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Still can’t figure out what Twitter is for? Twitter has written a help manual just for you. Go to: http://business.twitter.com/twitter101 to get the details.

When it comes to social media, if you’re starting to say things like: “I just don’t know what these kids are talking about these days,” you probably are not one of the millions of Americans who have a profile on Facebook or LinkedIn. Take heart, you’re still in the majority, but as a marketing professional, you may want to know that the number of adult internet users who do have a profile on an online social network site has quadrupled from 8% in 2005 to 35% in Dec 2008 [Pew Internet].

While the use of these sites is still primarily social rather than professional, Facebook and the like provide opportunities for brand marketers to get feedback from and have direct conversations with their users. Take a look at some of the basics on the most popular sites:

facebook

What it is: social networking site
Features: status updates, photo sharing, Facebook Connect allows users to use their facebook login on sites (e.g. CNET, citysearch.com, Netflix) to create accounts with one click or to post comments or reviews.

What’s it good for? According to Inside Facebook, Facebook has over 200 million users and from January to March 2009, people ages 26 to 44 made up the fastest-growing segment of the US Facebook population. Using Facebook’s fan and group pages can help build brand awareness and loyalty. (Barack Obama’s page has over 6 million fans). It may not be the best way to promote your law practice, but if you’re a personal trainer and one of your clients signs up to be your fan, it will show up on their page and pop up on their friends’ newsfeeds – giving word of mouth marketing a new avenue to explore.

twitter

What it is: social networking and micro-blogging
Features: you blog and people “follow” you; it’s “micro” because blogging updates are limited to 140 characters.

What’s it good for? Currently, Twitter is a favorite of celebrities, big companies and technorati, but if you sell a product, be sure to check into Twitter. At the very least, you can use the search feature to learn what’s being said about your product or service. You can use the information to improve your product, service or image. Example: Comcast used Twitter to battle its negative image (which was painfully chronicled on www.comcastmustdie.com) – see how in this NY Times article.

LinkedIn

What it is: professional networking site
Features: posting an online professional resume; maintaining business “connections” with other individuals.

What’s it good for: LinkedIn dominates the professional networking sphere with over 30 million users. It operates on the theory that you’re more likely to hire (or be hired by) someone you or another colleague knows than a complete stranger. If you’re a service provider, LinkedIn offers ways to demonstrate your expertise by allowing you to post answers to questions other users ask. So, if you’re an IT consultant with the perfect answer to this week’s networking question, you may get some expertise or job inquiries out of your effort!

YouTube

What it is: the leading brand in online video sharing
Features: easy upload of video clips

What’s it good for? Creating brand awareness; connecting with and providing service to your customers. Example: if you’re a product manufacturer, You Tube is a great way to share a how to video on your products. Interesting posts, too, will get you views - check out this one which got nearly 4.5 million views. It’s a video rendition of an a cappella performance of the Star Wars theme, but lots of viewers wanted to buy the tee shirts being worn in the clip!

in sum…

Like anything on the web, these avenues are only as good as your ability to keep them fresh and to keep your customer engaged. People like to buy from people they know and trust. You can look at these sites as another way for your customers to get to know you and your product/brand and, in turn, for you to listen to them and find out what problems they’re looking to solve.