Are you a social business?  Well, you better be if you’re not.  According to Arstechnica.com, “workers spend 25% of their work day goofing around online.”  Where do they spend most of this time online?  Social networking sites.  Now, when I say workers, I am not referring to your employees.  I am referring to the consumer base that you want to reach.

Social Networking is the manor in which many consumers choose to initiate communication.  Instead of calling or texting someone in the middle of a busy day, why not just post a message on Facebook or let everyone know where you will be tonight on twitter?  As technology makes it easier for us to communicate with one another, why are businesses finding it to be an inconvenience to utilize these mediums?

This is an exciting change in consumer to business relations.  Wouldn’t you prefer that while you are seeking new business for your company, others searching to fill a need are finding you?

But, are they finding you?  The digital age calls for digital strategies, and the marketing ploys that worked in the past do not translate.  This is a more direct, less threatening form of communication for businesses.  There have been many times that I have gone into a retail store only to be hounded by a sales person, which eventually caused me to leave without making a purchase. I knew what I was looking for and had I encountered difficulty finding it, I would have asked for assistance.

Socializing on the internet is non-threatening and enjoyable for people.  After all, that’s why they spend so much time on the internet.  It’s time your business becomes a social butterfly.  Heck, post a compliment or a joke on Facebook pages.  Create a positive, social identity for those consumers surfing the internet instead of working on spread sheets.