Below is a look at 11 major social media networks and various ways to use them for your business. Each social network’s success rate is based on customer communication, brand exposure, site traffic and SEO. All can be viable for sharing content, but just because a particular social media avenue exists doesn’t mean it will be a surefire way to win conversions or to justify spending hours using it.

In other words, don’t just use a social channel because it seems like everyone else is doing so. You must make sure it’s within your business goals and strategy before you proceed.

Analyze each network with your own goals and ideas in mind and see just how relevant they may be to your business plan for 2014. I found it particularly interesting to look at Google+ and LinkedIn and see how they can help your business in conjunction with heavy hitters like Facebook and Twitter. In the end, it’s all about finding your niche.

Enjoy!