Businesses try to get customers atwitter by using networking sites, blogs By Nancy Kaffer

When you think of a business that might have a profile on an online social networking site such as Facebook and MySpace, Pontiac-based Curve Detroit is the kind of company that comes to mind — a hip, 30-something ad agency with the sort of puckish sense of humor that leads founding partner Charlie Wollborg to give his official title as “chief troublemaker.”

With a company Web site now de rigueur, small-business owners such as Wollborg are expanding into social networking arenas, building online communities to identify and attract customers, showcase offerings and test-market products.

Curve's employees have been early adopters of the various media referred to as Web 2.0, embracing blogging alongside free networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and microblogging site Twitter, Wollborg said.

“We're now at the point where we're getting a new invite (to a social networking platform) each week,” he said. “We tend to set up a profile but do not do much with most of them.”

Key, he said, is choosing the sites most likely to attract the customers who fit your business.

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I think that I would rather have companies doing this type of marketing than the phone calls at dinnertime. This is also a great way for the company to connect with its clients and with potential clients as well. In my company we are employing these ways of concepts as well, not only are we learning as we go it is a learning experience for my clients as well, so we find ourselves learning together.

You can read the rest of the article at: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20080721/SUB/807210335

What do you think? Is your company doing any of these Web 2.0 strategies? Do you think that this is a way for companies to market?

Pat Gage
www.10stepstomoney