It\’s almost a sure bet that if you have internet access you have Facebook friends and tweet occasionally. As a matter of fact before you found yourself reading this article you were on Facebook and will be so again as soon as you have finished it. No matter what time of day or night it is, you can\’t help seeing what your friends are talking about, where a good restaurant is, how you should spend your evening tonight and how to save money on the latest electronic must-have.

While social networking sites were once an extension of real-world networking opportunities, they passed that narrow definition a long time ago. People who were once looking for other people are now looking for postings by any number of institutions on Facebook and Twitter. Postings on Facebook can be seen from schools, restaurants, stores, theaters, and various government departments.

One of the first non-person accounts I saw on Facebook was from a local restaurant. Their page included menu specials and events they were hosting in the near future. Every time I went to my account, there was this restaurants latest post staring me in the face with a tasty treat of the day that I saw and went on by. I didn\’t really pay much attention. And, then I found myself at the very same restaurant ordering that tasty treat for lunch.

This principle applies also to retail stores. Stores advertising a sale or promotion on Facebook are assured that thousands of people will see it. Anyone spending an hour or so on Facebook will be jumping quickly from page to page casually perusing all sorts of information, none of it with any depth. This is much like reading headlines in a newspaper but not the stories beneath them. But if one those headlines is a store name and the headline is alluring, lots of folks will click on the link.

To be effective a page must be updated often and carefully maintained. This is true of all pages whether they belong to an individual or a business. Facebook is a great benefit to business owners as they can relate directly and immediately to customers and answer any specific question promptly and accurately. A person looking for a Karaoke bar where they might spend an evening and want to know when the Karaoke starts can ask the manager and get an instant response. The customer decides to bring himself and ten friends over that night for some Karaoke and brewskis. The business owner made his profit for that day with that one answer.

An individual wishing to promote a service or sell a product can also take advantage of social networking sites. Looking for a job? Post your notice on your updated profile with information about your house and pet sitting expertise and when you are available. You can post a picture of the mountain bike you wish to sell. You can be sure that all your Facebook friends will see it and spread the word.

The best part of advertising a business on a social networking site: Achieving massive exposure without a large budget. The sites are free, and with a little time and effort, an appealing online presence can attract customers. A business\’s page is also a way for customesr to feel proactive about consumer decisions. People “find” retail stores and restaurants on Facebook. The discovery is all their effort. Not like finding a flyer from the windshield of their parked car. The flyer is obtrusive and rude in a way that a social networking site is not.

The social networking sites were once the playground of college students and start-up garage bands. They are now a mainstream, legitimate venue to increase business. Everybody accesses social networking sites. All these potential customers are a mere mouse-click away.

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Author Bio: If you liked the previous article, you can go and take a look at more similar posts at Universal Web Consulting or this Universal Web Consulting Article.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: universal web consulting,social media,social sites,facebook,twitter,seo,sem