June 4, 2009 - Do You need a Tube? Do only Twits use Twitter? Why does your Face need a book? And who are we Linking in and why?

If these questions are running through your mind, you are not alone. The new social networking sites are becoming vital marketing tools for savvy companies. And not simply companies that appeal to a younger crowd. The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women over 55. (Although I've always said that "fastest growing" can be misleading. If 1 grows to 5, it is a 400% increase, but it is still only 5!)

The advantage of social networking is that you have a built-in audience of people who care what you have to say, assuming you say enough of the right things to keep them. Obviously, news outlets can send Twitter tweets and Facebook status messages with current headlines and people will stay subscribed and keep clicking. Dell Computer tweets about special prices on computers and people flock to their website.

What can you tweet about? Anything of value, that you know, that others may not. It should not be an overt marketing message but a piece of insight or a tip or a price that others may not provide. I recently visited the website of a credit union and they featured a message of the day. On the website, people are required to actively search that information out. If that same message was sent as a tweet or Facebook status update, the message would be driven to an already receptive audience.

Clearly, the consistent messaging keeps your brand top of mind and drives the recipients to your website for more information, coupons, or special offers. Informational YouTube videos, which inform the consumer and allow him or her to make more informed buying decisions, can enhance your reputation and drive additional visitors to your web site. As an example, if you build widgets, a video with tips for selecting the correct widget is a worthwhile use of a widget shopper's time. The video should not be a commercial for your widget, but an objective guide to selecting the right one.

And, incidentally, if the video on YouTube is linked to the same video embedded in your site, a view on YouTube is considered by Google to be a visit to your site. And therein lies the beauty of social networking: it improves your organic (not paid) search engine ranking, and that ranking is what people truly trust. The reasoning is technical and esoteric, but the outcome is illustrated in the chart below.

And while it ultimately may not be possible to achieve front page status on Google for the broadest (shortest) search term, such as "widget" (Those spots will be taken by Consolidated Widget, LLC and Amalgamated Widget, Inc.) it may be possible to be listed first when a longer-tail term is used, such as "Best widget in northern California."

The most important aspect of all of this is to jump in before you are left behind. Don't launch a Facebook page or a YouTube Channel or even a Twitter account without doing the appropriate research (dare I say, "Due Diligence?"), but at least take those initial steps. Then the answers to the questions at the top of this page will, magically, become clear to you.