There have been many debates about whether or not companies should start blogging and tweeting. And each time, we say that the advantages of using social media far outweigh the disadvantages. Of course, if you are selling a truly flawed product or service, fancy posts and tweets can’t help you cover up. But if not, then social media can just about be the magic wand your marketing team wanted.

Making it personal. Everybody wants to hear a story. Everyone’s interested in the inside news. A blog or a tweet gives your company that perfect platform to post stories and news in a more personal manner. Script it differently. Remember, this is not a press release. If you are launching a new product, blog about how much fun you had while creating it. Or tweet about the countdown to your launch. Just talk about it all and people will love to read it.

Giving it a face. Are you smiling? Are you unhappy? What is the dominant mood? Social media can be the face of your company giving readers an idea of the emotions, moods, and activities in your company. For e.g., if your company’s tweet post said, “Red and golden…our office is all decked for Christmas,” it creates the impression of a warm and cheerful workplace. Isn’t that how you want people to perceive your company?

Helping your company talk. Have a point to make? Feel strongly about something? Often, an official communication platform does not give you the space to express views. But with a blog, it’s easy. And if you are wise about what you put up on the blogs, you’ll have more people logging in regularly to hear your views. Take a stance on plagiarism. Talk about what you are doing to help the environment. Create the image of a responsible company.

Reacting to adversities. Let’s say you had the ill luck to upset a customer. He put up many nasty stories about your products and service and before you know, the stories are all around the web. While you can’t stop it, you can at least counter it. Give readers your version of the events on the blog. Or simply admit it was a mistake and redeem yourself.

Driving traffic. Your marketing guys will love this one. A blog or twitter profile is one of the easiest and best ways to drive traffic to your website. Remember not to hard-sell. Just direct people on to your site to read more, or get more related links, and hey presto! The numbers are increasing.

Of course, there’s a lot more to social media than just this. We hope this has whetted your appetite and set you thinking. And set your thoughts in favour of adopting social media for your company.