoming a “mainstream” way for people to meet and speak with each other.

The potential for online business owners is huge, since this is an opportunity to learn more about what it is your customers really want so you can better serve them.

So jump in with both feet and take advantage of social networking for reaching out to your people.

Oh, and did I mention it’s fun?

About the author:
Want to learn more about using social networking more effectively? Visit http://Down-Home-Marketing.
com to learn more and grab a copy of my free beginner report
“17 Quick Tips For Building Your Online Business With Magnetic Web Copywriting.”

The questions that many people have when they first start using Twitter are complex and require social media marketing training.

How do you communicate a message in 140 characters? How efficient can twitter be when individuals receive 40 to 100 tweets every 30 to 60 seconds? Can twitter be the only network in your social media strategy?

 Let us work backward and begin with the last question first; can Twitter be used effectively by itself? The answer to this question is no. Twitter ought to be used in conjunction with other social media services, blogs and websites to create a well rounds multilevel approach. It is all about using twitter to great buzz around something that you are doing or have created.

 Like other social media networks, Twitter works best when you are promoting or offering something that is at no cost. You cannot tweet direct marketing messages and be expecting to be successful. You need to provide a lot of useful subject matter, like tips, links to articles, videos etc. Your marketing message must be wrapped inside the content.

 How effective can Twitter be with so many Tweets being sent?

Yes, the people active in Twitter are receiving a lot of Tweets and as a result your message has to be of interest to your followers to get noticed. There are a lot of direct ideas and useless information hanging around Twitter as noise.

 You need to rise higher than the noise by providing attention grabbing headlines that show all the signs of quality content.

Again, do not waste you energy with a direct marketing message, since it will just get absorbed in the noise. Originate the tweet with words like; FREE, article, video and new blog post.

These words will get looked more frequently then any potential marketing message, so add in these words within your subject matter rich message for the best results. You must to get noticed to get read.

 How do you communicate a message in 140 characters? Well, this is the reason I stated that Twitter cannot be the only network in your line of attack. It would be problematical to get your full message out if this was the only medium you were using.

 If you have a blog, articles and video produced on a topic you can use Twitter as a broadcast system to tell associates about the content. Stick to the primary reason why Twitter was developed; to tell people what you are up to.

 If you use Twitter to put out a message about your new content and offer something for Free it can be very effective at driving traffic. The 140 characters you have are an adequate amount to tell people about the additional work you are doing on other social media platforms and within your market.

 Just remember not to directly market to your twitter followers.

Use your blog, articles and videos to further strengthen your content message and keep your marketing to areas where people will visit if they like your content; such as your website, signature files, author bios and your video description area.

Simply use Twitter to get individuals to those areas.

 About the author:

FREE Download – Get Your 10 steps to network marketing success ebook at: http://www.TheHomeBasedPro.net Jeffrey Yeomans (Skype:

jeffrey.yeomans) has been in the internet marketing for 12 years as a marketer & consultant. He can help coach & mentor you to become one of the top of internet marketers, contact him today:

http://www.thehomebasedshop.com/