Women inventors and entrepreneurs are the fastest-growing demographic in the business sector. I believe much of this is due to necessity. Motherhood seems to breed more than children. It also breeds its own community.

The term "momprenuer" is growing in popularity as today's families demand dual incomes with flexibility. In fact, mom communities top search engine lists and offer the perfect gateway for women to gain support for motherhood and professional ventures.

Recently, I became mildly active in a few sites geared toward working mothers and, after making a few contacts, I became so excited that now I'm launching the social media company My PR Europe, an online community connecting reporters to public relations experts and business professionals. While not targeted specifically to women, I will absolutely utilize women's social networks to build my community.

Don't underestimate the power of these women's groups, as they are not merely outlets for venting about the hardships of mommyhood (This, however, is an added benefit of membership). These groups are compoed of supermoms, business owners, corporate experts and powerful women who have built empires (think Martha Stewart, Carly Fiorina, Mary Kay).

These groups enable women to expand personal networking for jobs, business opportunities and local mom groups, but with the growing numbers in these groups, they are offering tangible returns.

For instance, if you join five social networks for women and each one has about 10,000 members, you can do more than just network. You can make direct sales. Let me rephrase that . . . You can sell directly! Many women inventors or businesswomen sell things targeted to women. If this is your audience, you have a direct outlet to announce your product launches, offer discounts and self-promote.

Some of these websites offer open membership and allow women to showcase businesses free of charge. Others provide business sponsorships and, for a small fee, you can place a banner ad or include your information in the group's e-newsletter.

I don't think this is add-on marketing in the traditional sense. I believe it offers direct sales capabilities, so it's shortsighted not to include these social media networks in your marketing plan.

Social network sites such as Facebook and Myspace are not going away. In fact, they are growing quickly and evolving. I believe that in the near future, we'll see dramatic changes in formats and offerings from these social media networks.

There is definitely a group out there for everyone. As a woman, a mother, business owner and a Spanish speaker, I have direct interest in these communities. I think it makes more sense to target personal and professional interests rather than try to join every group out there.

Obviously, you have to evaluate your bang for the buck by reviewing your time investment vs. your return, but this can be adapted over time. It's easier for smaller businesses to measure this.

I've decided to weigh into this rapidly growing media world, and that is my advice to you: Join them. Join many. And watch your business grow.

For more information about women's networking sites, see "Women's-Only Networking Grows". 

Ashleigh Rusell has more than 20 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing and operations for private and public companies, and experience in the media, social media, communications and services industries. She is the founder of My PR Europe and the author of the upcoming book, Getting Fired Up!