Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have become extremely popular. More and more people and businesses are using them to connect with others and advertise themselves. If you have yet to see the potential these sites offer for marketing your business you better start looking. Oh, and did I mention they are free?

Here are some tips to help you effectively use these social networking sites to your advantage.

First you want to pick the networking sites that best fit your business. You might need to do some research to figure this out. Look to see what the demographic of each site is and then ask yourself which demographic you are wanting to target. There are more networking sites out there than you have time for, which is why it's important to be selective. You have a limited amount of time, so pick the sites that will benefit you the most.

Once you have picked the sites you want to use, use them! The more active you are on these sites the more people will be drawn to your page and thus your business and products. And be creative! Write opinion pieces, post articles relevant to your industry, answer people's questions, post videos, pictures, etc. The more active you are the more traffic you will get.

You also want to create a page for both yourself and your business on each networking site. This will give you two different avenues to network with and thus increase your options and potential for pulling people in.

And remember, it takes time. You need to be patient. You need to get to know people, create a relationship with them. All of this takes time. So don't give up just because you haven't pulled in hundreds of new customers the first week. Slowly build up your network of friends, business connections, and admirers and you will see success. Guaranteed.