We'll leave it to Oprah Winfrey to offer the first word on footwear. "I still have my feet on the ground," she once said. "I just wear better shoes."

Winfrey joins a long line of wise folk who see shoes as more than just divine instruments of torture or scuffed but comfortable old friends. They're potent symbols. Pundits advise us to try walking a mile in someone else's. Skeptics argue that we can't fill those of our heroes. And no less a modern philosopher than Carrie Bradshaw panicked when her new Dolce & Gabbana sandals couldn't lift her out of a crisis. Shoes are emblems, totems, amulets – and especially wonderful on sale.

They're also a great go-to metaphor when it comes to small business and social media.

Platforms Rule

Ultra-cool platform heels first appeared at least 2000 years ago, but fashionistas know there's a big difference between dated and trendily retro. The same holds true of the platforms you're using to promote your enterprise. Just having a customer email list, for example, is so yesterday. In the fast-moving marketing world, if you aren't up to speed on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube, you're history.

Form Should Fit Function

You wouldn't wear bedroom slippers to a wedding or stilettos on the golf course. The principle applies when you're developing your social media wardrobe, too, says Larry Weber, author of Marketing to the Social Web. Each platform attracts its own basic demographic and serves a primary purpose. For instance, Facebook generally appeals to those 25-45 and it's great for gathering long-term market intelligence. Let's say a significant number of your Facebook friends and fans belong to a pet lover's forum. You can leverage that info by developing a promotion around pet t-shirts and treat giveaways, or pet photo contests with prizes - wherever your imagination takes you.

Twitter attracts much the same group, but it's more about quick intelligence. Are tweeters buzzing about an upcoming awards show? Can you hog-tie a big screen TV and invite them down to your store to watch? It's also an efficient way to let your customers know about spur-of-the-moment specials or in-store deals. If you make these promotions exclusive to your Twitter followers, they'll feel like part of an elite club. Finally, Twitter is a good early-warning system when something you're selling has a flaw or your customers are dissatisfied about a service. If you monitor followers' tweets regularly, you'll be instantly on top of the problem and can quickly flip the damage-control switch.

YouTube and LinkedIn have their own niches on the social media landscape, too. The bottom line here: Investigate each platform thoroughly, then use it to its best advantage and for the purpose it best serves.

Impulse Purchases Rarely Work

You went out to buy an inexpensive pair of sneakers, but those $460 Blahniks looked great in the store. Now you're suffering from corns and bunions, the chartreuse pumps don't match a thing in your closet and you still don't have a decent pair of Nikes for your morning run. The social media marketing message here? Make a plan in advance and stick to it, advises Tara Hunt, author of The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business. Know what you need and where to go to get it. Don't be distracted by come-hither strategies that you can't afford and that you don't have the time to regularly update and monitor.

You Can't Have Enough Variety

Why buy 20 pairs of loafers when the world is full of mules and boots, espadrilles and sling-backs? Effective social media marketing makes use of every tool available. But just like footwear, the social media vehicles you use had better suit your style. If your store is selling high-end furniture, for instance, MySpace, which appeals to a young crowd, may be of no more use to you than the clog leather lace-ups your Goth niece likes to sport.

Classic Shoes Are Quiet Shoes

Audrey Hepburn's elegant and discreet ballet flats were the epitome of class. They made her seem impossibly chic, yet accessible and approachable. Don't overwhelm your social media community with the equivalent of clown shoes or too many ideas. Keep it fairly simple. Speak softly and let your clients come to you with their thoughts, suggestions and ideas.

Apply Spit And Polish Regularly

Nothing is worse than going out in public wearing a pair of shoes that are down at the heel. Here's Emily Post, circa 1922: "Brown shoes must shine like old mahogany and white buckskin must be polished like a prize bull terrier at a bench show." Ditto your social media content. Make sure it's professionally delivered - no spelling or grammatical errors - and that the material is relevant, up to date and never boring or redundant.

We gave Oprah the first word: we'll leave the last to Japanese poet Ryunosake Satoro: Let your dreams outgrow the shoes of your expectations.

Social media marketing can help.