With the correct approach and networking knowledge, social media marketing is a valuable form of advertising for all businesses.

In the current technology-heavy era, social media marketing has morphed into an important outlet for businesses of all kinds. While some use social networks to spread word of a company, others see it as an important way to interact with customers. Social media outlets allow for something completely new and effective: interactive advertising.

Facebook has become one of the most popular channels of social media marketing. Musicians use the website to promote new albums and present music videos. Movies’ Facebook pages display release dates and post trailers. Stores and shopping malls post the latest sales and merchandise.

The most successful businesses receive heavy interaction with users "liking" pages and posts, as well as commenting on walls. More Cupcakes, for example, takes a unique approach to enhancing user interaction through social media marketing. To engage customers, More, a gourmet cupcake shop, posts weekly photos of different flavors of cupcakes. Fans of the More page then tag themselves in the picture and those who tag themselves, up to 50 per photograph, receive the cupcake free when they visit the Chicago shop. This marketing approach, not only brings traffic to More’s Facebook page, but it also drives customers into the store itself.

Another trendy outlet of social media marketing has become Twitter over the past few years. The current fast-paced society values short, concise information, which is what Twitter offers to its users. Businesses must communicate a message in 140 characters or less. Although it can be difficult to remain direct and to the point, clients and customers are able to make it through the end of short tweets before a phone ring or new email creates a distraction.

JetBlue Airways knows that, when it comes to social media marketing, the most important people to clients are themselves. This knowledge is what makes the company successful in the Twitter world. JetBlue tweets about the airline’s latest deals and discounts, something that will benefit all of it’s flying followers. The business, which currently has over 1.6 million followers, also posts a variety of travel tips to help users deal with stressful airports and flights. In addition to tweeting useful information, JetBlue excels in customer interaction by frequently responding to other Twitter users.

Aimed at individuals more than large corporations, LinkedIn also offers networking through social media marketing. The site resembles an interactive phonebook, providing the opportunity to reconnect with old colleagues and get in touch with new connections in the users’ industries. LinkedIn works well for those who wish to display personal websites and resumes as well as recommending other clients and employees.

Myspace, a form of social media marketing that was replaced by Facebook years ago, is starting to make a comeback. The website’s new look makes it more user-friendly and visually appealing than it once was. The outlet has now taken on the entertainment industry, focusing mostly on music, movies, TV and celebrities. Myspace’s roller coaster of success and failure shows how important it is for businesses to keep up to date with the most current forms of social media marketing, an industry that’s constantly changing.