How Is Your Social Networking Coming Along?  
Has everyone opened up at least one account?  
Anyone still without one? 
 
and the Big Question ... 
Are You Getting Business?

E-Commerce: If you can sell your product or service online, then your #1 intention should be to connect prospects to a landing page on your website or just online where they can learn more and make a purchase. Now, in so doing, you "must" engage, invite, suggest and only sometimes be direct .... remember today it's all about relationships, not advertising. 

Research: You can also use social media as a way to keep tabs on customer thoughts & feelings about what you do. Ask questions, connect people to surveys, do casual polling, etc. Consider using a blog if research is a key interest as well as the more interactive sites of Linkedin, facebook, etc. Going out to "other" postings on blogs & everywhere is also very beneficial for research. 

Branding: Social media can also be used as a branding tool to build awareness & interest in your product or services. YouTube can take you a long way if branding is your purpose.

Customer Retention: If you're in a business where it costs more to get a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, it's smart to use social media for keeping customers satisfied.  You see this a lot in Twitter. Twitter accounts are set up for quick questions, updates, simply casual chatting to keep customer relationships strong and maintain loyalty. 

Hopefully just having a purpose will simplify the concept of social networking for you.  Many people have been helped with my simple analogy of "going social networking" to "Going Fishing!"  If you plan a fishing trip for an afternoon, day or longer you know what you plan to catch and you have your bait and equipment with you. Going social networking has many comparisons and the fishing analogy provides some lightness to it all. As subscribers to my list you should already have received a copy unless you are brand new.  Just in case, here is a copy for everyone: 

The "bait" you are using when going fishing is your online posting, so It is a "must" to know how to create postings that will actually "connect" you to buyers.  Again, as subscribers you should already have the following document, but if not please download.  This document provides detailed instruction on how to create an endless supply of postings for connecting people to your business.