Should companies use social media as part of their marketing strategy? This is a question that has been debated and discussed endlessly, from boardrooms to blogs to industry conferences. There’s no easy answer because there are just too many factors to consider. For example:

• What industry are you in?
• Are your clients and/or customers using social media?
• What will social media help you to accomplish that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do?
• Are your competitors using social media?
• Do you have someone on your staff who is already capable of managing a social media strategy? Or would you have to train people or hire someone new?

These are only some of the considerations, and the answers will be different for every company. Another question you may be asking is, what’s the point? Again, the answer may vary, but unlike the other questions, this one isn’t all subjective.  According to eMarketer, there will be approximately 88.1 million online social network users in the US this year, and the breakdown of unique visitors to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter is as follows:

That’s a lot of eyeballs. So, if you go by the numbers, social media seems pretty enticing. Once you decide that you want to employ a social media strategy, there are even more questions to answer. Which sites should we use, how many, and why? In a recent poll, LinkedIn asked their users, “What is the most important new platform for brands to master? 30% of respondents said Twitter, followed closely by Facebook at 26%, and LinkedIn itself at 22%.  Blogging has also increased in popularity among companies, and the number of people reading blogs has also increased.

I am the resident social media “expert” at CPX Interactive, and I spend a lot of my time working with our various social media pages.  In addition to company profiles, there are a number of CPXers on Twitter, and our CEO has built up an impressive social media arsenal that includes Twitter, YouTube, and blog posts. I think there will always be differing opinions on the value of social media marketing, but if the numbers are any indication, it won’t be disappearing any time soon.

Does your company incorporate social media into your marketing strategy? What sites do you use? Have you found social media beneficial?  What will be the future of social media marketing?

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