As a general rule, good marketers will always tend to follow the market and of course their targeted consumers. You may not be a big fan of social networking website (such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the new ones launching in hundreds of numbers) however, you just can not afford to ignore these online portals that get literally millions of visitors on daily basis. So even if you are not looking to build a personal network of friends online, you must be looking to have a professional network of prospective customers, colleges, partners and industry peers, it will help in many ways.
How will it benefit:
Have you seen the tremendous popularity and growth, you may not agree with the extensive use but that's where people spend most of their online time, even more than what they spend searching at Google. You've got to market your stuff at these places; by marketing it does not mean flooding their inbox with spam. You've got to play by rules. By making use of the exceptional scope and popularity of social networking websites, you can increase your leads and clients in reasonable numbers.
Twitter:
Everyone tweets these days, politicians, Hollywood stars, celebrities, sportsman, journalists, anchors, and all sorts of professionals. Although it's becoming more like a place to share links and websites instead of your views and opinions, but still if you can assemble a good enough following, you will be able to get some new visitors to your website. Also you can keep a tab on your targeted customers to know their demands and be there to help whenever they want.
Facebook:
Another very popular website, people log on to Facebook from their homes, offices and even cell phones. New Facebook apps are popping up all the time, people share photos, videos, articles, and play games on Facebook. While professionals are found networking with the peers, colleges and even contemporaries to share new trends, news and views regarding the industry. In case you've got an account at Facebook, you need to be pretty careful, at times comments or files posted for fun purpose can cause some sort of trouble for your professional career.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is more tailor for professional and entrepreneurs alike, unlike Facebook or Orkut; It's not a place to have fun. You get to make contacts and reach to your potential customers. A well organized LinkedIn profile is a must for someone who offers any kind of services online, because when someone searches from your name, there's every possibility that your LinkedIn profile will show up.