When the words social media are mentioned, what is the very first thing that comes to mind? Probably Facebook, right? Social Media has become increasingly popular over the last several years and it is not only well-liked by people wanting to keep up with their family, friends and the latest news and gossip, but also for companies attempting to promote their products and services to the public.

There are a number of other types of social media such as Myspace, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. Social media is all about individuals and relationships. Therefore, it is an effective medium which can be used to reach clients and create brand awareness.

For those new to social media, it is good to know what types of social network sites are out there. It can be broken down into many categories including professional, social, blogs and video sharing. Within each of these major categories, there are thousands of communities filled with members who dedicate a portion of their day to participating in those social networks.

Professional
Networking has long been thought of as an asset in professional circles. It allows the person to connect with people and by those connections meet other professionals that person knows. You can find past and present colleagues and class mates, discover inside connections when looking for a new job or business opportunity and link with experts willing to share advice. LinkedIn is one of the top professional social networking sites.          

•  LinkedIn is geared for the professional.  It links you with not only clients, but also investors, partners,         employees, suppliers and even friendly competitors.  LinkedIn is where you get to showcase your talents.  Posts and articles that are professionally written carry more weight here with the reader than Facebook and Twitter, where the format is more personal.

Social
You have your family, friends from your school, friends you work with, and people you may have met in a variety of ways. Social networking sites are about being social, so there are sites purely for allowing users to stay in touch with people they know. While Myspace was the leader in the past, the current leader is Facebook.        

• Myspace is mainly used by a younger crowd and has built an audience around entertainment and music.
• Facebook is used to engage socially with people.  This is where you get them to Know, Like and Trust you.  People come to facebook to engage in conversation.  Give them a reason to stay on your page by posting interesting articles and have discussions related to your business. 

                 Learn more about Facebook for Your Small Business.

Blogs / Micro-blogs
People like to journal, and with the internet they are able to share their lives more openly. Personal blogs do still exist, while other blogs discuss a particular niche or interest.
Similar to blogs, micro-blogs are a journal of what’s happening right now. These types of social networking sites can share what is going on in an individual’s life or can be information that individual wants to share. The best known micro-blog is Twitter.       

• Twitter is good at driving traffic.  It is a more casual place you can interact with customers, employees, your community and others by "tweeting" what's going on with your company.  This is where you can post openings in your appointment schedule, specials and other items that will drive traffic to your website.  The most difficult part of using Twitter is limiting your headlines to 140 characters or less.

 Video Sharing
Short (2-10 minute) videos take over the world! In terms of video marketing, we have a winner. YouTube is the video sharing site that almost everyone has seen. Videos are shared online; keywords are added so people can search for terms or for the video title. If the owner allows, people can even comment on the video.           

• YouTube is king.  You can upload and share video clips on  Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, websites and email.  A short video showing the work you do or how you solve a particular problem is a very powerful sales tool.  YouTube is a great way to promote your site.

Each social networking site has its pros and cons, and it's up to you to decide which site will most benefit your company.  Regardless of what your company does or sells, in this day and age your company should be utilizing at least one of these sites to gain awareness as well as customers.