Facebook is probably the most widely used social networking site on the Internet. Seeing the business potential in the site, a lot of entrepreneurs sought to try marketing to their network of friends. I haven't gone done that route, but I can see how it could work with a huge list of fellow Facebook users.

Status updates allow Facebook users to keep their friends informed as to what they are doing. Some people abuse this feature and seem to want to update every time the temperature shifts. Others update every so often with either words of wisdom, a funny quote, or something else interesting to read.

What I like to do is practice marketing using my Facebook status updates. Although its not as blatant as product placement, I do try to grab my friends attention with my updates, just to see what the response will be. I say this is a good way to practice marketing, because the essence of said activity is to grab people's attention enough to encourage them to make a purchase.

Using Facebook to practice marketing is not only inexpensive (read: free), but it allows for instant feedback and isn't as intrusive as blatant advertising.

Using Facebook status updates to practice marketing is as simple as writing a headline for a news article, or a caption for a photo. Simply choose a topic that you think will interest your Facebook friends, and write a catchy status update.

A good status update is something that will provoke a response from people. Like most marketing strategies, there are a few techniques that can help catch attention. Humor is always a good marketing strategy, because everyone likes to laugh, especially after a bad day.

Many people like to use status updates to write inspirational messages, or to put up famous quotes. This is another marketing technique that proves useful both off, and online. Why? Because people are always looking for inspiration, and that is a fact that marketers play up when promoting products and services.

Also, current events are good for practice marketing. Because they are so relevant, you are guaranteed to get a reaction from people. The only problem is this equates to a "quick fix" of attention. As soon as the topic becomes irrelevant, the responses will dwindle.

The frequency of status updates also has an affect on marketing. If you update your status a lot, you will gain more exposure. You'll probably annoy some of your friends with this marketing approach, and that might result in them either hiding you from their news feed, or deleting you as a friend altogether, so be careful. However, if you update at a decent rate, with intriguing statuses, you can make your name universally known without turning off Facebook users.

The way to tell whether your status update marketing practice is effective is to wait for a response from your Facebook friends. There are only two ways someone can respond to a Facebook status; and that is to Like it, or to Comment on it. Each reponse can be gauged differently as to the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.

Like - If someone likes your status update, then that means you've struck silver. A like means that a person saw your update, and thought it was good enough to take action and let you and others know. Likes are good gauges of marketing success, but they're not the best. They would be equal to a window shopper coming into your store, looking around, and leaving with just a smile. It means you're headed in the right direction, but you're not quite there yet.

Comments - Comments are the equivalent of striking gold, or making a sale in marketing terms. This means that someone liked your status enough to take the time out to give you (mostly) postive feedback. You can translate this to a person coming into your store and you making a sale, just like that! Comments involve the most amount of work to make, so if you get one of these, consider yourself an above average marketer!

Now, if someone where to Like and Comment on your status, picture it like making a sale, and then getting that person to buy something else that they didn't originally intend to buy. And, the more of either response you get, the more powerful your marketing ploy is!

Obviously a successful Facebook status doesn't translate 100% to good marketing in actial practice, but it is a good way to get a feel for what people will respond to. Plus, it's a nice addictive little exercise that can be done in your spare time.

Happy marketing!