How to effectively promote your business using social outlets.

In today’s economy, it is important for every business to be more cost effective. It is especially important for smaller businesses that have limited budgets. When marketing any company, goals need to be set. Along with the target audience, these goals should be the driving force for defining the marketing plan.

One of the most cost effective marketing tools is the Internet. There are many social sites and networks that are perfect for promoting a company. However, many businesses make the mistake of trying to utilize all of them, without a purpose, just to get their names “out there.” While it may seem like a good idea to jump into every network, it can backfire. In order for a company’s presence on any social network to be successful, it has to have a purpose and it must be active.

To avoid having inactive “ghost” accounts on social networks, companies need to have a grasp on their goals and their missions. Part of that includes knowing your target audience and what will be effective. When opening Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Foursquare accounts, there are different factors to consider.

With 1.06 billion users, Facebook has the greatest reach of all social networks. Currently, there are two billion connections between local businesses and users. The average number of weekly local business page views is 645 million, with approximately 13 million weekly comments. Having an active Facebook presence is very important, as it is often the first place potential or existing customers go to search for your company. Having a Facebook page requires a consistent dedication to making weekly posts (at least) and interacting with users. Businesses that offer a service and/or product are ideal candidates for Facebook.

Twitter is a great way to keep your followers updated on your brand, but it requires a great deal of upkeep, including sending at least one tweet a day. With 400 million tweets sent daily, Twitter followers are exposed to many messages. It can be difficult to keep your brand relevant on Twitter. Businesses that have a desire to stay connected to their customers and are willing to monitor activity daily should have a Twitter account.

Pinterest currently has 48.7 million users and has become one of the fastest growing social networking sites. The growth rate may make it seem like every company should jump in, but not every company is right for the site. Pinterest involves users bookmarking (or “pinning”) images to their personal boards. Because the average user is female, companies that have a lot of visual content and are aiming to target women should look into Pinterest.

Foursquare is a mobile app that allows users to “check in” at locations. It is a great way for people to see what their friends are up to, but it is also an opportunity for businesses to reward users for checking in to their establishments. A great way to do this is to offer a deal on an item or service with the first check-in, and then a different deal can be offered upon checking in a certain amount of times. This provides the user with a reason to continue checking in. Foursquare only makes sense if you have a physical establishment.

Out of all of these options, as well as the other options out there, the key is to finding out what best fits your company. The main thing businesses need to remember is to be active on the social networks they utilize and communicate with the users using it.