As a small business owner, social media marketing can certainly attract traffic to your site and then clients to your business. It is a great tool for building a targeted, responsive list. And yet, where do you start with social media and exactly how involved do you need to get?

If you need to build your business and start improving your client database, social media will be the least expensive and fastest strategy to use. Listed here are three quick ways of getting you started in your social media marketing plan.

Make use of LinkedIn to develop your client foundation

• First, you'll want to create a real interesting profile for your business and in the interests section, you should use your most suitable keywords.
• Make sure that should you have a blog, you put the hyperlink to your blog in your profile. This is a good way for people to find out just who you are and what your business is all about.
• Put your client list into appropriate groups and start communicating with them.
• Use LinkedIn as a way to recruit clients for your company in order to get your message out there.

Utilise Facebook to market your business

• You are able to create groups in Facebook also and converse with those groups on a consistent basis.
• When you are submitting articles to article submission sites, some of these directory websites offer sections where you can put your Facebook and Twitter information.
• Then, each time post an article to the directory, the directory will instantly post your post on your Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• If your group members and clients have Facebook pages, make comments on their pages. Be useful and respond to their questions.
• Be "friends" with individuals in your subject area

Just remember, when you're utilising social media sites for business, building a great relationship with your friends is significantly more important than the number of friends you have. As you create your Facebook friends list and interact with your clients regularly, you will discover traffic increase to your website.

Utilise Twitter to expand your business presence in social media

• Utilising Twitter, you will want to generate lists that are specific to particular topics and you will want to subscribe to lists that have to do with your topic.
• A good idea for Twitter exposure is to give away a weekly report on your subject. Don't neglect to include a "Please Re-Tweet" or an RT so that people will spread your content throughout the web.
• Use the # hashtags and follow people where appropriate.

Some guidelines when starting to use your social media marketing plan:

1. Don't spend a great deal of time on the social media sites. Only spend about 15 minutes or so on each site.

2. Your day-to-day approach should be to make good and related feedback on good and related posts. Keep in mind to use pictures.

3. Grow relationships with your friends and gather your own friends with your subscribe pages.

4. Don't neglect your photograph, a professional photo, on your pages. Those who use social media sites prefer to see the person they are corresponding with.

To summarise, social media sites should be part of your business marketing plan. The thing to remember is to create strong relationships with people however don't spend lots of time doing it. Just start small and let it go from there.

Do you want to learn more about using Social Media to increase your business? If so, download the author Cathy Quel's free Social Marketing Guide here: http://workonlinesuccess.com/Free-Reports/Socialmarketing.html or visit her website at http://workonlinesuccess.com