Top Social Sites & Top Networking Sites for a Successful Business

Top Social Sites & Top Networking Sites for a Successful Business

Social Networking and Using the Top 5 Tools

The most common question I'm asked when teaching my students about Social Media is "Which Social Media Sites are the Most Important for My Business".  The answer may surprise you. While many people think that Facebook is a must for business, it is a site you could theoretically do most without.

There are three elements to look for when choosing social media sites to be active in.

First, the social networking, social bookmarking, video, or other social media site must have plenty of active users. 

Second, the sites must include the persons in your target market and/or professionals

Third, the sites must be SEO friendly, which means that these social media sites appear on the search engine results pages, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.

These are the Top 5 Social Media Sites that meet these requirements and you must use to have more success in your business. 

5. Facebook  AlthoughIt almost didn't make my Top 5. Facebook is intrusive, not all that professional, but it has over a billion members. The key to using Facebook for business is creating a Business Page, formerly called a Fan Page, with an interactive and engaging iframe. Other than that, Facebook is useless for business since no one is listening and those are are speaking are speaking nonsense. The tool I find extremely useful on Facebook is events.

4. Twitter  This Social Networking / Microblog site is growing and becoming more practical. It still lack engagement for most, but it can be a useful tool for business. Especially when your business has an established #hashtag

3. Pinterest This microblog has recently rising for business marketing. With hundreds of thousands users. Using Pinterest is a great way to find a niche audience that will re-pin your business' post and create a residual marketing strategy.

2. Google+  The fact that Google+ Plus is closely related and interact with the Google Search Engine, and with Google Places, makes it a must-have for businesses. Business owners realize the importance of being on Google+, this Social Media tool is exploding in members.  Be sure to add a +1 button to your website and watch engagement grow.

1. LinkedIn  By far the most important Social Media and Social Networking tool, LinkedIn has enough members to fit out criteria, and these members are, for the most part, the professionals you need to engage with to create more business and increase your sales.

These Top 5 Social Media sites are just a small portion of what a great social media strategy should. Social media network, social media bookmarking, social photo sharing and other social networking sites are opened constantly.

Keep your eyes and ears opened when you are on Google for the next, "big" or "greatest" site. If a site pops up often when you are researching your company, industry or competition, then it is the site you need to create a keyword-rich profile on. And don't forget to add your professional picture or logo to the profile.

Manny Sarmiento - President / CEO
New Media, New Marketing, Inc. http://www.nmx2.com / manny@nmx2.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/mannysarmiento