Over the past several months, we have been recommending a social media marketing component in virtually all of our proposals. In fact, I have yet to come across a client that couldn't benefit from at least a blog and a Twitter account at a minimum. While many of my clients "get it," there are still several who are reluctant to come on board. The excuses are always the same. "I won't have time to use my networks on a daily basis." "What if someone says something bad about me on my blog?" "Facebook is for kids." The list goes on and on. When presented with these arguments, I always present examples of companies who are using social media successfully. Dell, Acura, Adobe, IBM, Nike. Sometimes it convinces people. Other times, they still aren't believers. These same people who complain about not having the time to become engaged with their social networks would rather stick to doing business as usual, spending several hours a week attending networking events, making cold calls, and sticking business cards on bulletin boards at the local coffee shop.

Today, I decided to scour the web to compile a list of recognizable organizations that are successfully leveraging the power of social media marketing. What I assumed was going to be a several-hour endeavor ended up taking about two minutes thanks to a great blog post by Peter Kim. Last updated in November of 2008, his blog entry lists 324 brands that are embracing social media to enhance their brands' reach.

Image courtesy of "Being Peter Kim."

Of course, I have no way of knowing the levels of success each of these companies have reached from their social efforts. However, it's a powerful snapshot of how social media marketing is changing the way that businesses engage with their customers. Simply put, those companies that don't get on board the SMM train are going to be left at the station.