Have you social networked yet?

Social networking. If you have an online presence, and don't know what that phrase means, you need to Google it as soon as possible. I believe there are only two areas of growth right now on the Internet - social networking and mobile marketing.

Social networking is important because it connects people and companies together. By now, you should already have a blog, so your customers can get to know you a little better. And you should be personalizing your site because, almost literally, people buy online from either Amazon, or who they know. Why buy from a small guy if Amazon has it? They're less risky, for sure. So your best weapon today is letting your customers know who you are (that is, unless you're a complete jerk), and building relationships.

Now that you're building relationships, start networking. MySpace, LinkedIn, FaceBook, EventFul, YouTube, etc. allow you to post personal information, and link back and forth with others. Do this with your vendors, your customers, and your friends. Have your employees create accounts and network (yes, even on company time, unless you treat them like crap and fear their negative posts).

Make videos - put them on YouTube. Create events, put them on EventFul. Once you get started, you'll catch the drift, and the wave of results.