Twitter, Facebook driving up local business

WEST PALM BEACH-- Things may be hot in the kitchen for Chef Paul Schlosser, but the owner of John Bull English Pub in West Palm Beach says his business also seems to be warming up thanks to a new advertising tool.

"We do see guests coming through here and know it is working," he said.

Schlosser is talking about John Bull's Facebook page complete with new menu specials, upcoming events, and plenty of pictures.

With the economy down the tubes, his old website just wasn't enough. Besides setting up a Facebook page, he's also on MySpace.

"We just advertised a beer dinner and got a good response," he added.

Two-thirds of all web users use social networks, according to Nielsen, a national T.V. and computer ratings analysis firm.

The largest growth in social media users last year came from 35 to 49-year-olds, a demographic coveted by advertisers.

"It's free advertising for us," says Jerry Stanfield when referring to his Twitter page.

The general manager of Safeguard Security, a company that sells security and surveillance systems,  just started a branch in Palm Beach County.

"When I saw what Twitter was doing, I certainly saw this as an opportunity to try to expand business a little bit," he said.

He runs Twitter specials like a free alarm system with 2 months free monitoring.

He started his site 2 weeks ago and already has 713 followers.

The endless possibilities of free advertising on the web was enough to drive The Gardens Mall to hire a social networking manager, a person whose duties include overseeing their Twitter and Facebook pages.