The Internet has of course allowed outreach and communication on a scale, with a speed, and at an inexpensive cost level never even rivaled before in recorded human history. Those who wish to make money on the Internet can use this power to their advantage. For these social media that we are talking about don't need to be limited to personal or friendly communications, yet at the same time their nature as such can open them up to use as friendly, inviting, non-pushy means of making sales.
All good salesmen have always known about the importance and power of networking. Time was that this had to be done by getting involved in offline activities. This could have been joining the local YMCA, church groups, community outreach program, flag football team, and so on. It could also include getting commentaries or articles published in the local newspapers (agreeing to be published for free in exchange for certainty of being published), and just generally giving out one's business card wherever one regularly went or shopped, such as the local gas station, the bakery, and so on.
Networking's power lies in the fact that it's non-confrontational and the people who are being targeted for sales feel that they are making the choice to buy or possibly buy at the time that suits them, rather than being targets of a "one meeting close" where they will feel the pressure to "buy now!" and then experience buyer's remorse. With networking, too, the prospects feel they are doing business with a friend; thus there is a sense of trust, and a sense of helping out a friend while feeling they can be sure of getting something good in return.
Now, networking via the social media on the Internet multiplies the power of networking while also making it far less expensive and easier to do. There are many options to choose.
Facebook -- now the Internet's leading social networking site, you can use it to find millions of potential clients. Join groups, continuously update your profile status, write on your wall, meet people. It's easy to spend all day and night here if you're not careful!
YouTube/Video Jug/MetaCafe -- free online video posting sites are amazing creations. After acquiring extremely inexpensive equipment, some of which now comes free with new computers, you can make video after video and put them up at these sites. Make them instructional and/or entertaining and put good metatags on them, and you'll have prospects streaming to your email and website after a while. You're giving out free entertainment or advice--that's always very attractive.
Twitter -- this extremely simple to use social networking site is working wonders for Internet marketers who use it right! All you do is "twitter about" something you've done or are doing a few times a day in a couple of hundred characters or less. Believe it or not, if you are constant you'll build a following who will become more and more interested in you and what you do.
Squidoo -- build a better Squidoo "lens" and the virtual world will beat a path to your splash page! It's a lot of fun, too!
These are just a few examples of the top social media for Internet marketers.
