877-490-8324Social media can be a confusing topic for many companies. Even though many of us use it personally in our lives, many business owners are still not sure how to use it in their businesses in the most effective way. Most companies know that they should be participating, but many don’t have the time or even know where to begin.
That changes today. Let’s explore the social media landscape and determine what best fits your company…
So, what is it? Facebook is everything social rolled into one. Facebook has photos, messaging, chat, reviews, and more. People usually use Facebook for their personal lives rather than their professional lives.
Who uses it? The service is especially appealing to females ages 18-29, but 67% of all Americans are using Facebook (data from Pew Research).
What you should post on it: Helpful articles and resources, behind-the-scenes photos, promos and deals, events and community happenings are best.
Best for: local businesses, B2C businesses, ecommerce sites.
How we use it: To post our monthly newsletter and blog updates.
What is it? Twitter is a micro-blogging site that allows anyone to publicly share their thoughts with the world. The only catch is that you have to do it in 140 characters or less per post or “tweet”.
Who uses it? The service appeals to men and woman ages 18-29 and urban residents (data from Pew Research).
What you should post on it: Helpful resources, links to great content, support responses.
Best for: B2B companies, tech companies, online businesses, local businesses.
How we use it: To post status updates in regards to any network outages, web server outages, email server outages, or other customer service/customer account related issues.
What is it? It is a virtual “pin-board” that allows users to “pin” photos and articles they like on boards, organized by category.
Who uses it? Women, adults under 50, those who are college-educated (data from Pew Research).
What you should post on it: Inspirational quotes related to your industry, interesting pictures, new or innovative ideas, and books.
Best for: Sole proprietors, lifestyle companies, ecommerce sites, food and fashion focused companies.
How we use it: We don’t. Not a good fit for us.
What is it? A professional social media site where users connect with co-workers and contacts. It’s a place where people post jobs, find jobs, recommend each other, and read industry-related content.
Who uses it? Business professionals, salespeople, HR professionals.
What you should post on it: LinkedIn has 2.1 million groups on a variety of subjects pertaining to business. Any relevant questions, concerns, job postings, and industry-related blog posts are useful.
Best for: B2B companies, tech startups, online businesses.
How we use it: For recruiting salespeople and posting industry/blog updates: www.linkedin.com/company/autoweb-technologies
FourSquare
What is it? A social network that allows users to share where they go. When they “check-in”, users publicly broadcast where they are and doing so allows them to redeem FourSquare points.
Who uses it? Young professionals and users in more urban areas.
What you should post on it: FourSquare is user-driven, so you won’t be in the driver’s seat. If you’re actively bringing customers into your retail business, they may be posting on the site.
What you should post on it: Brick-and-mortar stores can post deals and promotions on FourSquare.
Best for: Restaurants and shops with brick-and-mortar locations.
How we use it: We don’t. Not a good fit for us.
What is it? A photo-sharing mobile app that allows users to beautify their photos using filters.
Who uses it? People generally under 35, women (68% of users are female), those who live in urban areas (data from Business Insider).
What you should post on it: Focus on quality, not quantity. Post inspirational quotes and ideas related to your industry, beautiful pictures, office hi-jinks, etc.
Best for: B2C companies, lifestyle companies.
How we use it: We don’t. Not a good fit for us.
What is it? Reddit is a social posting web site where users submit links, content, etc. These postings are then voted up or down based on how much people like (or dislike) them.
Who uses it? Predominantly young males (data from Pew Research).
What you should post on it: questions, advice, interesting facts.
Best for: “Hip” companies, tech startups.
How we use it: We don’t. Not a good fit for us.
Hopefully, you’re now a little more clear on some of these social channels and maybe you can now decide which direction to go with your company. Remember, you don’t have to be the greatest social media maven in your industry. Think of your customers and potential customers… How might they enjoy becoming engaged in your social experience? How can you help them?
For us, using Twitter is more of a technical support/customer service tool. We use it to update our customers if there are any outages or issues they should be aware of. This lets them know that we’re on top of what they might be experiencing “system wide” and we care. It also keeps our phone lines open. Facebook is a great tool for us to post updates on our newsletter as well as our blog. We prefer not to “bombard” our customers with continuous posts, as we have learned that our customers like the content we post in 2 to 3 week intervals, not daily. Again, listen to your customers. LinkedIn, for us, is more of a recruiting tool.
Did you notice that there were several social channels that even we don’t use? Guess what? That’s ok… For us, we’ve picked a few that fit our comfort and commitment level. We suggest you do the same.
Remember, if you ever need more help, we’re a click or a phone call away.