It will enable you to build a massive network of like minded business types who you can promote your business to and in the process gain countless incoming links to your site by using the internal email facility.

When you first sign up, again this is exactly the process I used, set up your profile, add your photo and video if you have one, look at what other members are doing, and start networking immediately. Simply joining and then sitting back isn't enough, now is the time for you to start making things happen. Now is the time to be pro-active.

Within one week of joining I had over 2,000 personal contacts who, in turn were linked to more than 1.2 million networking contacts, at the time of writing that has increased to 3,200+ personal contacts linked to in excess of 1.75 million networking contacts. Just read that sentence again so the power of what you have just read can sink in.

If you consider that everything you have ever read about Internet Marketing focuses on one thing, and that one thing is your list, now can you see the power behind these business networking sites and the benefits of joining as a paid member?

As I stated earlier, you must be pro-active, so now you have to build your contact list. To build your contact list, and to build it very quickly, log into your own profile page and hit search, when the search page loads, uncheck the boxes and systematically invite everyone to be your contact, and I mean everyone, no being choosey here, you want them all.

Yes, this is very tedious in the beginning because it initially means sitting at your computer for hours inviting hundreds of people to be your contacts, but as you progress it gets much easier and less time consuming. I did this and I still do it now, only now I have reached the point where it only takes about twenty minutes each day catching those that have slipped through my net. So don't think that you have to sit for hours, day after day, for the rest of time doing this. Do it and you will reap great benefits, don't and you will lose out big time.

We now get back to why I advised you to take a paid membership, if you have a paid membership you are able to email your personal contacts, and on your email you must add an email signature, this is very easy to do and is fully explained on your profile page, do this every day without fail, email as many of your contacts as you can and answer the emails you have received.

Why would you want to do this? Each and every email you send out has your signature and within that signature are the details and the address of your website, each one of those emails once sent, acts as an advertisement and links for your business and considering that some members aren't such frequent visitors as you will be, it can take weeks before those emails are read and disposed of. So your links can last weeks and you will also benefit from visits to your site and possibly sales from members you have contacted, the same applies to your replies to other members, each reply is a link back to your business.

Business networking sites are such an ignored and under rated area of internet marketing. Don't get caught in the same old trap as everyone else, make use of all the facilities available to promote your business and don't neglect the obvious.