Know Your Audience

"The main thing solution providers [and] VARs need to be cognizant of is their audience, which consists of business owners on the 'S' end of the SMB spectrum and operations managers at the 'M' end," suggests Gail Blount, a former solution provider marketing executive who now consults to the industry. "If they sell into enterprises, chances are their audience is an IT manager/director. What this means is that Facebook is not a good choice. Ditto for the other 'personal' media."

But Facebook's emphasis on people can play a role, according to Haley Montgomery, director of marketing and product development at Birmingham, Ala.-based TekLinks, No. 164 on CRN's Solution Provider 500. "Facebook has proven effective for promoting charity projects, employees and anything more 'people' focused."