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We all are aware of the term social media, but we may not know the power behind it. About two years ago, I was not even aware about the uses of social media for business and now I am making the best use of social media for my campaign marketing.

The following are the top social media sites and tips with which to market your business or products:

1. Twitter
Twitter is one of the world’s most popular and most visited social media websites. The basic use of Twitter is to share thoughts and information in the form of tweets.

Twitter also can be used with great results for marketing and SEO. Twitter provides you with a dedicated guide to use the site for business marketing. Create an account on Twitter with your business name and then get started promoting your business promotion.

To learn more about Twitter for small business, click here to download the site’s step-by-step guide.

2. Facebook
Facebook is the No. 1 social media website in the world. And, with one billion members, it is even more popular than Twitter. Though Facebook was created to provide users with a social media platform, with time, many new features have been added to enable business owners to promote their products and services through Facebook. Facebook provides many tools and services dedicated to business promotion and marketing. These tools include Facebook marketing page, advertising page, Facebook business page, Facebook studio and Facebook studio edge. Facebook allows you to share posts, links, images and videos to promote your business and engage your audience.

3. Pinterest
Pinterest is currently one of the fastest growing social networks. It allows you to share images, visuals and infographs on a virtual pin-up board. Simply create an account for your business to share all your images, news, links, etc. Though Pinterest is a relatively new name in social media world, it has shown a tremendous growth in the past two years. Pinterest provides you with many options to promote your content. You can share your business related visual content on Pinterest, can add a pinboard specific to your users, can host contests, can re-pin your business-related pins, and much more. Click here for in-depth info on business terms of use.

4. LinkedIn
LinkedIn has remained a popular social networking website for some years. It is much more than a social media website – it is a social networking site for professionals. LinkedIn provides its users with a platform to share information about their professions, meet other professionals in relevant fields and find jobs.

LinkedIn can also be used for business marketing. It provides your business with a global exposure and a professional atmosphere, one that many big brands and corporations have taken advantage of.

The site allows you to share posts and create groups and pages much like on many other social media sites.

5. Business Blog
Blogging is also a very important part of social media, although it is vastly different than using a social media site. If you are a writer or like to write, blogging may seem simple but, for your blog to be a powerful marketing tool, it takes effort. If you are a business owner, especially if you have a business online, creating a business blog is key in engaging customers. You can use your business blog to write about your business, services, and products as well as answer customer queries and educate them on topics related to your niche. You can also share images and videos to add visual interest and promote your business and services.

6. Blog Comments and Forum Discussions
Blogs and forums are also very useful social media tools. Blog websites allow you to share your views about posts in the comments section. Similarly, you can take part in forum discussions through forum comments. By taking part in such discussions, you will get a chance to know other people in your business field. It is also a chance to tell the people about your business and services while establishing yourself as an authority in your niche.

7. YouTube
YouTube is not exactly a social media website, but it can provide you with a great opportunity to market your business. YouTube, which is used to share and watch videos, is the world’s most popular video website. YouTube allows you to create an account and profile link to share your promotional videos for free. If you have videos on your website, you can upload them to YouTube, and your videos will be visible to the millions of users who browse the site. It is a great spot to advertise your products or services for free – and the viewership potential is great.

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Jack Flaming is an online marketer and a writer. He often writes about the use of social media for marketing and SEO.