Regardless if youre an avid Tweeter or FarmVille devoteeor think social media is for teens and people with too much time on their handsits here to stay, says social media experts.

At this months AdweekMedias Social Media Strategies conference, the consensus was that not only will social media continue to growbut at an exponential rate and will soon permeate all forms of marketing and advertising.

What does that mean to you, the self-storage operator? First, it suggests if youre not embracing social media at all, you probably should be. While it may seem daunting, theres plenty of info on the Web and in the ISS article archives on how to use these social media sites for more than just letting your friends know where you were last night.

Many self-storage operators are already using Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook as a means to communicate with a potential broader customer base. Logging into Twitter, youll find a number of operators, consultants, brokers and other industry professionals with followers.

Some are publicizing facility specials, while others promote industry shows or products. And while it seems its all self-promotional, it doesnt have to be.  Or, at least, it can be done in a subtle way.

In Kenny Pratts article, Four Ways to Make Twitter Work for You, he outlines simple ways self-storage operators can get the most business benefit from the time they invest on Twitter. Hint: Its not about posting this weeks special.

Facebook, arguably one of the most popular social-media outlets, leaves many business owners confused about how to best use it as a marketing train. Like Twitter, blatant advertising turns Facebook fans off. Instead, businesses need to approach it as they would any marketing strategyby building their brand. Learn how from this article from the ISS archives.

There are also several threads on Self-Storage Talk about the different ways self-storage professionals are using social media. Just plug social media, Twitter or Facebook into the search engine to find them, or start a new thread. If youre not a registered SST member, it only takes minutes and its free.

Like all things technological, you can embrace them or get left behind. No one says you have to spend oodles of time on social-media websites, but as a business owner, you do need to be aware of what your competitions doing, and determine the right online marketing strategies for your business.