I am not in that camp. I’m on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. I have my own blog and I contribute to others. I’m enthusiastic about all the ways social media can be used to help employees understand benefits and health care information.

But, I’ll admit, it might just be a fad. In a year, interest may die out in social networking platforms and we may be onto the next latest-and-greatest thing.

If you roll your eyes every time someone mentions Facebook or are convinced that Twitter is no more than wasted breath, then the idea of social media just fading away might be quite appealing. But, even if it is a fad, you’re limiting yourself if you don’t know what’s current in communication trends, especially how media shapes employees’ perceptions of benefits, their attention span for information and their usage of health care.

To communicate effectively you need to use the methods that are in synch with how your audience receives information. For many, that method is social media.

Does that mean you have to pour hours of your day into social networking platforms? Of course not. Nor does it mean you should abandon all traditional communication and marketing efforts. But, you should be competent in the major social media platforms and be able to leverage them for what they are worth.

When I talk to late-adopters about social media — especially benefits professionals — I hear over and over that there’s just too much to understand, too many Web sites and too many tools. It is easy to be overwhelmed. But, only a handful of sites are really critical for benefits pros and for communication about benefits.

Even if you’re not using social media at all right now, you’re not that far behind. Even though 88% of marketers in a recent survey say they are now using some form of social media to market their business, 72% of those using it say they have only been at it a few months or less, according to a study by Michael Stelzner for the Social Media Success Summit 2009.

The four most-talked about and most-popular social networking tools out there right now are Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs. All have applications for your business and how you help your clients communicate with their employees. If you only know and understand these four, you’ll be in good shape.

Twitter is a simple, public platform that lets you exchange information with people through short notes — or “Tweets.” Anyone can read your Tweets by “following” you (essentially, subscribing to your page) or viewing your profile page. What makes it interesting is that the millions of people using it are having short ongoing conversations, ranging from simply entertaining to detailed and thought provoking. And, there are lots of benefits pros to follow!

LinkedIn is a professional networking site that helps you keep track of your contacts, find relevant connections, learn what others are working on and exchange information through groups. Using it is almost a business requirement now. It is the easiest way to get started in social networking — and the site you’ll probably find the most immediate value in.

Facebook is a social networking site that is designed around sharing photos, links and status updates with friends. Businesses can use Facebook to communicate with customers and fans. I think Facebook is most appropriate for personal networking — that is, keeping up with your friends — but it is crucial to understand how people are using this Web site to learn and exchange information with each other.

Blogs are simply a way to post and share stories online easily and converse about the topic via comments. There are dozens and dozens of valuable blogs about benefits and a range of HR-related issues. They are great sources of news and expert opinions and an easy way to stay up to date or share information with your audience. EBA

Why is Twitter valuable?

SmartPulse, a weekly reader poll published by Smartbrief, tracks marketer feedback about social media practices and issues. Their May poll asked, "What is the primary way you use Twitter?" These were the responses: