The U.S. population clocks at 307,692,329. At the snap of one’s fingers, that number will increase just as the number of members increases on the social network giant Facebook.

If Face-book were a country, it would rank the third most populated in the world after China and India. Communities are being created instantly and newcomers are finding their way around quickly. For many, Facebook and other social network channels such as Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn are now the popular social hangouts where people go to share what they know about themselves and others. Most importantly, these social network channels are places where connections matter. Named more of a lifestyle play, social networking is changing the behavior of Americans. They can connect or reconnect with others without making a long-distance phone call, any time and any place. They can share photos and videos and have memorable experiences that make them laugh out loud. Using a virtual wall or twitting throughout the day, friends stay connected and communicate their life experiences.

A prevalent setting of present-day marketing communication is social networking. But how can social networking be an effective marketing communication tool for a company?

Creating a profile to spawn product or service awareness and wishing on a limb that someone will add you as a friend or fan is not exactly the best approach. Or even generating a massive amount of news feeds all about business and what you are trying to sell will creep in aggravation that leads to a friend delete. Sign out and log in again!

This time think of social networking as a way to engage others as you broadcast your thoughts and feelings about life in general. Begin sharing first-hand information about any number of topics unrelated to the whatchamacallit you are trying to promote. Form a balance between being you and promoting your company. It’s OK to occasionally mention your company’s promotions but remember people really want to get to know the person behind the face of the brand.

Take for example, the president and other public figures that use social networking to interact with the American people. President Obama uses Facebook to assure that Americans are informed on the progress for health care reform and asks for their feedback and support. Actress Sanaa Lathan shares her star experiences with fans and speaks out about Facebook and Twitter imposters. The legendary Tyler Perry used Facebook to excite fans about his new film, “I Can Do Bad All By Myself.” He posted before and after his interviews and acknowledged that he was reading everyone’s comments. As a result, the film dominated the weekend box office as number one.

The rule of thumb for social networking is to “just socialize and be you.” Be consistent with posting messages and tweets on a regular basis; in other words, don’t make lengthy departures. Start a conversation and be sure to respond to comments. Fully embrace the social networking experience and have fun while doing it.

Billion of minutes are spent social networking each day worldwide, meaning chances are high that an attentive number of eyes will land on your messages.

In today’s tough economy, for the purpose of an image boost, be the face of your company, your brand, and jump on the social network bandwagon. More than ever, social networking is very relevant to people’s lives and in order to reach them and create a widespread network of contacts, go casual and gather where they hang out.

Written by: Charlette Murphy

Charlette@teammancini.com

Charlette Murphy is head of Public Relations for Team Mancini Lifestyle Inc