Unlimited Free Leads From Social Networking

There is a lot of talk around these days about social networking. Sites are popping up all over: MySpace is the granddaddy, but there is also FaceBook, Twitter, Squidoo, YouTube and many others. These sites were designed around the idea that people could meet and interact on the Internet. But savvy marketers have also figured out that they are an amazing source of never-ending leads for their businesses.

How can that be? Isn’t MySpace for my teenage daughter? And YouTube is full of crazy funny animal videos, right? How does that factor into my business?

All of these sites can factor in to your business very importantly. Think of the “old-school” networking you know about. You join Kiwanis, Rotary Club, Soroptimist and you pass around your business cards and make friends. The clubs are designed to do good works in the community but they are used very effectively to promote business among their members.

Social networking sites are similar. You sign on, set up a page and begin to invite friends over for a chat. Then you expand and invite other people you haven’t met yet — new friends. You find things you have in common and build relationships. You get to know each other. As you build relationships, you will attract people who are like you. They have similar interests or they can relate to your “story.”

Once your new friends come to know, like and trust you, they will be open to hearing about what you are doing in your life. They learn a little about your business and, because they’ve come to respect you, they want to learn more and — bingo — they click on your link and opt-in.

Social networking, when done right, is highly respectful and is not a hard sell. You attract people, draw them in based on who you honestly are. And because like attracts like, the people who seek you out will be folks you will enjoy working with. It is an ingenious process and yet it is highly individual as well.

So, tell your teenage daughter to move on over. It’s your turn to get a MySpace account and start looking for friends.