In the current economy, the enterprises that are most successful are those that take advantage of the latest communication trends to gain new business and stay in touch with their existing clientele.

Just a few years ago, social media was used simply as a personal-focused networking tool for consumers. At present, it is a medium that is utilized by most every thriving company in the U.S. and abroad. In order to reach customers in today’s climate, businesses of all sizes need to think outside the box and communicate with consumers on a more personal level.

The largest and most innovative social media tool in the world is Facebook (News - Alert). As of July 2010, the social networking website had more than 500 million active members. Companies that are successful at taping into this open market have a major advantage over their competition.

In an effort to help businesses that have yet to launch a Facebook page – as well as those that are not getting enough out of their account – TMC (News - Alert) recently broadcast a webinar sponsored by Parature, a global provider of on-demand customer support software. The presentation, titled, “Facebook for Business: How to Engage and Support Your Customers Directly on Your Facebook Page,” was led by Beverly Macy, CEO of Gravity Summit and Managing Partner of Y&M PARTNERS, a strategic advisory firm.

During the webinar, Macy detailed the ways that businesses can use Facebook to improve their brand and maximize their outreach to customers. She also explained how companies can employ the Parature (News - Alert) for Facebook customer support application, which optimizes the consumer experience by delivering multi-channel support to visitors through searchable FAQ’s, live chat as well as feedback and comment forms. The solution also automates wall post monitoring and develops metrics to judge the effectiveness of the page.

Over the course of the webinar, Macy walked listeners through several specific examples of how some of today’s most prosperous businesses use Facebook to their advantage. She also introduced a number of ecommerce and storefront applications that enable companies to promote their products and services. Finally, Macy encouraged businesses to use their Facebook page as a customer support tool.

“You will see more and more of this, where support is just configured into the overall customer experience,” she noted. “It won’t be a nice to have, it will be a must have because customer will begin to expect it.”

For more, check out the archived version of the webinar HERE.

Beecher Tuttle is a Web Editor for TMCnet. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. He received his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Colorado.

Edited by Beecher Tuttle