What Social Media Sites are Best for My Business?

I don’t believe that every business needs to have a presence on every Social Media networking site.  If you have a full staff that can handle the upkeep of each site, then go for it!  But if you are like most businesses, then resources and time are limited.  You want the biggest bang for your buck so that you can get back to doing whatever it is that you do best in your business.

So how do you decide which social media site is best for you?  Here is a quick overview of each of the major sites:

Facebook – A must have if you have a brick and mortar business, sell any kind of product or have an online marketing business.  For a physical business, Facebook allows check-ins to your patrons, which is a tool that a lot of people like.  Your customers can give you direct feedback (both good and bad!) which is real-time data for your company.  Facebook is by far the largest social media networking site and one used the most by users who BUY.

 

Twitter – I feel Twitter is good for business consultants and online marketers.  Anyone who wants to show their expertise quickly and have a lot of expertise to share, should consider Twitter.  The key is to attract targeted followers that you could use in your network, whether for networking and collaboration or actual deals.

 

LinkedIn – A must have if you are any kind of consultant.  It’s a very high quality site for business networking and recruiting.  The “groups” feature allows a lot of discussion and is almost like being at a networking mixer with people in your industry or target customer base.  For all types of businesses, creating a solid profile and company page are key.

 

Google+ – Google+ is similar to Facebook but has not grown in popularity like Facebook has.  I think people were waiting to see if it would produce the results in the same way.  But Google+ is not going away.  The user demographic is dominated by male users in their 20s and 30s.  This is a good venue for recruiting college students.  The “hangout” feature is great for holding meetings and/or mini seminars.  And, of course, Google smiles upon it’s own site when ranking for search purposes.

YouTube – Video is huge these days and YouTube leads the pack.  You can create your own channel for your business and either produce your own video or share other people’s videos.  I recommend this for just about every type of business.  I will do a future post on what kinds of videos you could make for your own business.

 

Pinterest – This social media site has grown faster in one year than any other website ever!  If you have any kind of product, you must be on Pinterest!  You can showcase images of your products, one at a time, embed a link to your site and BAM you get more traffic.  For consultants, consider pinning quotes, funny pictures or images of yourself and your team.

What All Social Media Sites Have in Common

You may wish to start with one site and make a concerted effort to posting and engaging your followers.  If that site doesn’t produce much for you, try something else.  What all of the social media sites have in common are:

• They are free for a basic profile
• They offer paid advertising options
• They are all searchable by the search engines
• You get out of it what you put into it.  People want you to engage with them so that they can get to know the person behind the business.  Respond to comments, add your own personal flair and thank people for joining you.

Now go out there and give it a shot!  And let us know about your successes by commenting here!