I firmly believe that social media does work for business. However, like most things in life, it really depends on how you use it, and for what purpose.

There are many definitions of what Social Media is, one of my favourites is that it is “a fusion of sociology and technology; transforming monologues into dialogues, and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers.”

I believe that Social Media works when the medium is used to reach out to individuals, and encourages them to engage with the message. Telling people what you had for lunch doesn’t usually do this, but passing on a link to some interesting and informative nugget of news or information probably will.

Using Social Media doesn’t have to take long – this blog has taken me about 15 minutes to write. Sharing your experience and information via Twitter or Facebook can take even less time. The possibilities of what might happen to your message, and how that might benefit your business is what makes Social Media so potentially powerful.

Social Media is rapidly replacing newspapers as a means of communication, and shares many of its characteristics. Some people read newspapers for the sport, some for the coffee break puzzles, some for the gossip; some cut coupons and look for adverts about local shop sales. Social Media does all this and more.

The question isn’t “Can Social Media be of any use to business”, but how.

It is free (no cost), but it does require an investment of time. On this basis it might be worth thinking of it as an “instead of”, not an “as well as” means of communication.

It relies on you being informative and interesting. If you fulfil these criteria your audience will find you, like you, and follow you (read what you say). If you are pushy, people won’t follow you.

Twitter communicates to everyone who wants to follow you – so one message reaches a far greater audience than a single telephone call or email can. If someone likes what they read, they can forward the message to everyone that is following them.

What particularly differentiates Twitter as a mean of communication is the way that serendipity plays a part. More so than any other medium, it works through referral, over which you have little or no control.

Twitter is used by everyone, from teenagers, to CEO’s of major blue chip corporations. Your next major client, or customer, may just be looking for you on Twitter…