You can no longer deny the importance of social media and networking. As a small business owner, these platforms provide an extensive network to get your brand recognized. Most importantly, its free marketing!

You may be saying, “Its too late, I missed the boat and my only fans on Facebook are my dog and cat.”

Well, it isn’t too late and yes, maybe you haven’t been as active as you could of been-but that’s no excuse to keep ignoring these powerful resources. If you feel a little lost and don’t know your Twitter from your YouTube, just take a deep breath and start with one and build from there.

It will take a little time and effort, but I’ll try to make your job easier and give you a few tips and good places to start.

Mashable.com is a great site for all things relating to social and digital media.

Beginners Guide: Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and YouTube For Business is a fantastic overview of the top sites.

In How Social Media Has Radically Changed Advertising, Hank Wasiak gives a great overview of how the advertising world has evolved and how Social Media is playing the leading role.

If think a Twitter is something a bird does, How to Build A Twitter Strategy For Your Business will give you some much needed information.

Here’s a how-to about Building Your Personal Brand on Facebook.  Here is a direct link to start setting up your page.

How To Evaluate Your Social Media Plan is a great resource to have at your planning stages.

These should get you started, and feel free to post any other links in the comments section that you have found helpful.