I’m sure you have heard of “social networking”. There’s quite a buzz about it these days! Names like Facebook and Twitter come up in daily conversation lately. While it may seem trendy, don’t overlook it social networking as a valuable marketing tool. Despite what you may have heard, Twitter and Facebook are quite different from each other.

The best description I’ve heard of Twitter is a “micro-blogging” tool. Basically, you have a limited number of characters in which to broadcast a single message (a “tweet”) to your followers. As a web-based business, you can use Twitter to send out brief product and sale announcements, or get instant feedback from your followers.

Facebook is a way for people to connect with others. It is also a way you can reach customers by setting up a page for your company, and letting your customers and other followers become “fans” of your business’s page. Like Twitter, you can post brief “status updates”, but you can also post pictures, links, video, etc. Depending on privacy settings, they may not be available to the general public, but it is another good way to develop a devoted customer base, and give a human touch to your company.

To do something really unique, run specials for Twitter followers, or Facebook fans. This is another way to generate instant feedback.

There are other social networks out there as well–feel free to explore them and tap into what they can offer for your business! But don’t ignore them: the social networks have a lot of devoted followers and, like them or not, you can make use of them to drive traffic to your website, and improve your sales.