COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When you're logging onto Facebook, do you pay attention to the ads?
Companies are catching on, realizing that Facebook is a new way to reach customers. But it's also a place where customers can say no.
Kate McCoy admits she's a Facebook junkie.
"I got in touch with all these people I hadn't been in touch with for a while and so now I'm sort of addicted," McCoy said.
She's not alone.
Facebook boasts a following of 200 million active users who collectively spend more than five billion minutes on Facebook every day.
Nearly everywhere you turn, you'll see another company that wants you to friend or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
"It's just like trying to get me to get a department store credit card with a 20 percent off. I just won't do it," McCoy said.
Facebook and Twitter are the new frontier for advertisers -- big and small.
From California wineries to the coffee conglomerates, they're all there.
Ryan Squire is the social media program director at The Ohio State University Medical Center. He watches closely how companies launch their social media strategies.
"What the successful businesses are doing right now is taking business out of the equation and developing relationships so employees can connect those potential customers to the brand," Squire said.
Some of the strategies include freebies -- everything from a free drink through Caribou Coffee on Facebook to a free bracelet through a vintage shop on Facebook.
"I'm not on there to buy things. I'm not on there to learn about new products. I just don't care about that," McCoy said.
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