From “mom-and-pop” organizations to Fortune 500 companies, businesses are using social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter as forms of free advertising. Advertising messages that once appeared in newspapers and other print media now can also appear on free Internet sites by word-of-mouth or “buzz” marketing. This type of marketing offers a unique opportunity to personalize communication with customers in ways that are not possible with traditional advertising. According to a survey published on BNET.com, firms that rely heavily on social networking scored higher by 24 percent on a measure of innovation than companies that do not use social
