We’re all members of one of the many social networking sites, right? You know… like Facebook, MySpace, or Ning. How can we not be if we like to meet people, share music, or just pass the time commenting on videos, recipes, or interesting news.

As a matter of fact, some statistics suggest that 2 out of 3 people now use a social networking site! Just keep in mind, when advertising to these community sites… the old rules no longer apply.

Consider these 6 points before advertising on a social networking site:

1.     It’s about building relationships. It’s not about generating clicks… so be patient and don’t look for immediate results from your ad campaign since the most effective element of social networking is word of mouth.

2.    You won’t have a lot of brand control. The social networking site’s content is created by users and recommendations are made by users. This means you won’t be able to control what content or user your brand is associated with.

3.    Don’t expect much from display ads. Users are not real happy with all the ads bombarding their favorite social network sites and this means response rates will be well below the Internet’s average.

4.    Use interactive and highly relevant ads. Ads that have the most promise with this audience are highly interactive such as videos, and especially relevant such as dating or music. Just remember, this community is used to seeing things “play” before their eyes.

5.    Consider developing a Facebook page. And link that page from your website so your customers can become “fans”. This will create a great audience for you to update with company news and happenings… to keep them very engaged with your brand.

6.    Speak their “language”. No matter how you decide to advertise, make sure and use the language of the community in your ads. Speak their language and you’ll have a better chance of connecting and getting your message across.

Just remember… social networks are all about creating and nurturing relationships. So be patient and focus on the long-term goal of developing new and lasting customer relationships.

Now start socializing! = )

Brand advertising is only for big brands right? McDonald’s, Coke, Apple… they pay for splashy ad banners on websites and billboards by the road side. Not to mention sexy TV ads. What about your online business? Guess what… you also need to invest in brand advertising. Surprised? Read on.

Spending all your advertising dollars on paid search (i.e., Google) to drive traffic to your website is crazy. Okay, maybe not crazy… but really, really expensive. That’s why everyone tells you to search engine optimize (SEO) your website. That way your site will show up in “natural” search results when a prospect types in a keyword you care about. And that’s huge since natural search clicks are free of charge!

But while most people click on sponsored listings based on ranking (that’s why marketers splurge to get ranked number one), many will click on a natural search listing based on recognizing the brand. So brand awareness matters big time if you want to increase the likelihood that prospects will click on your search listing. This is especially true since research shows that people click on natural search listings more than 70% of the time!

Not convinced of the importance of brand awareness? Then let me say it another way: people are more likely to buy from a brand they’ve heard of.

Here are some ways to create brand awareness for your online business:

• Issue press releases. Doesn’t matter how big or small your company is. Let your prospects know when you have important news that they’ll find compelling. And these days it’s pretty easy and costs only $25 to $100 to issue a press release. Interested? Take a look at PR Newswire and 1888 Press Release to get started.

• Run ad banner campaigns. Yes, buy ad banners! Banner advertising is a great way to generate brand awareness with your target prospects. And there are lots of ad networks and websites that cater to advertisers with limited marketing dollars to spend. For example, check out these ad networks: BuySellAds and AdBrite.

• Publish content. Creating and publishing informative content is more important than ever in making prospects aware of you and your brand. So write articles, comment on blogs (create your own!), participate in online forums… and always mention your brand. Just be patient as it does take awhile. But before you know it you’ll start to create brand awareness (and website traffic too!)

• Leverage social media. There’s a lot of buzz about Facebook, Twitter, YouTube… to name just a few social media sites. And whether or not you understand what these sites are all about… your business needs to participate. It really does. So invest the time to learn how social media can help you get the word out about your brand.

There’s a lot to chew on here… so make sure and pace yourself. You don’t need to do it all at once to start getting prospects to recognize your brand.

How about first doing a press release on that big customer you just landed? Meanwhile, get started running an ad banner campaign that really cements your brand in the mind of your target market. And get in the habit of commenting on blog sites you like to read. Then see who in your company (maybe you) likes to write and put them in charge of your website’s blog. Next up is launching your website’s Facebook page, Twitter account, and then some videos for YouTube.

As I said… there’s a lot to do! The good news is that every step you take generates more brand awareness. Did I mention that prospects are more likely to buy from you if they’re already familiar with your brand?