Enhancing Your SharePoint Experience

How else can we say it: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn as tools to promote your services and products online. According to a recent survey of 148 private companies by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 43% say social media is “very important” to their business and marketing strategy, 52% are tweeting and 45% are blogging.

But don’t feel pressured to jump in quickly and create a profile on every site. First, decide if it’s right for your company. “Are you a social organization?” says Simon Salt, CEO of integrated marketing communications agency IncSlingers. “Everyone seems to know to have a Facebook page or a Twitter [account]. Is that what your business is about?”

For instance, a Facebook fan page probably doesn't make sense for a business-to-business outfit, says Neal Schaffer, author of "Windmill Networking: Understanding, Leveraging & Maximizing LinkedIn." And companies that target older or retired customers might benefit more from direct-mail campaigns, or even knocks on doors. "Don't believe the hype," Schaffer says. "Understand what fits your business."

If you’ve decided to incorporate social media, remember that YouTube videos, blog posts and status updates are just a part of your entire marketing arsenal. Here are three best ways to use social media.

The micro-blogging site Twitter has recently drawn significant attention as a new form of customer interaction that helps companies receive feedback about their products and services. Monitoring micro-blogging activities provides instant feedback on product and service performance. Responding quickly and directly to the customer helps manufacturers and resellers build strong customer relationships. The NY Times has dedicated an article to this topic.