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data from AdAge Blogs, May 16, 2011
There are plenty of companies today with an active presence on all the latest social media networks, taking full advantage of the exploding popularity and visibility of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and others. But most small businesses simply don’t have the resources to engage effectively on more than one or two social channels. If that’s the case for your business, you may be asking yourself which social media channel is likely to drive the best results for you. Or, perhaps you’ve dived into too many channels and, like the hamster on the spin wheel, you’re wondering how to step things down and better focus your efforts.
While there’s no standard profile for who should use which social media channel for what exact purposes, there are some distinctions that may help you decide which one(s) will be most effective for your business. Start by defining your own goals, and then consider these differences between the social media options.
This cool infographic from BuySellAds.com gives lots of demographic information about Twitter users, including size of the user population, who uses it, why they use it, how they use it, how often, and more. While Twitter has been around only 5 years, it has been credited with influencing – some even say inciting – significant newsworthy events, including the “Arab Spring” movements, the British riots, and relief efforts for numerous natural disasters. But can you harness it effectively for your business?
Twitter allows you to broadcast 140-character tweets to a broad audience, and attract followers on the basis of your information value. Twitter users tend to follow good information rather than personal connections, which is why it’s the channel most popular with media and news reporters, and favored by businesses who want to establish thought leadership. If you have valuable, informative content to share, this may be your best choice – and it works particularly well for promoting your blog. Also be sure to monitor what’s being said about your company on Twitter, and be quick to respond when any issues arise. Given the popularity of Twitter among influentials, negative news has a way of travelling fast and can quickly spell disaster if you don’t manage it.
Another infographic, this from Digital Surgeons, shows how Facebook and Twitter demographics compare. With over 700 million users, Facebook is the big daddy of social media channels. But does that mean it’s a good choice for your business?
Most people use Facebook to chat informally with friends, so it tends to work best for consumer-facing companies – brands which consumers interact with as part of their daily life. If you want consumers to follow your business on Facebook, be prepared to offer special deals, discounts or coupons, as that’s what most followers expect. Also be prepared for honest customer feedback — and have a plan for responding to it – as consumers are known to engage most when they have something to complain about. Some people say that having a company page shows you care what your customers say and think about you (see survey results) – implying that if you don’t, you don’t care.
LinkedIn targets the business professional and acts as a networking hub, a sort of online rolodex. It’s useful for job seekers and recruiters, and many users see it as a way to post their resume and credentials online. There is also a fair amount of selling that goes on, especially by B2B service companies that are heavily relationship-dependent. LinkedIn discussions have become popular forums in some industries, where idea-sharing and industry-focused meetups are valuable forms of networking. LinkedIn has recently honed its professional focus even further by offering industry-related news feeds in LinkedIn Today.
If B2B relationship building is key to your business, you’ll want to have a presence on LinkedIn. Beyond that, it’s a great way to stay in touch with colleagues, to discuss issues within an industry or professional group, or to network for sales or job hunting purposes.
Google+
This newest of the social media channels has had a meteoric start, gaining 25 million users in its first month. The reviews have been somewhat mixed, with a lot of enthusiasm for features like Circles, Hangouts and Sparks that are missing on Facebook, and a lot of ‘wait and see’ pronouncements because so many of the early adopters are techies and not representative of average users. Google has not yet rolled out the ‘business version’ of Google+, so it’s too early to characterize what it does best for a small biz.
What is your social media channel of choice? And why?
