Whether you need help starting your own business or you are looking for a promotion, mentors can be the key to your success. Statistics prove that professionals who have mentors make between $5,610 and $22,450 more annually than those on their own.

Mentors seem to make the biggest difference is when it comes to entrepreneurship. Most entrepreneurs can tell the story of a mentor who offered help at the exact right moment. The wisdom from these smart helpers who've been there before can be the difference between your success or failure.

For instance, stats reported byThe Startup Genome Reportshow startups are seven times more likely to raise investment capital when mentors are in the mix. They are also three-and-a-half times more likely to grow user numbers for their product or service if someone is lending a helping hand and a little wisdom.

In today's digitally-connected world, it's easier than ever to connect with influential people in your industry and request advice and mentorship. So how do you use social media tools to find the mentor your business needs? And what's the protocol for using tools like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to connect?

Finding a mentor on social media is a process. Tweeting "Be my mentor?" to the top guy in your industry will not get you the personal mentorship relationship you need. Instead, the first thing you need to do is truly know your industry. This should be simple, because knowing your industry is essential for any entrepreneurial endeavor or startup venture.

Part of knowing your industry isknowing the who the influential people in your industry are. These prominent performers are undoubtedly active on social media, so start following them on the channels they frequent. Once you're following, it's time to connect. Reach out over social media, but don't go overboard. Leave a comment on a post prompting a discussion, re-tweet an interesting article and look for opportunities for personal connection.

Once you've built a relationship with your mentor target, only then should you ask for advice and mentorship. Now this person knows you, knows a bit of your story and already has positive associations with you because you've given him or her content and business a signal boost. Build a personal connection, help others and they'll be more likely to want to return the favor.

Just because you and your mentor have exchanged a few tweets back and forth doesn't mean your mentorship relationship is set in stone. Social media should be used to establish a connection, but deepening your relationship isn't up to your social media sites. You need to really reach out, ask for mentorship and form a personal connection.

Mentors and peers are great with advice, but sometimes you just want to grab a pen and learn the old-fashioned way. Now, you don't need to set foot in a classroom to learn a new skill or expand your knowledge base.

Social media and technological tools are makingonline learning easy. You can view learning material online, take part in a real-time seminar or even watch YouTube tutorials to learn from those who have come before.

One-on-one mentorship is great, but so is becoming part of a community. Social media makes the community experience portable, meaning you can take the ability to crowdsource and carry it around in your pocket. You can spend time with a group of like-minded business leaders and entrepreneurs right in the comfort of your own home.

You can start discussions on LinkedIn, even if your group isn't located in your backyard, you canstill connect personally.Video conferencing, discussion groups and even Twitter chats allow vast groups of people to connect in real time. Someone in this new online family might lead to an investment opportunity, a new idea or even just a shoulder to lean on when your entrepreneurial path gets bumpy.