Twitter is being embraced like no other social media - companies surveyed are putting Twitter as their top internet marketing tool

THE EXPERTS' ADVICE:BLACK SLOPE should take the black slope on Twitter! Twitter is being embraced like no other social media. Companies surveyed are putting Twitter as their top internet marketing tool, above anything else, and Black Slope is perfectly positioned. They have a niche and can conquer that space rapidly.

I am sure there is a band of skiers, who don't have time to trawl the web, waiting to hear about Back Slope. With some effort, a Twitter marketing strategy and the right content, they could have a business without borders. Why not? Twitter is "cool", as is skiing.

Twitter is almost a clone of how the human brain thinks, in that it can only take in small amounts of data. If it's sticky, people will follow. Blogs are gasping for air and e-zines are pushing up daisies.

Test Twitter for the next ski season - you won't look back. Point all time-poor clients to Twitter for breaking news micro-blogs, expert tips, deals and updates from the slopes. Only give them Tweets (micro-blogs) that will leave them coming back for more. The options are endless.

Create a strong profile and image of Black Slope using twitbacks.com. Claim the skiing expert space. New clients could be listening to Twitter on their iPhones. Use tweetlater.com to schedule Tweets over the ski season. Use budurl.com to track most viral links.

I would suggest setting up a Facebook group, where people join as fans. Confine it geographically to Ireland or your market. Use tweetdeck.com to feed micro-blogs to Twitter and Facebook.

I have seen great growth in my business directly from Twitter activity.

I track everything, even down to exactly who clicks my links, and the growth in followers has astounded me.

It's all down to quality and demonstrating your expertise in a field. It has drawn in coaching clients from around the globe. I coach them on Skype from my home office using video. And it's as good as an in-person coaching session. Twitter is free. Skype is free. Without Twitter, I could be telling a different story. Six months, on social media, are like millennia. This is a viral phenomenon and one that should be embraced.

- Shiera O'Brien

THIS IS a typical 2009 scenario in Irish business - someone from the Facebook generation (Generation F) bringing ideas about social networking to the owners. The concerns are classic: fad or not, geeky or not?

Simone is right - at least half of Black Slope's target audience is social-network friendly. So it's a "no brainer", it needs to get on board. The good news is that, with some upfront planning, this can be achieved without swamping the team.

Black Slope needs a basic website, optimised for search and integrated with a blog (this could be done using software such as WordPress). Ruth and Simone need to set targets for blog posting frequency, for example, three times per week.

Team members should be profiled in the blog and encouraged to post. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts should be established, using auto notification of postings on the Black Slope blog. Worthwhile Twitter accounts should be identified and "followed". Black Slope should aim to tweet daily; ask questions, answer queries, use hashtags. Facebook advertising should be considered.

There are great tools available to assist in managing online presence, like Google webmaster, WordPress utilities, Tweetdeck, Nexus (Facebook). Black Slope needs to avail of these.

Finally, management should commit to measuring the effectivess of these initiatives on a weekly basis.

- Barry O'Gorman

SOCIAL MEDIA can hold huge potential as a cost-effective marketing tool for businesses like Black Slope. Used well, social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as blogs and discussion forums, can create greater awareness, build customer loyalty and generate sales leads.

It requires investment - not necessarily in an advertising budget, but in time and effort, to engage in online discussions, demonstrate insights and, ultimately, to earn the trust of audiences. Ruth's concerns about potential reputational damage and management time loss are well-founded, but they can be overcome.

Too many companies pedal propaganda on social media sites or fail to manage their social media inputs effectively, and some get pilloried for doing so.

Firstly, Ruth and Simone need to get comfortable with social media. They should develop a presence on the sites and monitor relevant content. Secondly, they should decide how and when to engage in online discussions with content that demonstrates their expertise and also subtly promotes their business.

Thirdly, they or a trusted staff member - preferably one who is a social media enthusiast but at the same time is not carried away by the excesses of some of the sites or the online dialogue - need to manage this.

A commitment of as little as two to three hours a week should suffice. Fourthly, don't be afraid to experiment - social media marketing is a learning curve and even those who manage leading international brands have made blunders, but have learned from them.

Over time and managed well, social media marketing should displace other costlier forms of marketing. It should enable Black Slope to reach audiences that it would be difficult, or very expensive, to reach using traditional marketing channels. Ultimately, the rewards far outweigh the risks.

- Aileen O'Toole