By now, you have certainly become familiarized with social media in your regular life. You Facebook with family and friends, use LinkedIn to connect with fellow professionals and colleagues or you watch your share of videos on YouTube. But there is no escaping it anymore - social media needs to become a part of your overall marketing efforts. Your audiences are there, and you should be too.

Need more convincing? There are over one billion users on Facebook, 72 hours of YouTube video uploaded every minute, and 2 million Google searches per minute. The internet is a vast, interactive space where user-generated content is all the rage. Your brand can capitalize on this. And all it takes is a conversation.

Have professionally branded and regularly updated social networks. You don't need them all, but starting with one or two is a logical step. Research your audiences and immerse yourself in their world. Most importantly, do not inundate them with sales requests and product demos. This is social media. It is an inherently personal space.

Businesses must learn that building brand loyalty and customer satisfaction comes first - sales opportunities will follow. All brands must craft a strategy that guides their social media efforts. How often will you post? What type of content will you share? Where is this content coming from?

Decide the viewpoint your brand has. Join a community and become an active, participating member of it. Think of social media like the worlds largest networking event. And everyone you could possibly want to talk to is in the same room.

Foster relationships, earn credibility, and build brand awareness by leveraging social media to your advantage. Being a successful brand on social media is not an unattainable goal for anybody. It takes persistence, research and a determination to become a part of the communities that already exist. It all starts with a strategy.

Like any other marketing channel, social media requires patience and resources. Do not underestimate its power. Great public relations professionals and marketers understand that social media is a tool that holds great clout in the court of public opinion. It all starts with that first post - get out there and start talking!

John Foley, Jr. is the CEO of interlinkONE. Their solutions enable companies to build, manage, execute, and measure marketing efforts across multiple channels. John is also the founder of Grow Socially. They provide consulting and delivery services to help companies with their online marketing efforts. He is the published author of multiple books, including Business Transformation: A New Path to Profit for the Printing Industry, which provides strategies, plans, campaigns, and case studies to help printers offer integrated marketing solutions. He also just released his newest book, Untethered Marketing: The Role of the Cloud and Mobile Communications.

John Online:
Twitter - twitter.com/johnfoleyjr
Facebook - Facebook.com/JohnFoleyJr
YouTube - YouTube.com/JohnFoleyJr
LinkedIn - LinkedIn.com/in/JohnFoleyJr
Grow Socially - http://growsocially.com/
interlinkONE - http://interlinkone.com/
Visit John's Mobile Webpage: http://iling.me/jr
Contact John at: 978-674-8081, johnf@growsocially.com