There are probably two main directions we could take in answering that question. One way would be to try to sketch the different strategies that your business can take. The other is to break the issue down into raw figures, which might well say it better than mere words.

Let’s take Facebook as an example. Just about everyone in your family, all your friends, and even a whole lot of people you actually have nothing to do with are probably linked to you on Facebook. In all likelihood, you spend some time on a daily basis trawling through the random and sometimes totally mundane comments that people throw onto the site. Maybe you even participate in Farmville, although that tends to be the preserve of the seriously addicted.

However, there is another side to Facebook that does not receive nearly as much attention publicly. Saying that Facebook is a social networking site is only half the story. The site is also used to advertise, and in a big way. Not only does it reach a vast number of people, but it can also be used to target advertising specifically to likely potential customers, based on their stated interests and “likes”.

And this is where we get to the raw figures. Facebook recently passed 500 million users. That’s a lot of zeros. Half of the population of Denmark is on Facebook. Facebook isn’t just a site. It’s an $11bn marketing industry in its own right. And there is no reason why you and your business can’t access the power of this medium as a marketing tool. Many others have done exactly that.

Of course, there are other sites with similar potential, such as MySpace and Twitter, although they do, admittedly, have fewer subscribers. But the principle remains the same – maintain a presence, and you could reap some very positive results, even if it means being “friends” with the high school bully and a drunken flatmate you left behind six years ago!

Spreading your message has never been so fast and cheap. Is it any wonder that online media has become a major player in the marketing mix? Publishers are flocking to digital media and getting great results.

Digital media is allowing companies to reach new target groups and enhance their brand awareness in markets that were previously unattainable.

The social nature of good online media allows companies to engage with their clients and as such get a better understanding in a real time environment of the needs and desires of their consumer bases.

The ROI on digital campaigns tends to be far more cost effective and allow for faster feedback on campaigns, thus in turn enabling companies to adapt faster to the ever changing competitive environment in which they find themselves.

Digital media enjoys great synergy when integrated with traditional media, e.g. when Lonely Planet launched its new publication in India, it used social media to create awareness and buzz around the launch. The increase in subscriptions was greater than past years in other countries, with some six percent of all people visiting their website.

Wikipedia defines evolution “as the change in the inherited traits of a population of organisms through successive generations”. With more and more ad spend getting placed behind digital media, publishing houses have started to enter the online arena in a very big way. Just look at the revised growth that Trip advisor is enjoying: growth of 800% from January 2004 to January 2010 (Source: Google).

More than 20 million people connect with Pages every day. Make sure they are connecting with you.
Facebook Pages are a free product for organizations and public figures to connect with people on Facebook in an official, public manner. With over 500 million global users on the site every month, Pages have created more than 5.3 billion connections.

The following guide provides step-by-step instructions to create a basic Facebook Page. The content on this page has been compiled into one document for your convenience. Source: Facebook homepage, under the help section.

Creating a page

1. If you already have a profile
   Go to www.facebook.com/page to get started.
2. If you do not have a profile
   Click the Create a page link to create a profile and page together. The profile you create will automatically be the administrator of the page.

Adding Content to your page

1. Add a page photo and adjust the thumbnail. Wave over the top right corner of the picture box and click the Pencil.
2. Add some text here that tells users a little info about your organization or public figure. Double click inside the box to edit this section.
3. This section is an important summary of your organization or public figure. Click this tab and then the Edit Information link.

Your wall

1. The Wall is the place where your updates are displayed in chronological order, with the latest updates at the top.
2. You can adjust how your wall appears to viewers of your Page. This will allow you to display just your posts or your posts mixed with fan posts.
3. This is the space where all of your activity will show. When you make a status update or share a photo, it will display here in chronological order.
4. Wave your cursor over these stats to see what they mean.

Getting to know the features

1. The “Like button” is how users connect to your page. When a person clicks “Like”, a news feed story is generated and shared with their friends, “James likes your page.”
2. These are you page tabs. The pre populated tabs may vary depending on your page category but every page has wall and info. You can move a tab, delete a tab, and add a tab.
3. This is the publisher. Use this box to create an update to your fans. Type the text in the box and click “Share”. This message will show up on the page wall and in users’ news feeds.
4. You can always find your page by typing the page name into the search box.
5. “People who like this” box shows the number of people connected to your page as well as 6 random thumbnails photos of your connections.
6. “Favorite pages” box shows other pages you would like to cross promote. They could be organizations or public figures you are affiliated with or other pages you just like. To add pages, click the Add to My Page’s Favorites link on the Pages you would like to add.
7. These features allow people connected to your page to remove themselves, create their own page and share your page with their Friends.

Editing your basic settings

1. Click the Edit Page link underneath the page photo to open up your settings page.
2. Open up each of these three sections to set-up your page settings for your needs.
3. Link your page with your Mobile device. Add the Page’s unique email address to your mobile device to send mobile photos straight to your Page Wall. You can also add your Mobile device to your Page for Status Updates by texting “f” to 32665 (FBOOK). After the Page is linked with your mobile number, send a text to 32665 (FBOOK) to post an Update to your Wall.
4. This window displays news and product updates for all Page admins directly from Facebook.

Editing your applications and admins settings

1. These are the applications that are added to your page when you first create it. From click on the links below each app to take further actions.
2. Facebook is an open platform and allows third party developers to build applications that could be useful for you page. Here you can browse through the Application Directory and check out applications Facebook thinks you may find useful.
3. You are able to add more admins here. Once another person confirms your request to become an admin on your Page, their name and thumbnail photo will show here. You can remove an admin from this section as well.

Get to know your fans

1. This snapshot shows key insights on your page. Click “See All” for an in-depth look. Note, this information cannot be seen by users, only admins.
2. Page admins can export most of these insights to an Excel or CSV file.
3. Check out the different ways in which people interact with your Page.
4. Understand what type of people are connected to your Page.
5. Post Quality ratings show the quality of your posts in driving interaction from users.

Managing your Facebook pages

From your Page Manager you can view all of the Facebook Pages that you created or administer.