Is your information appropriate for an e-mail?

In the world of online communications in 2008/2009, e-mail is one of many arrows in your quiver. It's not the only possibility for you to use in getting out your message.

Facebook/Linked In/Ning/Etc.
Social networking is The Next Big Internet Thing(TM). Its usage has largely been confined to teens and young adults posting pictures on My Space, but that's changing. Businesses are finding social networking sites are a cost-effective and efficient method for getting the word out.

Facebook is like MySpace for adults. It has a cleaner, more professional appearance, but still allows for networking. It also includes pages, which businesses can use as an online business card. As of June 2008, Facebook included an astounding 132 million users. Best of all, it's free. And its demographics are surprisingly diverse. According to its own numbers, its fastest-growing demographic is 25 and older.

Facebook allows you to post content, including posts, messages, videos, and events. It also allows you to post messages that show up on other users' home pages.

LinkedIn is a professional version of Facebook that allows you to create a network of professional contacts. It's a great tool for workers in industries with a significant number of consultants or turnover. Recruiters for major companies often have LinkedIn accounts.

Ning allows you to create group websites. If you have a finite number of customers, you can offer a Ning network to communicate with them, provided they sign up. They can also create blogs, post pictures, and post to forums.

All three allow you to include links in your profile to websites and other supporting information. All three are easy to use, allowing you to set up a profile in one sitting. However, to set up your own Ning website takes longer.

None of the three require you to employ developers to implement.

Twitter
Twitter is a very simple tool that is growing like wildfire. Its concept is simple: you can post--or tweet--strings of up to 140 characters, including links to external website. Twitter users can follow other users, which results in those users' posts appearing in their Twitter stream. When a Twitter use sees something to which he or she would like to respond, a reply function creates that reply, but also displays that reply to all users.

Users can also "retweet" which effectively forwards the Tweet from the original user's network of followers to the new user's network. Although Twitter can be an effective business tool, using it solely for promotional purposes can result in your losing followers.

A coffee house in Houston recently started accepting orders via Twitter and found its sales growing significantly. You can also use Twitter to post updates to blogs or websites, or to let users know about events.

Conclusion
Social Networking is becoming a tool for keeping in touch, but also to reach your customer base. In instances where e-mail isn't the perfect medium, consider these approaches.

Next: Blogging.