Social networking platforms provide several essential features for marketing your business. Not only do services like Facebook and Twitter provide ample opportunity to market to your customers and reach potential clients, but one of the most inherent aspects of these tools is their ability to do just what they were made for: networking. While individual consumers use social media to network beyond their immediate friends and colleagues, you can use social media for your business to network with complimentary businesses.

By networking with complimentary businesses, your brand or company can develop relationships with these other businesses, which can lead to partnerships that can both reduce costs and increase revenue for both of your businesses. A new small cafe may want to network with beverage and food vendors, or local artists who could provide decor for the restaurant. In return for your commitment to these vendors, they will increase their own profits. You can use social media to find and network with these other businesses to develop a relationship that can benefit both businesses.

The best social media tools that could help you as a business network with other complimentary businesses are Facebook and Twitter. You can use Facebook’s search and Twitter’s search features to find specific people or brands on Twitter that provide services that you are looking for. Additionally, you may want to see the companies that similar businesses like yours are networking with. You can visit similar brands’ Facebook pages and see what other companies they are talking with, and what other complimentary brands they have liked. Then, you as a business can like these brands as well to start networking with these complimentary businesses.

Using social media as a business to network with other businesses can help you develop complimentary relationships with other brands, which can be beneficial for both you and the other brand, too.