The world seems divided into those who actively tweet for business purposes and those who do not.  Similarly, I am often asked whether people “should use Facebook” for business, or not.

It seems to me that the answer is quite simple, and that one is in danger of being caught like a rabbit in the headlines of this glitzy new medium.

What business are you in?

Who are you trying to reach?

What media do your target people use to get their relevant information/discussion/gossip?

If Facebook, then you need to use Facebook.  If Twitter, then you need to tweet. 

Many business professionals that I know prefer LinkedIn.

Note that it’s not a question of which social media your target respondents use, it’s a question of what they use in the context of their businesses.  In many industries that I know, social media are not an appropriate means of communication at all, for business purposes.

As a speaker at last week’s digital conference said, you need to experience these media from the point of view of your customers.  Scarcely a new idea, but nice to see it applied to contemporary communications as well as to old-fashioned ones.