If the medium is the message, what happens when the medium multiplies?

Even if a message is sent by social media, it needs to be integrated into an overall marketing plan, experts said.

They said that while Dubuque businesses might not all be using social media to contact their customers, they will be.

“I think it will be as universal as every business getting a fax machine or a computer,” said Gregory Tanacea, executive director of the Blackwood Media Group in Dubuque.

But businesses need to learn how to use social media.

“Having a blog or Web site is great, but if no one knows how to find them, you may as well be standing on the corner with a sandwich board,” said Robb Beltran, of Robb Beltran Consulting Services in Dubuque.

“Dubuque has been quite slow in the social media process. I think people here are thinking locally when they should be thinking globally in some cases,” Beltran said. “If you don’t start using social media to grow your business, your social media friendly competitors will be grabbing your customers. Social media is one of the most cost effective ways to get your message out to the masses.”

It is not just a Web presence with a company Web site. Social media includes blogs, Twitter, Blackberrys, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and iPhones.

The medium you choose depends on your purpose.

“Twitter is great for getting quick sales messages out, while blogs are more in-depth,” Beltran said.

Anyone can use social media, he said.

“For those who are timid, you can always call in a consultant for some basic training or just go on the Web and look for the thousands of training Webinars available. In doing so, you have to gauge what your time is worth. Most people don’t want to become social media experts. They just want to stay in the game. You don’t want to watch VHS tapes when everyone has moved to DVDs.”

It is not just young people who use social media. Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is in the 30 to 60 age group, Tanacea said. Just in the last six months, advertisements for social media managers or directors have gone mainstream.

“This is really a job title. It’s a real position,” he said. “The corporate environment needs a writer.”

Lia Pontarelli is marketing coordinator for Panchero’s Franchise Corp.

“We use social media as a way to personalize our brand and reach out to our customers, whether current or potential, on mediums where they spend a large amount of time. We try to utilize as many of the social networks available that reach our demographics, but our main ones are Twitter, Facebook and our blog,” she said.

“By having a presence online, we are able to partake in conversations. We are able to listen to what people are saying,” Pontarelli said. “It gives us the ability to provide real-time responses to inquiries, concerns and kudos. We are also able to let our fans and followers know about special events, limited time offers, new stores and any special promotions.”

Paulson Electric uses social media to update people on the company’s projects and activities such as United Way, said Lenny Thielen, general manager of the Dubuque location.

One of the owners in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, office takes care of the updates. It helps with the company’s first impression among potential customers, Thielen said.

“It is fairly new,” he said. “It’s a way for a person to figure out what a company is involved in.”

“It broadens our reach to our potential customer base,” keeps customers updated and builds a community of grassroots referrals, Tanacea said.

If a business doesn’t use social media, “you are missing the direction that the marketing industry is moving in. You’re missing a huge marketing opportunity,” Tanacea said.

It is an art to convey a business’ message in Twitter’s 140 character medium, he said.

It will take time. Pontarelli recommends spending 20 percent of your time on “social networking/online efforts to help grow a successful campaign. That might seem like a lot when you have numerous other things on your plate, but take a little bit of time here and there throughout the day to check things out and respond to people.

TweetDeck is a good tool, as it will help you monitor many different accounts at once. Make sure to set up Google alerts.

“To effectively run a social media campaign, you have to have time and patience to devote to it. It’s not something that will happen overnight,” Pontarelli said. “Knowing this, we actually brought in someone whose purpose is to monitor our social media. Yes, he gets to sit on Facebook and Twitter all day long. He’s also there to monitor the online activity where Panchero’s is being mentioned — blog posts, articles, review sites.”

While using social media is free, it can absorb up to half a day if you let it, said Janelle Keeffer, strategic marketing coordinator of Keeffer Creative in Galena, Ill.

You have to decide how much time to devote to it. And recognize that it is “an integral part of a much larger plan,” she said.

“Social media can be integrated into current marketing campaigns. The key to social media is that it’s considered to be a source for fostering and developing relationships. You need to be careful not to come across as too direct or advertising-focused, but rather more as an approachable friend or respected expert in the field.”

In traditional media, a business puts its message out to everyone. Social media is targeted to people who have chosen to connect. You don’t want to overwhelm people with messages, or they will disconnect, she said.

In Galena, a social media club has formed to help businesses promote themselves, other businesses and events, Keeffer said.

“What I’ve been hearing is that people have found an increase in hits on the Web sites” because of links in social media.

When Dave Anderson, co-owner of Bernadine’s Stillman Inn in Galena, asks where people learned about the bed and breakfast, 90 percent say the Internet. But he expects that to change, and the inn has Twitter and Facebook accounts.

“We are willing to use this as our learning curve, because I think it’s going to be even bigger,” he said. “We are just starting. We’re trying to create a buzz about the Stillman Inn. That’s what all marketing and advertising is trying to do. It’s just another marketing tool.”

On a 10-point scale, he rated the difficulty of getting started at eight, but he did it, with help. He enjoys updating with new photographs and posting new things, “rather than a Web site which becomes a little static. I’ve got the hang of it.”