The benefits of adopting social media is still new to a lot of businesses, so we thought it would be a good idea to provide a beginner’s guide to the tools available for various aspects of social media. Below you will find some of the more widely used tools and websites in order to reach out to your audience in the most effective, yet efficient way possible.

It is unlikely that you will require (let alone be able to maintain) all of these tools, but use what you think will work.

Instant Messaging.

Many businesses view tools such as MSN, ICQ and Google Talk as time wasters, or applications that stifle productivity. They are very much the opposite. Not a day goes by that the Glacier-Digital staff doesn’t use instant messaging in order to quickly ask a co-worker or colleague a question. The recipient can answer immediately, or at their leisure, making instant messaging a very handy tool, especially when a full email is not necessary. Some tools, such as Digsby, even have Facebook, Twitter, and various other social media functionality built in.

Twitter.

Remaining the most popular service no one asked for, Twitter continues to add functionality and prove itself as a viable method to inform hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people of up to date news. Many businesses have found success, with Twitter-exclusive promotions, providing links within Twitter to other websites and advertisements, and more. Frequent and business-relevant updates are the key to growing a loyal following. Speaking of which, why not check out Glacier-Digital’s Twitter account right now?

  • Tweetdeck
  • Seesmic
  • Twhirl
  • There are many mobile Twitter clients available for iPhone and Android as well, such as Peep, Echofon and more.

Facebook.

If you have EVER used the internet, you’ve either heard of Facebook, or have your own account. While it is undoubtedly focused towards personal use, advertising through the website can be very effective. The ability to have Facebook Pages (basically, like a personal profile, but more business related : Glacier-Digital’s page), the highly targeted advertising campaign management tools, as well as the ever growing popularity make it a popular destination for nearly everyone.

Besides Facebook.com itself, there are some great desktop applications that can be used for accessing and updating your own account.  These include :

  • Tweetdeck
  • Seesmic
  • A Facebook mobile app for iPhone and Android is also available.

Blogging.

Blogs are not so much a direct social networking tool, as they are a means to quickly and easily inform a large group of individuals with relevant and important information. From the moment the Submit button is pressed, hundreds or even thousands of subscribers can be instantly updated with a company press release, a list of new resources, or even some helpful tips. The ability to create RSS feeds with blogs also means that they can be easily integrated with newsreaders and even other websites. Two of the most popular blogging tools are :

Social Bookmarking.

Need to reach a lot of new users, fast? By utilizing the various social bookmarking websites, a press release, new product launch or blog post can reach hundreds, even thousands of visitors within hours. With many of social bookmark and bookmark sharing websites, analytic tracking is also included.