Seven Lesser Known Social Networking Sites (That Could Revolutionize Your Business)

One of the most important parts to being a successful social-networker is staying ahead of the curve with new developments in the industry. Everyone, of course, knows about Facebook and Twitter. You probably are even aware of Pinterest or Instagram now and have found some ways to use those services in your business. Chances are if you were one of the first people who had an account on these sites, you’ve enjoyed a great amount of success on them.

So which seven websites have the potential to be “the Next Big Thing?” Of course, if I knew this information with a 100% certainty, I would invest in them all and be a very rich man. Truthfully, this is an educated guess based on my experience and the fact that I have actually used all of these services on your behalf and have found some very unique business uses for each of them. Here you go:

1) Glancee – What it does: “This network connects you with others who have mutual friends and interests by looking for people nearby and keeping track of all those whom you’ve met, especially those with a lot in common (i.e. golf or knitting). The latest version has functions called Radar, Diary and an easier interface.”

How your business can benefit: It’s fairly easy to find and connect with people in your immediate area who like what you are offering.  Say for example that you sell golf equipment, you can see the people around you actually list golf as something they are passionate about.

2) Forecast – What it does: “Share where you’re going and what you’re going to do with this app. Friends can then meet you with the ‘Me Too’ feature and meet you there after. Forget about text messaging or other communications platforms, Forecast will link friends up with just one app. It’s also a form of appointment making if multiple check-ins are lined up.”

How your business can benefit: Forecast enables you to link all of your current clients/customers to you in one easy platform, where your customers can be notified of events and sales and stay connected to you on in and out of the office.

3) Highlight – What it does: “Highlight lets users connect with other Highlight users around them. Other users’ profiles will show up on a Highlight user’s phone, showing their names, photos, mutual friends and other details. Highlight also helps users see what they have in common with others (i.e. golf). So, Highlight doesn’t just show information about friends, it also tells you more about other users who may have something interesting or in common with you.”

How your business can benefit: The power to know which people around you, in your immediate vacinity, are passionate about your product or service is a huge thing. This enables you to network with the power of information at your fingertips and meet new clients not just anywhere, but EVERYWHERE.

4) Localmind – What it does: “Localmind helps users decide where to go and what to do by linking users with ‘experts’ and those who are on-scene. Users can build up an ‘expertise’ in the Localmind community for various locations. Anyone who needs information about that location can then contact the ‘expert’ user for more information. It uses check-in behaviors eg. Foursquare, Facebook, to ascertain whether users are ‘expert’ enough. Users can ask questions of any location in the world, and help fellow users by answering questions about places.”

How your business can benefit: As you make yourself an “Expert” in your field within your geographic area, Localmind users will be routed for you for information on where to go to buy your product, what products or services to use, and (most importantly) who to go to for more information.

5) Banjo – What it does: “What’s unique about Ban.jo is that it uses popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram to provide a real time view of what’s happening. It alerts you to people who are nearby, even if they’re not Ban.jo users.”

How your business can benefit: Banjo gives you the power to know where your current and potential customers are, in real-life, by giving you the power to interface with them no matter where you might be.  As one of your social networking friends comes into your immediate vicinity, Banjo notices pop up on your phone and tell you who is close to you so that you can move your social networking to “real life.”

6) Sonar – What it does: “Transform online contacts into real-life ones if you use Sonar. It uses publicly available profile information to help a user discover the connections he/she share with people nearby. Ever walk into a room and wonder if you have anything in common with anyone there? Sonar shows you how you are connected to the people around you by analyzing your Foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter networks. Note, that you’ll need a Foursquare account.”

How your business can benefit: How much power would it be to literally walk into a room and be able to spot the three prospective customers in that room because your phone tells you which individuals in that venue like your product?   You’d know exactly who to hand out business cards to and why. This is the power of Sonar.

7) Meetup.com – What it does: “A site that helps groups of people with shared interests (i.e. singles, rock-climbers, christians, etc) plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world.”

How your business can benefit: This service has been around a while longer than the first six I’ve listed, but if you haven’t used it for a boost to your business, you’re probably not alone. For some reason, Meetup.com doesn’t seem to get as much big press as some of the other sites. In my opinion, however, the company is just starting to hit it’s stride and there are plenty of unique groups and other professional groups that would love to have your products or services shared with them. If you were a golf instructor, for example, you may choose to start your own “Better Golf” group in your community OR join existing golf groups and offer to help give a 30 minute tip session at one of their meetings. Regardless, this is great way to expand your business relationships in your immediate geographic area.



Kevin Burdick is a social networking strategist and consultant who does webinars, public speaking engagements, and establish social media plans for small and large businesses.