In today’s digital era you can find hundreds of ways to use online social networks to market your business and yourself. Here are some of them:

Research your market

You can use abundant resources the World Wide Web provides to listen to your community, learn what your target markets want and need.

Create Competence

Express yourself and polish your brand, becoming an expert in your field with the help of social networks. You can speak up in a mailing list, discussion forum, or blog, and reach hundreds or thousands of people. Say something useful, original, and, most important, truthful, and you will get quoted and linked to, reaching even more people.

Build and reinforce your brand. Every signature in an e-mail or on the Web, and every profile online, is an opportunity to reinforce your brand. Be open to your audience. Networked markets demand openness from the companies who want to sell into those markets. Organizations should have more people participating virtually than just professional marketers.

Microtarget

If you have identified a particular narrowly-defined groups to target, the odds are good that you can identify a virtual community where they are already gathered. Are you selling consulting services to independent bookstores? If it doesn’t already exist, just create a virtual community for your target pool, seed it with your closest relationships, and watch it grow.

Ignite word-of-mouth buzz

If you have a new product or service, word-of-mouth-satisfied customers talking about you-is one of the most effective ways to establish your Competence. Word-of-mouth flows through social networks; Leaders of networks are excellent lighthouse customers.