Last I checked, there were well over 200 major social media networking sites (and that’s growing). From About.me to Instagram to Zoopa, people are finding creative ways to connect.

With so many from which to choose, how can you know which is best for you?

Instead of trying to go through the entire list, following are the top three for business:

LinkedIn
Worldwide, 300 million members are just one reason every business should use the network as part of its media strategy. It’s great for recruiting employees, but beyond that a blog post or research paper shared on the site can grow your network and extend your reach as it is shared on both LinkedIn and other networks. An active news feed will keep your network engaged with your business.

Google+
This network is great for extending your search engine results.  Being on it helps with your overall ranking. Your posts on the network will also be indexed by search engines. Links on a Google+ intro page can help your page be found in searches and drive traffic to your website.

Facebook
With over 500 million active users worldwide, a business page here creates an opportunity to engage directly with customers. Create a content calendar to keep your customers active on your page. Page insights will give you insight into which posts are working best. They also tell to which posts your customers most respond so you can strengthen the bond between your business and customers.

There are also sites for book lovers (aNobii, LibraryThing), research scientists (Epernicus), photo sharing (Instagram), cooks (cucumbertown) and baby boomers (eons.com).

There’s something for everyone, but Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn are leading the pack in business.