Why Social Media Can Help Women Entrepreneurs

Being an entrepreneur is hard enough.  You have your entire business riding on your back, and regardless if you have built up an empire, a small business or have a one woman show you need to know how to do many things.

Social media, or new media – whatever you want to call it – doesn’t seem to be losing too much steam.  Many businesses have figured out how to use this medium to their benefit and help gain more leads, brand awareness and even use it as a networking tool.

However you decide to use social media, you should be aware that women are leading the game.  A study conducted by BlogHer and iVillage states that, “nearly three-quarters (73%) of online women are now active social media users, engaging weekly or more often with popular social media platforms.”

Having a great networking circle is a must for entrepreneurs. Knowing where to go to find like-minded women can keep you up to date on your industry as well as having a great circle of entrepreneurs to run ideas off of.

WomenForbes.com reports that “women often use online social networking tools to make connections.”  Jodi Kahn, the head of iVillage, goes on to say in the article that, “We're women--we like to talk about things. Women use social media as a way to connect."

For women, the networking sites most used are: Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, Facebook and Flickr.  This doesn’t mean you need to stick solely to these sites, but it just means you will run into more women engaging on these sites.

Although social media is a great tool, remember you need to offset social media with a great website.  After all, where are you going to send your Twitter followers if you don’t have a website?  If you want to keep the conversation going, have a blog on your site as well.

Having a blog can give your site more traffic, allows you to set yourself as an expert in your field and also allows your visitors to communicate through comments.  Being able to stay connected to your clients in more than just one medium is key.

What types of social media tactics do you find helpful?

Shannon Suetos is a writer based in San Diego, California.  She writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as phone systems & VoIP service at Resource Nation.