At a recent chamber luncheon, a simple question was asked that, upon answering, sparked a flurry of additional questions surrounding the importance of Facebook and Twitter for businesses.

The question went a little something like this, “I know what social media is but why exactly would any of my customers care what I had for breakfast this morning or that I was upset when (insert name here) was voted off American Idol?”

The short answer is that most of your customers don’t care that you ordered the three-egg omelet or what you thought of American Idol. But there’s a lot more to these applications than you may think and by using them effectively, you can enhance the awareness, image and impact of your business. More so, you can keep in contact with customers, better understand their needs, quickly adapt to changing circumstances and increase clientele within your community.

The one constant between all social networking sites is that you get out of them what you put in. In that sense, social networking is like a garden. It will flourish based on the amount of care and effort you put into helping it grow. Simply planting the seed isn’t enough and the same can be said for the social networking sites. You must work to grow them in the right direction so that they yield the desired results.

Facebook as a business tool helps you connect with customers, pass along news, maintain open lines of communication and even attract new business. Facebook is simple to use (once you get the hang of it) and requires a larger upfront investment of time but less continual maintenance. By increasing the number of “friends” you have on Facebook, you can reach a larger audience and pass along pertinent information about your business. A restaurant, for example, can list daily specials while stores can announce sales. Where Facebook excels in communicating with the masses, it often lacks the “personal touch” as your posts generally go out to everyone…but no one in particular. Since it’s inception, Facebook has been used as a social tool amongst friends. Its capability on the business side is still being tested.

In a nutshell, Facebook is about people you have already met and desire to keep in touch with, whereas Twitter focuses more on the people you’d like to meet, who may have similar interests. Additionally, Facebook updates go out to a crowd, whether they care to hear it or not. Twitter updates still reach a crowd but one that has an implicit interest in what you are saying.

Twitter, from a business standpoint, is a simple tool that helps you communicate with likeminded individuals. To be effective, Twitter must be maintained and updated at least once a day. But fear not as your updates can’t be more than 140 characters in length, which is the length of this sentence, when I add these extra words. Communication on Twitter is much more instantaneous than on Facebook. If you ask a question or make a point, you can expect responses to arrive quickly. Think of Twitter as the modern day water cooler where you can discuss last night’s game or comment on the newest trends impacting your business. Twitter enables you to reach past your circle of friends and speak to larger groups. A search feature on the site enables viewers to search topics where they just may stumble upon your posts and begin following you. Businesses not offering tangible products may find Twitter more useful. It can effectively market a person or service, whether a lawyer or a trainer.

While there are some inherent differences between the two, in the end, they are both social tools that help you better connect and communicate with your desired audience.

To learn more about these social sites or to schedule a meeting to discuss how your business can benefit, please contact us at 412-375-7601.

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