By now you're probably sick of hearing about how important it isfor your business to be involved in social media. Chances areif you're reading this, you're already actively engaged onFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and elsewhere.

Stats bear this out: A new study from InSites Consulting finds that 80percent of American companies use Facebook, 45 percent have aTwitter account, 48 percent are present on LinkedIn and 31percent use YouTube.

Another study of social media use by property-casualty insurersconducted by CorporateInsight points to insurers who are doing some prettysophisticated things. On Facebook, Amica's “Connections”sitelet follows a road trip theme, allowing users to upload photosfrom their trips around the country; and GEICO's “Gecko Tracker,”tying in to the company's TV commercials, encourages users totweet a suggestion for the mascot's next destination (mine would beto send him to the Seventh Circle of Hell, but then that's justme).

All very well and good — especially if you're a big P-C companywith the staff and the financial wherewithal to make it happen. Buthere's where even the big guys may be missing the boat: Accordingto the Corporate Insight study, although all firms use socialmedia, only 42 percent offer blogs, and 42 percent includecustomer reviews. And the InSites study found that only sixout of 10 U.S. companies listen to consumer conversations on socialmedia, while only eight out of 10 answer client questions andcomplaints via social media.

In other words, if your social media efforts solely consist ofpromoting your product, you're completely missing the other half ofthe equation.

The InSites study centers on ”conversation companies” whohave adopted the four Cs of companyculture: customer experience, conversation management, contentmarketing and consumer collaboration. Companies thatintegrate all four Cs are best poised to succeed in today'sinteractive business environment. Not surprisingly, U.S.-basedcompanies with fewer than 500 employees in the media or technologysectors are the top performers across all four Cs.

So what can you do to integrate these elements into yourbusiness plan?

1. Walk the talk. This starts withcompany culture. The InSites study found that only 52 percent ofrespondents offered employees social media access at work, 44percent encouraged online conversations with customers, and 41percent allowed employees to talk about their work on social mediasites.

2. Give customers a platform to communicate with you— and then answer them. InSites recommends thatconversations with customers be managed in three stages:observing, facilitating and participating. That isn't happeningmuch right now: only 40 percent of respondents said they monitorcustomer conversations either on or offline, only 36 percentparticipate in online conversations, and only 37 percent activelymanage their relationship with fans and ambassadors (what awaste!). In other words, much of the conversations potentialremains unused.

3. Make customer input part of your businessplan. InSites found that although 50 percent ofrespondents involve customers in the development of newproducts, only 27 have a large, open fan community it consultswith.

A recent and very funny example of how businesses can be kindaclueless when it comes to social media can be seen on TheOnion: afaux “Commentary” column by a fictional director of digital andsocial media for Tide Detergent urges readers to go toYouTube and check out the totally awesome Tide video that's “got tobe the hottest thing on the web right now!”

But the funniest — and smartest — part of the story is that Tidepicked up on the Onion parody and actually made a “cool new Tide detergentcommercial” in response to the story.

Props to them for “getting it.”