Secrets to online success: grow your presence using social media.

• Author: Fuller, Hilarye
• Position: PLANNING GUIDE

Social media is more than just a buzzword used by marketing professionals. It's a vehicle that has taken off and changed the way millions are using the Internet, not only in their personal lives but in their professional lives as well. While blogging, chat rooms and forums have been around since the late 1990s, social networking sites have really only taken off in the last few years with the most significant growth occurring in 2008 and 2009. According to Facebook Advertising, there are currently more than 87 million users on Facebook with almost 800,000 just in Utah. According to Mashable, Twitter is also estimated to have more than 18 million users by the end of the year. For today's entrepreneurs, social media can be a goldmine.

SIX DEGREES TO SUCCESS

Networking sites have provided a great venue for entrepreneurs to market themselves, build connections, make contacts to secure funding and discover sales leads.

Success of networking sites for entrepreneurs can be attributed to the "six degrees of separation" theory. It's been said that each person is separated from every other person by only six degrees (or five introductions). This is a theory that Microsoft has shown to be true among online users by studying the relationships of 180 million people around the world, through billion electronic messages. Social media literally puts the world at your fingertips and gives entrepreneurs access to individuals and resources that might not have been as readily available otherwise.

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WHERE TO BEGIN

Social media can be overwhelming for individuals who may not understand social media and its many forms or for those who may not know where to begin. The best place to start for newcomers is to learn as much as possible about social media. By researching what's out there, entrepreneurs will discover which sites are inline with their specific goals and needs.

Another step is listening to what is being said about specific businesses in your industry, including your own business on social media sites. Once you...