Like a Virgin: Madonna Tweets for the Very First Time

Madonna is using Twitter and Facebook to sell her new record, showing social networking's power as a marketing tool.

Today, Madonna released "MDNA", her new album, kicking off a splashy marketing strategy that hinges on the social networks. Madonna will tweet tonight for the first time, answering questions posed by fans at 10pm EST from the handle @MadonnaMDNAday. The fledging Twitter account already has over 10,000 followers and fans can write in to participate in the Twitter event by using #AskMadonna.

Instead of schlepping down to shows like "The View" or pumping money into TV ads, Madonna gave out one publicity interview to Jimmy Fallon via Facebook last weekend, betting an emphasis on social media promotions helps the singer connect with a younger audience.

Madonna is attempting to bond with a younger fan base, and her marketing strategy reveals she wants to re-establish relevancy by using the tools of youth.

The Material Girl's key to longevity is adaptability, and Madonna has a long history of both starting trends and staying just ahead of them to keep current. This time, instead of kissing Britney Spears, Madonna is kissing up to millennials and establishing a better online presence.

"Madonna is launching her new album on Facebook because it allows for effective word-of-mouth on a massive scale," says Justin Osofsky, Facebook's director of platform partnerships, highlighting Madonna's desire to generate buzz using newer, more democratic platforms, rather than making the conventional promotional rounds doing TV shows and commercials.

At 53, Madonna could seem to some to be a little old to jump on the social networking bandwagon, but she's only three years older than President Obama, and the tech-savvy commander-in-chief has used social networking at every point in his campaign and presidency, recently adding Instagram to the mix.

In addition, Madonna frenemy and fellow Kabbalah devotee Gwyneth Paltrow uses the latest technology to promote her lifestyle blog and keep her name in the news, so Madge might be taking a non-Pilates-related tip from a fellow blonde star. Social networking boosts the images of stars at any age, including well-preserved 80s icon Demi Moore, who manned a popular Twitter handle until her recent breakdown.

Madonna is following a promising blueprint to strengthen her reputation with an audience who were just a twinkle in their parents eyes' when the pop star released her early hits. Her strategy is likely to attract the younger generation's attention, but the verdict is out on whether her music is as contemporary and youth-centric as her marketing campaign.