If you need to sell a product or service, or promote a cause or an organization, then marketing through instant messaging is a good place to start. Instant messaging is a way to communicate in real time with a computer, and despite the fact that it's been around for almost a decade, it's still popular among people 18-27, which is a top demographic for many advertisers. It's now almost as popular as email, and according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project survey, almost half of that age group uses IM more than email.

To effectively use instant messaging for internet marketing purposes, you must first understand how IM differs from other ways of communicating. At first look, instant messaging may seem more like an email, but it's really more like having a phone conversation. Just as people don't want their cell phones being inundated with telemarketing calls, they don't want their Web sessions interrupted with spam instant messages. As bad as junk email is for most, unsolicited sales IMs are worse.

On the other side of the coin, if you want to build relationships with your customers, you will have to make yourself and your company available to those who are interested in what you have to offer. Instant messaging can be a quick way for people to get in touch with your customer service or marketing department, and it's especially viable for those that already have a large online presence. Using IM for that purpose keeps people from having to go through an automated phone system, or waiting for a return email. Using instant messaging creates a transcript of the conversation between you and your customer, making it easier to control quality.

Just as with phone support, however, you have to make sure you have enough staff to handle high volumes, such as around the date of a new product release or through the holiday season. Instant messaging IS instant, and people want fast results. Not delivering on that can mean a lot of lost business. Efficiency can be further enhanced if your IM service staff have a script ready for FAQs, allowing them to copy and paste a response or post it by pressing a hotkey. Another effective, though risky, step is to set up an IM autoresponder to provide answers based on questions that the customer asks.

There are a few popular IM clients for business purposes, such as IBM's Lotus Workplace and Sun's Java Instant Messaging. No matter which one you choose, you need to make sure it's the best one for your business. IM can be a good way to spread the word about your business, but only if it's done correctly.