Prospecting through Social Networking Sites

Social Networking…What comes to mind? "Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin".

There is more to social networking than these three giants.  Try to open an account with ping.fm and you will see how many social networking sites there are.  Ping.fm provides the single log-on to all social networking sites for free.

Creating awareness for our products and services is the reason why we need to be visible and active in the social networking sites.   There are just so many out there and Wikipedia has come up with a list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites.

Let us take a peek at the some of the newbie social networking sites and how it can help you with prospecting and selling your services:

1. Referral Key  is an online referral network that helps users strengthen their existing relationships with an emphasis on driving referrals to one another.
2. BranchOut was founded in July 2010 which will help you expand your career network to include absolutely everyone you know on Facebook.  I would say that this is a LinkedIn-wannabe-in Facebook.
3. Stik.com allows friends in facebook win business within your social circle by recommending them.
4. Meetup.com lets you meet other local people to discuss Meetups you have attended, ideas for future Meetups and find a group that shares your own interest.
5. Merchant Circle is the best site to connect with merchants. It allows you to post blogs and create coupons for your businesses. 
6. Shopchino.com is a business site for merchant.  This works like merchant circle as well.  The only difference is that it allows you to create your own virtual store. 
7. Activerain is the site for realtors. 
8. Groupsite.com is one of my favorites because it allows one to connect with your own community/group.  I have met a lot of professionals through this site and being part of this site has been very helpful with being noticed within your own community/group.

All these sites will help you create awareness for your products and services but learning how to use them to maximize your profitability is what you need to learn as a business owner.  This is where social networking trainings can help you learn how to set up and use the sites to get more clients. Consulting  a virtual marketing assistant that specializes in social networking will be your best cost effective choice.