Once thought to be the sole province of loquacious teenagers and young adults with too much time on their hands, social media — Facebook, Twitter and the like — have in the last two years become indispensable tools for businesses in Southwest Florida.

“It’s almost become critically important for businesses to have a social media presence,” says Andy Robinson, founder and president of the CRG Leadership Institute in Naples. “Two years ago, social media wasn’t even on the radar screen of most businesses.”

Mr. Robinson counsels a variety of businesses on the proper usage of social media. His clients include law firms, CPA firms, hospitality businesses and landscaping contractors, just to name a few.

Ginny Cooper, who heads The Cooper Group in Fort Myers, agrees that social media — especially Facebook — needs to be a part of “the strategic marketing plan” for most businesses.

“The majority of sales are not made through social media,” Ms. Cooper says. “But social media can direct and channel customers to your business.”

According to Ms. Cooper, setting up a business Facebook page is relatively easy and inexpensive (it can cost as little as $100 to $200).

“The real expense involving Facebook is in the time it takes to maintain it,” she says. “You have to keep it fresh and upto date. If you don’t do that, it is of little value.”

“If you’re not going to take the time to monitor the page and keep it current, then don’t bother with it,” says Mr. Robinson.

What many people fail to realize, says Ms. Cooper, is that the demographic using Facebook has changed drastically. A recent study, she points out, says the heaviest users of Facebook are women above the age of 45.

“This is extremely important because generally women handle the buying,” she says.

The biggest mistake a business owner can make when setting up a Facebook page, Ms. Cooper says, is mingling personal information with information about the business. That dilutes the business message.

She also is a proponent of Twitter, saying it is an effective way to “communicate directly” with customers and clients.

Cindie Barker of Pure Urban Oasis in Naples says she “is not big on Twitter,” but she makes liberal and calculated use of Facebook.

“If the bar is rocking on a Friday night, I might put that out on Twitter,” she says. “But that’s about it.”

Ms. Barker says Facebook helps to define Pure Urban Oasis as not only a fine dining establishment but also as a happening nightspot.

“With Facebook, people can go to the page and make comments,” she says. “I definitely believe that it helps them feel more in tune with the restaurant.”

One of the most popular features of the Pure Oasis Facebook page is the posting of photographs.

“We do a lot of Facebooking,” she says. “And we post a lot of pictures of people partying and having a good time. That has proved to be a real hit. People always want to see themselves having a good time. It’s reliving the experience.”

Despite the widespread success of Facebook (some 750 million users worldwide), Ms. Barker says she is astonished to find that some people still consider it to be a “kiddie tool.”

“Our customers know better,” she is quick to add.

Ms. Barker estimates that about 75 percent of her advertising is done through Facebook.

Harold Balink, executive chef at Cru, a popular Fort Myers restaurant, estimates that his establishment Facebook and Twitter comprise about 25 to 30 percent of Cru’s marketing activities.

“You can spend thousands on advertising,” he says. “But with (social media) costs almost nothing. You do have to devote time to it, though.”

While Mr. Balink concedes that Facebook and Twitter are time consuming, he considers it to be well worth the effort.

“It gives you a continuing presence,” he says. “You are always on people’s minds.”

Cru uses social media to make customers aware of upcoming events and daily specials.

“It is immediate and direct,” he says.

One of the most innovative and creative uses of social media is being employed at Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte.

As Michelle Ritter-Ellwood, the hospital’s director of marketing, explains, the needs and goals of a hospital employing social media are somewhat different from other businesses.

“(Social media) is not as much of a sales tool for us,” she says. “We are more concerned about community outreach and touching all those audiences that are out there. We look at Facebook as a way to have a conversation with our community.”

Ms. Ritter-Ellwood says Facebook personalizes the hospital, which can be a great means of allaying fears of people who become jittery at the mere mention of doctors or medical facilities.

Interviews with employees are posted on the Facebook page, lending a personal touch to a large institution. The hospital even posted on Facebook a video of nurses performing a dance routine.

“Things like that humanize the people who work here and help to illuminate the culture of the hospital,” she says.

But where Ms. Ritter-Ellwood has been most innovative is in the use of Twitter. If the surgeon and the patient agree, Ms. Ritter-Ellwood will gown-up and go into an operating room and tweet a minute-by-minute account of the procedure.

The hospital is careful to protect the anonymity of the patient, of course. No names are used. She does not identify the gender of the patients or where they come from.

“We do this with elective procedures,” she says. “We don’t do it with major or emergency procedures.”

Recently, Ms. Ritter-Ellwood was contacted by two grown children — a son and a daughter — whose mother was to undergo surgery.

The children lived in Los Angeles and Atlanta and could not come to the hospital to be with their mother. They asked Ms. Ritter-Ellwood if she would monitor the operation and post periodic tweets so they could know, in real time, how their mother was faring.

Again, all the usual rules applied. Surgeon approval was obtained; the patient consented; and nothing was revealed that could possibly have identified the patient. But the children, of course, were aware that the tweets involved their mother, who sailed through surgery in fine shape.

“We feel strongly that social media can help lessen fear and also educate,” says Ms. Ritter-Ellwood. “People can go on Facebook and ask about a procedure, for example. Anything we can do to bring more information and understanding to our community is invaluable. Social media are a big part of that mission.”