There is no doubt that social media marketing has taken the lead in online marketing strategies. Social media sites have exploded and continue to grow in number and popularity. If you own an online business, it can be very difficult to know where to begin in this extensive marketing arena.

There are dozens and dozens of social sites and more popping up all the time. I have compiled a list of the ten best social sites with which to get you started. I have chosen these sites by my own professional opinion and by actual popularity.

1. Facebook – Facebook has an estimated 850 million users! This is the most popular social site and my favorite as well. Facebook is very versatile in what you can do with your page. Be sure to open a business account and also read the rules for businesses. Fill out your profile completely. Add images and videos to your page to make it more interesting and interactive. Visit your page every day and post helpful information, links and resources. Answer all comments promptly.

2. Twitter – Twitter has 200 million estimated active users. I like Twitter because it is quick, easy and effective for marketing your business. You simply add tidbits of information, new product info, sales and/or specials, links, motivational quotes, etc. and tweet! Keep your tweets professional and beneficial to your followers. Don’t tweet things like what you’re having for dinner or what movie you just watched. Get involved with other tweeters and participate!

3. LinkedIn – LinkedIn now has over 150 million estimated users. The thing I like about LinkedIn is how you can participate in groups that interest you or will benefit your business. Join groups and be sure to participate in the discussions by offering real and helpful information and advice. Follow their guidelines on how to completely and effectively fill out your profile.

4. Google+ – Google+ is one of the newer social sites but it already has an estimated 65 million users! I must admit, I have not done much with Google+ as of yet but I do like the format and versatility of the site. Be sure to add the +1 Google feature to your website so people can click it to show they like your site. This will help you in the ratings. Again, be sure to complete your profile and spend time daily or at least weekly on your Google+ page.

5. Pinterest – With over 10 million active users, Pinterest is growing in popularity very quickly. Pinterest has come up with something a little different. You are given a pinboard to add visual items such as photos, graphs, videos, etc. Pinning helpful visual information is a great way to attract people to your pinboard. You can add comments as well. People respond more to visual items than just words so get over to Pinterest and start pinning!

6. Ecademy – Ecademy has over 17 million users. Ecademy is a membership site for business owners to connect, help and grow with each other. There are paid and free memberships. Take the time to build relationships with other business owners. You can start your own clubs, write blog posts, and participate in discussions. This site is more involved than some social sites and will take more time to learn to use effectively.

7. YouTube – YouTube has an estimated 300 million users. YouTube is a video sharing site. Making an effective marketing video to share on YouTube can have a dramatic effect on your site traffic. Show your expertise with instructional and informational videos. You can also present slide shows to market your products and/or services. Set up an account and start uploading those business growing videos.

8. StumbleUpon – Despite a “stumble” in growth, StumbleUpon is now growing in popularity and has an estimated 20 million users. StumbleUpon is a social site that allows the users to share interesting and helpful websites. You will need to be an active user to reap the benefits from this site.

9. Ryze – With less than a million members, Ryze is not the most popular of the social networking sites but it can be effective. Ryze is similar to LinkedIn in that it is a place for professionals to grow, connect and help each other succeed. Join networks that target your business and network with other business owners.

10. Blogs – Blogs are very popular social sites and there are lots of them. Search for blogs that target your niche and become active with guest posts, comments, etc. Participating on blogs can help you make connections and get traffic you might not have gotten. Also, if you do not have your own blog yet, be sure to get started. I would recommend WordPress but there are other blog services available.

If you are a business owner, you really cannot avoid social media in this marketing age. So rather than ignore it, you need to study it, learn it and participate in it. Once you do, you will find it to be a very enjoyable and beneficial experience!

About the Author: Don’t be one of the 95% of people who fail at their online business. Terri Seymour can help you make money online. Find out how to increase your traffic and sales with her popular “How to Build Your Online Business” ebook for FREE at: ==> www.SeymourProducts.com

It is important for Sales MOMS to keep in contact with and get to know our readers. We pride ourselves on our customer service and quick response time.  This has been very easy for us to keep up with since we consider all of our contacts friends and business colleagues.

Help us get to know you and help you build your business nationwide.  You can follow us on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linked In
• Don’t forget to sign up for our daily newsletter here.

Using all of these social media outlets will enable you to have constant contact with all of your customers and gives you the ability to gain new ones by reaching out to people you may not have otherwise had the pleasure to meet.

Here are a few tips to help make sure you are using social media correctly so that it will benefit your business and not be a waste of time:

Make Friends:  The first thing you need to do is make friends. You can do this by simply getting to know other people who are in the same industry as you. Or, you can find people whom you admire and/or enjoy their work. On Facebook, this is as easy as sending them a “Friend request” and on twitter, the easiest thing to do is to simply follow that person. It’s okay on Twitter, following someone will not get you in trouble with the law! I don’t think!! There are tools available so you can set up your replies automatically to follow or friend someone in return when they decide to follow of friend you. I know, it gets a little confusing, but if you’re going to use this as a means to drive traffic, you’ve got to set up some systems or you’ll spend all day doing nothing.

Value:  If someone is following you or has become your friend, they are already interested. DO NOT go out and place advertisements all over your Facebook page. This is a sure fire way for people to remove you from their list and for the others to just ignore your posts. How would you like to drive into a Jiffy Lube and without even seeing your car, the guy at the desk lists off 40 items that need work and you should buy? Something tells me you’d be confused and a little turned off. Get to know people before you assume they would be a right fit for you or your business. This is a process that takes a little time. You can post links to your blog and/or articles as long as those posts are giving relevant content and provide some value.

Be Personable: Facebook especially is a place for people to get to know you. Someone may have seen an article of yours or have read a blog post about your industry or market, and now they go to Facebook to get a good idea of YOU. So be yourself, as long as yourself isn’t hammered in every photo and all of your posts are profanity laden rants that are just going to scare people. If that is you, maybe being in an industry where your #1 product is you, isn’t the right choice. So, keep to a theme that is helpful mixed in with some current events of your life. Keep people interested, not bored or irritated.

As you spend more time and see other people you admire work this thing called Social Media, you to will gain an understanding of How To Use Social Media To Build Your Business. Get out there and make some friends (Anyone else have flashbacks to 4th Grade.) Provide people with valuable content and you’ll have this Social Media thing working in your favor in no time flat. I hope this helps you on your Journey. Until next time, Happy Marketing!

Jessica Morgan
Sales MOMS Founder
Helping direct sales consultants build their home business online effectively and easily.

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About social networking…

For anyone doing business online it is important to incorporate Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and now the Google + social site into your marketing efforts. It can be quite confusing to know just how to get started using each of these. Below you will find a quick overview of these sites and the benefits of using them.

The Benefits of Using Social Network Sites – Creating a business profile allows you to brand yourself and create awareness for your company. You can also like or follow your competitors to get an idea of how they advertise and use these social sites themselves.

The biggest benefit has to be that of increasing customer loyalty and trust. As social media allows you to connect in a personal way, your customers will begin to trust you more quickly and see you as a person and not just a company name.

Facebook – With Facebook you can only have one personal account but you can have as many pages as you wish. These are commonly known as Fan Pages or Business Pages.

With a business page you are able to get a vanity URL when you set up your page. This rule has recently changed as previously you needed to get 25 likes to qualify for the vanity URL. This new rule currently applies to the first new business page you create.

When setting up your business page you want to use your company name and location if your business has an offline connection. If not attempt to get a keyword in the business name as this will help get you found in the search engines.

The point of your Facebook page is to provide your fans and friends with information that is helpful. In this way you can gain trust and they will be more likely to purchase products and or services from you.

Twitter – The principle of twitter is that you follow people and post short “Tweets” of140 characters. People that enjoy your tweets will follow you back. It is very easy to join Twitter and you can link your account to your mobile device if you wish.

For a business, you want to follow the top people in your industry. This allows you to see what they are up to and how they are utilizing Twitter in their business.

An important thing to remember about Twitter is to not sell products in your Tweets. You are much better off to provide easy tips and nuggets to your followers instead. If they find what you tweet about interesting they will follow the link to your website or blog.

Twitter is a great way to help brand yourself and your business, plus find contacts. It takes a little time, but you only need to post one or two tweets each day. You will be surprised how quickly you will start to find followers.

LinkedIn – Using LinkedIn is a good way to connect with like-minded business individuals. You can post your resume on LinkedIn and participate in any of the group discussions. Using the groups feature is a good way to get exposure for your business.

When you sign up with LinkedIn, you will be taken through the process of creating your profile and adding content like your education, current qualifications, places of employment and more. It does take a little time to set up your account, but it provides you with a huge arena for your business.

You can also post what you are up to each day which is a great way of addressing any current projects that you may be working on. Make the posts short and post about other things you find interesting. Don’t just use LinkedIn for self promotion. Connect with the community and make contacts.

Google + – Google + is now open to everyone and is a new way of connecting with your business acquaintances and friends. Google + makes use of something called circles. A circle is basically a group of friends. What is so great about this is that Google allows you to post messages directly to your circle. So this way you can really target those people.

For instance if you run a business you can easily set up a customer list, newsletter circle and even an employee circle. Then you have the ability to send messages to each one. This prevents family and friends from receiving unwanted messages about your business.
While this social site is still new, the possibilities of where this might go are endless. It would be a wise idea to start using Google + and see where it takes you.

Please note that you cannot create a Google + account for a business, but you can create a personal account and be a representative for your business. Google + for business will be out shortly and should be full of great promotional items for you to utilize.

You can see a general theme from all of these social sites and that is to not blatantly sell your products or services. Instead create a community and provide helpful information.

Article Written By: Tammy Embrich

Tammy has been successful in the work at home industry for many years. She is an Internet marketer, article marketer, and ghostwriter. She offers free job leads for the job seeker, as well as other free resources, work at home articles, tips, and more at onestopwebemployment.com.

You can also find Tammy at Work At Home Jobs, offering legitimate work at home companies, more free job leads, work at home articles, and much more.

What does the most popular singer in the world right now have to do with your MLM business? Well, chances are Lady Gaga is not involved in your network, but how she operates the Internet to her advantage is both enviable and possible to imitate if you are serious about recruiting new people to your network.

Regardless of whether or not you like Lady Gaga’s music, it is worth taking some time to research how she uses social media in particular to promote herself as a brand. People listen, after all – you don’t get to over one million Twitter followers and Facebook fans without having a gift for engaging people. When you talk about your MLM business you should exhibit the same passion in keeping those in your network satisfied as the singer does in pleasing her fans.

Lady Gaga knows that her fans are responsible for her success. Every address to her “Little Monsters” is done with affection. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to refer to your MLM business networkers as “little monsters,” but taking to them to compliment their progress and encourage them to sell products and the opportunities can make a difference, a positive one, on your income.

How often do you connect personally with the people involved in your MLM business? You may wonder if you’ll gain a million followers (wouldn’t that be great?), but using social media to interact rather than inform people of your activity is a great first step in growing that network.

Respond to people in your MLM business circle. Ask them what they think of the products, and listen to criticism involving challenges they have in building their own networks. Offer advice, remember names, and remain positive as you think outside the box. Social media doesn’t have to be a “bad romance” if you know how to utilize it!

In the sales industry there is still a big push towards closing a sale, and the traditional scripts and dialogues approach rather than genuinely connecting with people and building a lifetime relationship that leads to repeat and referral business.

My philosophy is that relationships are everything in life and business and there is no greater way or faster way to leverage your business than through relationships.

So where do we find people to meet and how can you fit it all in?

I love to network but I really dislike the word. It sounds so strategic. I believe it is nothing more than focused socializing. The definition of a network is: ‘an interconnected system of things or people’ and everyone should create a strong network to support his or her business. A good network should fill in the gaps where you yourself are perhaps not quite as strong and enhance and support your business.

Now times are changing rapidly and of course there is the traditional method of attending networking events which I do 2-3 times per week and nothing beats that face to face connection however from a time perspective it can take 2-3 hours out of your day to attend just one event. One of the latest trend is towards online networking which for introverts is especially welcomed as they don’t need to meet anyone face to face. It also saves you time as you really only need to be spending 10-20 minutes every other day to maintain your presence and build relationships online.

There is still a fair amount of skepticism around whether you actually get results from online networks like twitter and Facebook. For me the answer is an emphatic yes. Personally I have generated work from contacts I have met through friends of friends and it has expanded my network. I believe one of the core benefits is that you are able to transition a relationship from business to personal which means you can forge a connection faster. For example people may share what they are up to on holidays or pictures of their family which allows you a window into their personal world.

Now there are many online sites out there the big 4 are considered to be

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter &
• YouTube

They all serve different purposes and attract different demographics.

Facebook is by far the more personal site and if you were in the real world this is more like a family reunion. It allows you to share pictures and posts on what you are doing.

Linked In; Is more like attending a business networking event and certainly has a more professional feel. You can ask questions and get advise on business ideas, posts are generally related to what you are doing in the business world, what books your reading or links to information others would find of value.

Twitter is more like being at a huge party, with people having 10′s of thousands of global followers. It is based around the question ‘what are you doing right now’ with answers restricted to 140 characters.

Now if you are getting started there are some faux pas to look out for.

The rules of the game are very similar to if you were in the real world. With twitter for example you follow people. Now you wouldn’t turn up at a party and start following someone and not have a conversation with them or just stand behind them looking over their shoulder or immediately try to sell them something. You cant follow people on twitter and not interact. It is all about conversations.

The most important rule with social networking is don’t sell! with any kind of networking it is not about money its about building relationships beyond the dollar, you get so many other benefits from these relationships but you must be patient. Remember people don’t care what you do till they know who you are.

Now this can be difficult for some to understand at first. How do we get people to know us particularly with online networks as your not meeting face to face?

For me the key is being willing to be open and share parts of yourself. I have seen many people join Facebook and then load in 1 or 2 profile photos, now when I am on there I want to get to know them I want to see their family or dog or holiday photos and know what they have been up to otherwise why bother being on there. It can leave you feeling like their not sharing & the whole point of being on there is to connect and have conversations.

People want to get to know each other on a deeper level. Authenticity is said to be the new buzzword of the 21st century and its about people wanting something real from someone genuine. So be open. At the same time we don’t want to know what you ate for breakfast. There is a fine line on sharing too much and appropriate sharing. You need to be careful that your not posting inappropriate images that a colleague, boss or client shouldn’t be seeing. Once its out there on the internet it’s out there forever.

The biggest challenge I see most people face with networking. Is they just don’t give it a real go. They get online or turn up at an event and think…that didn’t work I didn’t meet anyone. When I first joined twitter I thought…is anyone listening or am I tweeting to myself. It takes time to get to know the rules of the game and build followers and get to know people. My advise is

• Start slow & learn the rules (Google & webinars have great resources for starting out)
• Don’t get overwhelmed (there is a lot to learn at first so pick one site at a time)
• Be consistent (allocate 10 minutes a day and start getting followers and uploading info)
• Be persistent (don’t give up, give it 6 -12 months

Hi I’m Kirsty Spraggon if you have enjoyed this article and would like more information on how to have more meaningful relationships with your clients then you have come to the right place.

You will find loads of free resources on my website. One audio you may like is on ‘how to build rapport with clients over the phone’. Click here and follow the ‘audio’ link http://www.kirstyspraggon.com.au/resources

As a speaker and author I specialize in working with sales people and small business on building great client relationships. For more info and resources head to http://www.kirstyspraggon.com.au/

I look forward to connecting. K

It is now easier than ever to succeed with direct sales from home because top network marketing companies offer programs where payouts are upfront. In addition, you can earn a residual income from commission structures which offer perpetual leverage.

What really makes it possible to succeed with direct sales is the LEVERAGE of the internet as well as a dynamic compensation plan. TECHNOLOGY will now enable you to maximize your prospective reach allowing you to put your opportunity in front of literally MILLIONS of people looking for what you have to offer.

The first step toward your ability to succeed with direct sales is finding the right MENTOR that will give you the skills and marketing you need to position yourself as a LEADER. A combination of TRAINING and ACTION can lead to a predictable outcome, one that can almost guarantee you a positive result.

SOCIAL MEDIA has now become one of the most popular mediums to reach multitudes of hungry prospects searching for the right OPPORTUNITY. Sites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, when used correctly, can make it easy to succeed with direct sales due the shear volume of people hanging out on these sites. You can meet hoards of like minded individuals where you can build TRIBES and deepen your RELATIONSHIP with them by driving them back to your blog or website and getting them to sign up to your e-mail list.

There are also SYSTEMS out there such as www.your7figureresidual.com/ that can provide additional training and marketing that makes your job so much easier saving you both a tremendous amount of time and money. These systems can also become INCOME streams in themselves through affiliate marketing. You can introduce all your business partners to the product and in turn generate even more residual income.

Bottom line is that direct sales gives you the ability to earn an income TODAY as opposed to traditional MLM where the time period to earn a substantial amount of money takes much longer to create. Combine that with the leverage the internet provides as well as all of the new technology now available and you have a recipe for success in direct sales that simply didn’t exist before. Older more traditional methods are quickly becoming outmoded and obsolete.

Fredric Schwartz-Social Media and Internet Marketing Coach and Consultant [http://www.FreedomWithGlobalResorts.com].