Networking Strategy for Small Business

I have a friend who is a house painter and we were discussing how as a small business owner he can use networking to get more exposure. Amazingly, he was not aware that he could profit by using a social network site to promote his business prospects. For this purpose, I suggested that he start actively networking online. Generaly, people who have small businesses usually get business by word of mouth and this is a way to do this online. The sites that I suggested were Face book, MySpace or Twitter.

In addition, I told him to join a few local social networks sites in his area to promote his business to people who might be willing to hire him. He can also create his own network by using Ning. The types of businesses that he should target are not for profit, other business owners or other people who work for a large organization in his area that might want to hire him. He could also start a group for other professionals in the house renovation or building business, such as landscaping, plumbing and electricians to share ideas and get referrals. Once he starts networking online, his contacts will grow, but he must spend the time online to reach the people who may send business his way. He can also post some pictures of the painting jobs that he has done to show people how good the quality of his work is. Since most of these network sites are free, he has nothing to lose, and he will be able to build strong relationships with many of these people.