If you're even remotely serious about marketing on the web then you have probably heard from various "marketing gurus" that you have to "embrace social media" like it's the second coming or something. You've probably heard insane stats thrown around like "150 million users on Facebook" or "60 million users on MySpace". Although these are very impressive figures, they are not entirely accurate.
The reason for this is that the people that frequent Facebook, MySpace and other sites are logging on to connect with friends and loved ones. To be blunt, they aren't interested in what you are selling. Blasting people with ad messages on Facebook or MySpace makes about as much sense as cold-calling a backgammon club and delivering a sales pitch. That's why purchasing ads on Facebook is so cheap, because nobody is clicking on them!
Now, that is not to say that you shouldn't use Social Networking for your business. By having a presence on sites like Digg, Facebook, and MySpace, you can establish a connection with some of your potential customers or clients. I realize that what I just said may sound like I'm contradicting myself but hear me out. You don't need to pummel your fans or friends with sales pitches or special offers. Setup a page, and just put content up there.
Just do it for free, no costs, no links to sales pages, just put the content up there for free. Give them something they would like and they'll stick around. The key is to have conversations with them. Think of it as you being at a barbecue or a large dinner with your friends. If you own a Book Store, then post some of the books that you like. Or you can post a book of the month.
The downside to this is that you can't really measure the ROI. But then again, most advertising money is wasted anyways so it's not something that should prevent you from engaging your clients, customers or fans.
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