Social networking is the newest and most popular trend on the internet today. Many individuals who join a social networking site are able to keep in touch with old friend and relatives, meet new people and make new friends. With just a few clicks of a button, you are able to access and share so much information, and many businesses have taken advantage of social media to market their products as well as to promote their websites.

Social media marketing is now one of the fastest growing trends among online entrepreneurs today and small business owners can benefit as well. What makes social media marketing via these social networks so attractive is the fact that anyone can join. Whether you are a college student, a housewife or an entrepreneur, anyone and everyone with internet access has the ability to join a social network. With millions of active users constantly on these social networking sites, a small business owner has surely a lot of potential customers to do business with. Most of the social networking sites are free, so you do not have to pay anything to sign up. By simply creating an account and updating social networking pages, businesses can advertise their wares.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are some of the popular social networking sites available. Facebook is a great way to advertise products and services. With a ‘like’ feature, users can recommend a web page or link, which increases the chances of people investigating your site further. Be sure to utilise all possible Facebook tools such as posting a fan page for your business and include pictures, questions, information, and resources that your target audience would find useful. Twitter has a limited amount of text to use, so make sure that you customise your page to be unique with a catchy background and title. Also, hyperlink words back to your company website, which will create traffic and increase the possibility of being picked up by search engines such as Google. By using LinkedIn, you can link your company's website to the network and it will be shared with the professional community. You will have the ability to answer questions posted by your target audience which will give you expertise in the field.

If you are a business owner who is considering online marketing to increase your sales, then use social networking. This way you can increase your advertising potential by reaching more people and at the same time develop a niche market for your products and services.