How to Use Social Networking to Advertise Your Business

Social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, are fast becoming one of the most popular ways for people to communicate with others. A recent survey found that approximately 47 percent of adults in the United States use a social media site regularly. In addition, the majority of American adolescents regularly use some sort of it. It is estimated that there are close to 300 million people worldwide that use Facebook. For businesses looking for reliable ways to reach potential clients, these sites can provide an inexpensive way to quickly advertise to new clients.

The first method of advertising on these type of sites is to purchase advertising space. On nearly every site, advertisements are placed where users can easily see them. In addition, most sites utilize technology where keywords in the users profiles and discussions can help to tailor advertisements to the interests of the site user. This is beneficial to the business that is on a limited advertising budget. Rather than spending the money for the advertisement to randomly be displayed to any user, advertising is targeted to individuals who already show interest in a particular topic.

The second method of advertising is to create a profile on one or more sites. When a business creates a profile, the business is then able to directly communicate with clients and potential clients. This makes it easier for clients to ask questions about products and offer suggestions on new products, as well as making it easier for businesses to announce and promote newly released products or upcoming sales. Creating a profile also allows the customer to do word of mouth advertising in an easy and effective way. For example, if a customer comments on a business' Facebook profile, that comment is then visible to the customer's friends, informing a new potential client base about the company's product.

The third way to advertise your business on social networking sites is to create direct links to the networking on the business website. By placing social networking buttons on the company website, the customer is then able to do most of the advertising for the business by using word of mouth. For example, if the owner of a clothing store adds a new clothing line to his website, he can then put buttons for Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter on the clothing line's description page. Customers that like the new line can click the buttons to share the product with friends, and that new clothing line appears on the customer's profile. Future customers can then see the product along with a link back to the business' page.

While social network can appear overwhelming and time-consuming to a business owner, there are many ways to use the networking sites to effectively advertise a product to a larger customer base. With the popularity of social network sites exploding in recent years, companies that utilize these sites can easily reach both current and new customers, sometimes with very little effort or expense.

Britney Fuller is a writer who enjoys sharing her knowledge and advice with readers. For more on social media, The Engaging Brand offers readers information on maximizing Facebook to find employment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Britney_Fuller