SmallBusinessNewz

Ten days ago, we talked about how Pizza Hut's "twintern" has done a good job of promoting the brand on Twitter, and might serve as an example to small business owners.  Today, a study sort of expanded upon the subject by looking at how 100 significant brands have handled social media marketing.

This is one area in which small businesses can mostly keep up with corporate giants; as long as you don't worry about creating custom applications or hiring someone to handle social stuff exclusively, the costs range between "low" and "free."

So, if you're curious about how the best pros handle social media, consider taking a look at Starbucks.  The Wetpaint and Altimeter Group report gave it the highest engagement score.  Dell, eBay, Google, and Microsoft also performed well.

Or you can head to the opposite end of the rankings and inspect the strategies of AIG, Allianz, Wrigley, AXA, and Mercedes-Benz to determine how not to handle social media.

And here's why it might be important to make the distinction.  The report stated, "[C]ompanies that are both deeply and widely engaged in social media surpass their peers in terms of both revenue and profit performance by a significant difference.  In fact, these Mavens have sustained strong revenue and margin growth in spite of the current economy.  Coincidence?  Perhaps, but we're looking at statistical significance among the world's most valuable brands."