Web 2.0, or social marketing, is a term that describes the second generation of the internet. In this second wave, you don’t have to be tech saavy to create an internet presence. Anyone can do it. And if you are a business owner, you have to be online. There is no choice. As any business owner knows, you want to go where your buyers are. In other words, if you want to catch some fish, go where the fish are. And right now, there is a massive wave of people going to social media sites. So that is where you have to be to connect with your prospective buyers. But just fishing in the right place doesn’t mean you will catch anything. You have to have the right equipment and skills. You have to learn how to create an online presence and how to connect with people if you want to be successful. Otherwise, you will miss the boat.

Social networking is at the beginning of its development and is growing more sophisticated each day. While huge companies like Procter & Gamble and Target have established a presence on social networking sites, what is most exciting is the opportunity for small business owners. Web 2.0 has leveled the playing field because it is essentially free and you don't need technical skills to participate.

Social marketing (or attraction marketing) is literally a revolution that is changing how business is done. With attraction marketing, business owners are learning how to leverage the Internet to attract people to them.

But how many of these new social marketers are doing it well? Go to any social networking site and you will see many examples of people who still don’t get it. They are plastering their replicated company websites everywhere without branding themselves. They are pitching their products and services without creating value for other users. And branding YOU while creating value is the new name of the game. How do you do that? By offering helpful content, and being a real person.

As Ann Sieg, author of Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto, puts it “Teaching sells”.

Sieg was the one who helped launch attraction marketing with her first books, The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing and The Renegade Network Marketer. She created a revolution that helped not only network marketers, but entrepreneurs of all sorts.

With her new book, Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto, Sieg takes things to the next level and shows us how to implement attraction marketing, whether you’re brand new to the Internet or have been at it for a while.

Sieg has recently partnered with Mike Klingler, founder of Renegade Professional, to provide the training people need to create an online presence, and do it the right way. They are offering a ton of free internet marketing training, including Ann’s latest ebook and some valuable videos. Thousands of people are taking advantage of that free training.

At Renegade Professional, Mike Klingler and Ann Sieg are partnering together to show people how to create a positive online presence. It is click-by-click training, so that even total beginners can follow along.

In a recent video, Klingler reassures newbies that it isn’t too late to get started. “You might have thought you missed the wave, but you didn’t. The biggest opportunity is right now”, said Klingler.

And he’s right. A recent study done by IBM found that the number of unique monthly visitors to the top half-dozen social networking sites jumped 95 percent between June 2006 to June 2007, and then another 50 percent between June 2007 and June 2008.

Over 100,000 new people signing up every day at Facebook alone. Users at most social media sites double every 6 months. Nearly half of the biggest social networking sites are also among the fastest growing.

And social networking sites are not just for the young. While social networks started out among the younger audience, they’ve become more mainstream. For instance, from December 2007 through December 2008, Facebook added almost twice as many 50-64 year old visitors (+13.6 million) than under 18 year old visitors (+7.3 million).

People who frequent social media are a great target market. Social buyers make 20% more discretionary income and spend 25% more of what they make (vs. people who aren’t on these social media sites).

So if you are a business owner, there is no better time than now to create an online presence for yourself. You haven’t missed the boat yet, but get going now. And to accelerate your learning curve and get ahead of the wave, get involved with an excellent training program like Renegade Professional. Invest the time to learn how to do it well and you will reap the rewards for years to come.

Cindy Schulson is a coach for those who work from home or want to have a home business. Her focus is on working smart by helping you leverage the power of the Internet and attract qualified people to you. Visit Home Business Wins to book a free consultation and to receive a FREE copy of her ebook. You can contact her directly at cindy@homebusinesswins.com or call her at (619) 318-8688.