What social network should I use? That is what most of my clients and small business owners ask me at networking events and in coffee shops around Chicago. They know that Facebook and Twitter is big, but it has this magical aura around it that scares some people. They go online once, maybe twice, and the new world scares them. However, we have to live in the new world, so they wonder how they will manage.

That is generally when people meet me and tell me that they think that this “social networking thing” is a fad. I smile quietly and then ask them why they state this. They give me the reason that I hear so often. “I still want to meet people face to face.” Then I give them the secret that I will be telling everyone here. “The entire point of going online to social media is to find some prospects, connect with them, and then bring them offline.” The look in their eyes changes at that moment, and I realize that there will be one more quality person building relationships through social media.

Why is it important to use social media? More importantly, with all of these sites out there which one is right for me? Let me address the first question, as it will lead to a clearer answer to the second.

Look at the words SOCIAL MEDIA closely….do you see it? Pause for a second if necessary. Think about what these two words really mean. The entire idea behind social media is that you now have a new medium to become social with other people, or here is a new way to talk to your prospects. That means that for those who really believe that the best way to build their business is through professional  relationships, you definitely need to come to the new ultimate prospect relationships builder. It is not a quick fix, but instead requires only your persistence.

So now that we know that social media is all about communicating your message to prospects, the other question is what social media site is necessary for me to succeed? The answer is simple and to many looking for the easy answer annoying. That depends on what you are looking to do? Are you a financial professional looking to create an awesome blog about building wealth for their customers and prospects?

Then I have a number of sites that you can use to get the word out on your products and services through bookmarks and consumer friendly networks. On the other hand, let’s say you are a network marketer looking to show the benefits of your product through video marketing. The easy answer is go to Youtube? The better answer is spread the love by using video aggregators, such as Tubemogul to increase your video visibility through 20 different video sharing sites, including DailyMotion, Vimeo, Viddler, Facebook, and Twitter.

Going back to the title of this post, what social network is right for me? The answer will depend on what you want and what your goals are in order to achieve them. However you choose to use social networking realize that there are some amazing communication tools at your hands now that put to shame the lowly fax machine as being primitive and the common telephone as simply primordial. Take advantage of the tools that are out there and transform your business. I see client change their business in front of my eyes everyday with the starter package and I know that you can do the same.

Social Networking