How much time should you spend on Twitter? 

A recent report shows that Twitter and Facebook are equally well-known by Americans. Twitter is known by 87% and Facebook is known by 88% of Americans 12 years old and older. You know about them and almost everybody you have talked to has heard of them. They are the big social media names right now.

Knowing about something is not the same as using something. Twitter is used by a mere 7% (that's seven) of Americans, while Facebook is used by 41% of Americans. It seems like we have a clear winner. Put your time and effort into Facebook. It has a wider reach.

Not so fast. Twitter users follow brands 3 times as much as the average social media user. It seems that Twitter users are more likely to follow brands or that it is tool that is better for following brands. Great, put your time into Twitter. There are fewer people but they will listen.

Unfortunately, that's not the right answer either. The right answer for your business is the same as it has always been. How much time/money should I spend on newspapers, radio, TV, internet, Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Gowalla? 

It depends on your customers, your message and how you (or want to) interact with them. I think Twitter is about timely and short interactions. (Some folks even subscribe to Twitter via text message.) You can use it let people know about last minute openings in your appointments or even a daily special. Facebook has evolved towards fun and personal conversation. If my customers feel like family and friends, I can keep them in the loop with a Facebook page.

Did you see how I added Foursquare and Gowalla to the discussion? Sorry about that. These are location based services that people are using on their phones. They might be the next big thing as people check-in when then come to your store.  Seven percent of Americans already know about this services, which is higher than Twitter was in 2008.

Twitter Usage in America via Tech Cocktail Twitter Usage In America 2010 Report

It's painless to get the whole report. You do have to give them your email address and they'll send you a link to the PDF. It includes a lot of demographics that might interest you.