Social media is everywhere. Every time you turn on the T.V. you see "check us out on Facebook" or "follow us on Twitter" so it's no wonder these communities are growing so quickly. My 61 year old mother has taken the bait. She's wanting to set up a Facebook page because my uncle has one. The strangest thing to me, is that my mom isn't alone. Women over 55 are actually one of the fastest growing demographics on Facebook right now. Facebook and Twitter are not a hard sell for grandmas, the promised access to family photos and constant updates on the lives of their grown children is more than they ever dreamt. So much for saying social media is for kids, college students, and tech-geeks; there's something positive for everyone through the use of social media.

Businesses are also slowly catching on. The social media sites themselves have realized that they need to become viable communication outlets for business. Several of the sites have begun taking steps to widen their appeal to the business community. The new world of social media has many choices. Each site, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or LinkedIn, seem to draw very different demographics, couple that with the fact that each community has it's own unique culture, likes, and dislikes and your business is now faced with an array of choices and finding the right fit can be a daunting process. Do a quick google search for social media professionals and you'll find thousands of people who think they have the perfect plan for you and your business. Do they? Maybe some do, but the majority are just a bunch of hacks looking to make a fast buck. Social media is still so new that no one really knows where things will go in the future. Sure, a lot of us have our ideas and visions of what things will become, but the real truth is nobody knows and success cannot be guaranteed based individual models that only have one or maybe two years of success.

The most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to the new world of social media is that when you begin putting your name and information out there, you cannot think of it as a traditional marketing campaign with a beginning and an end. Consumers that use these sites are wanting to have a relationship and are nearly always put off and become disinterested if they are only spoken to and cannot speak back. To ultimately be successful, you must find ways to engage your audience and build a relationship with them that will last. The good news is that we are relational creatures and almost all of us know how to establish and maintain relationships with our friends and families...and therein lies the key to success in social media. Invest in people, listen and understand before you speak, and most importantly spend time having fun and enjoying each others company.

If you or your business aren't currently using these outlets you're missing out on what could be one of the biggest game changing innovations in how the world conducts business.

Simplex is here for you. We don't promise to have all the answers, what we do have, is the knowhow and ability to take your ideas and diligently find a way to make them work. This isn't just our job, it's our passion.

Become a fan of us on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/SimplexFacebook

Want to know what's going on as it happens? Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SimplexCreative

Link up with Heinz and myself at LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/bmarsh

http://www.linkedin.com/in/heinzdw