I read that Facebook now has 500 million users worldwide which doesn’t surprise me. From celebrities tweeting about a new love affair to Facebook friends giving us the minute detail of their day (I’m not interested that you are doing the ironing!) we are a world obsessed with instant updates.  

Although businesses don’t want their staff wasting work time on social sites, the way they connect so personally with so many people opens up a world of possibilities for affordable, instant and accessible marketing.  

The kind of good social media marketing programs we produce at www.tjlmarketing.co.uk create a buzz by attracting attention, generating online conversations and encouraging people to share news with their friends. It makes sense that if your friend tells you something it is more accepted than if the message comes straight from the company itself.  

But I believe social media isn’t a marketing or PR strategy in itself but one element for businesses setting out to get themselves and their products better known. Companies shouldn’t abandon proven traditional marketing methods which work – instead we should use social media as an extra tool alongside what we already do and integrate it and measure it well.  

However companies choose to reach their market one thing never changes – the customer is still the most important part of the business and we need to understand and know them to deliver good service. Making customers feel important, appreciated and individual is still the number one way to grow business. So through the status updates, emails, tweets and texts I think it’s important to log off once in a while and make time for a chat on the phone or a meeting over a cup of tea and a piece of cake.  A spot of traditional meets cutting edge can do lots of good and its’ always nice to have a piece of cake   

Tracy Light, MD TJL Marketing Limited www.tjlmarketing.co.uk