which social media platform is right for your business?

Copyright 2012, Social Media School | www.socialmediaschoolny.com

Which Social Media Platform is Right for Your Business?

July – August 2012

@SocialMediaSchl


What We’ll Cover Today

• How to determine the right social media platform for your business

• Key social media platforms

• The role of each social media platform as it pertains to your strategy

• The pros and cons of each

• What to do next


What We Won’t Cover

• Details of social media platforms:

–How to set up a Facebook page, Twitter account or blog

–How to find fans or followers or get people to fan/follow you

–Specifics of creating content for blogs, Twitter or Facebook

–Timing of blog posts, tweets or Facebook posts


Which Social Media Platform is Right for You?• Consider these questions:

• Are you building a personal brand or a corporate profile?

• Is your business B2C or B2B?

• Do you have an existing website?

• Are you more concerned about customer retention or new customer acquisition?

• Who is your target demographic?

• How much time do you have to commit to social media?

• How much technical skill do you have?


http://socialtimes.com/whos-using-facebook-twitter-google-linkedin-and-pinterest-infographic_b98007


Key Social Media Platforms


Facebook

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Facebook’s Role in a Social Media Strategy• Key Points to Consider

• Customers must find you there (opt-In)

• How will they find you?

• 50% of Facebook users report a preference for purchasing products from brands they have liked

• Facebook is about customer retention & relationships


Pros•Basic set up is easy

•Little or no out-of-pocket cost

•Huge user pool – every demographic

•Plays nice with multi-media

•Great sharing capabilities

•Moderate time commitment

•Easy targeting through advertising platform

•Measurement tools included

Facebook Page Pros & Cons

Cons•Not owned, but rented space

•Advanced set up more complex

•Difficult to get your content seen by everyone

•More consumer than B2B

•Takes additional apps to run promos/coupons/contests

•No immediate access to customer data


Twitter


Twitter’s Role in a Social Media Strategy• Key Points to Consider

• Twitter is an open network

• You can follow and talk to almost anyone

• 20% of all Tweets sent mention a specific brand or product

• Twitter is about customer acquisition & customer service


Pros•Super easy set up

•Little or no out-of-pocket cost

•No tech involved

•Great for media outreach

•Good platform for coupons/promos

•Easily measured

Twitter Pros & Cons

Cons•Not owned, but rented space

•Daily commitment

•Can eat up time

•Limited user pool vs. Facebook/blogs

•Lots of spammers to avoid


Blogs

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Blogging’s Role in a Social Media Strategy• Key Points to Consider

• You own your blog

• You determine the Terms of Service

• A blog is evolving & ever changing

• Unlike a website, which is primarily static

• A blog is your home on the web; an opportunity to tell your brand story. With changing content, it’s also about search.

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Pros•Great for getting found online

•Best way to establish credibility, authority and trust

•Readers can subscribe and automatically get updates

•You can control the site with minimal technical skill

•Your articles get published whenever you want with no gatekeeper

•You own the space

Blogging Pros & Cons

Cons•Basic set-up requires some technical skill

•Customized set-up requires technical and design resources

•Customized set-up can cost $500-$3,000

•Requires planning & significant time commitment

•Requires comfort with writing


YouTube

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YouTube’s Role in a Social Media Strategy• Key points to consider

• Google owns YouTube

• YouTube is the second most-used search engine

• Google is used the most

• Not only is YouTube about audio & visual content, YouTube is about search!

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Pros•Enhances the customer experience

•Potentially large viewership on YouTube

•Easily incorporated into other social media channels

•Easily shared by other people

•Important for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

•Easy to make simple, unedited videos and upload to video sharing site(s)

•Outstanding for visual content (fashion, home, design, other visual products)

YouTube/Video Pros & Cons

Cons•May need to hire a professional for video editing and enhanced videos

•Unwanted ads may appear on your videos

•Not the greatest community builder


LinkedIn’s Role in a Social Media Strategy

• Key Points to Consider

• It's more than just an online resume service

• It's more than just for hiring and job search - #1 reason is Industry Network

• LinkedIn has a very high Google ranking, often leading people who search for you to your LinkedIn public profile ahead of all others

• 35% of users of LinkedIn members use it daily


Pros•Highly visible by search engines

•Feature-rich search

•Used by senior executives

•Internationally focused

•Unmatched recommendations algorithm

•News feed is more focused & relative compared to other sites

LinkedIn Pros & Cons

Cons•Most interaction occurs within your personal profile, not your company profile

•Engagement within news feeds is difficult to achieve

•Functionality is more complicated and not as user-friendly, compared to other networking sites

•Not as much time spent on LinkedIn by members


Pinterests’ Role in a Social Media Strategy

• Key points to consider

• One of the fastest growing social networks

• 104.4M visitors in June

• Google+ had 61M

• Highly visual and equally as viral

• Pinterest is about customer rapport & branding


Pros•Visual showcase for products

•Great for fashion, food, decorating & crafts

•Very easy to get started & maintain

•Small time investment

•Easy to expand to other topics related to your brand

•Very engaged users

Pinterest Pros & Cons

Cons•Limited demographic

•Largely female

•Requires linking to an existing Twitter or Facebook account

•Primarily Business-to-Consumer (B2C)

•Does not include comprehensive measurement tools


What’s Next???• Which platforms match up with your answers?

• Also consider how much time you can commit to your social media strategy

• Consistency is key! It’s better to be on one platform and do it really well than to be spread too thin across multiple platforms.

• Sign Up for our “Small Biz Social Media Tips” newsletter

• It’s completely free

• http://SocialMediaSchoolNY.com


Appendix: Social Media School Coursesfor Key Platforms

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About Social Media School

• Founded on a belief that people learn best when they can interact with instructors

• Pre-recorded webinars aren’t the right format for most people

• Affordable, interactive classes on how to use the most popular social media platforms

• Real-life examples, live instructors

• Access to instructors, even after the class is over!


Social Media School: Facebook Boot Camp• Step-by-step instructions for creating a Facebook business page

• How to customize your page

• How to get the most from your profile picture and photostrip

• Facebook etiquette & best practices

• How to get more people to like your page

• Tips for getting customers to talk to you, answer your questions and talk to each other.

• How to increase the chances that your posts will be seen

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Social Media School: Twitter Boot Camp• Step-by-step instructions for creating a new account

• How to optimize your Twitter profile to get found

• Twitter etiquette & best practices

• How to find people to follow

• How to build followers

• Twitter lists and how to use them

• Twitter success stories

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Social Media School: Blogging Bootcamp

• What it takes to be a blogger

• How to find the most influential blogs in your space

• Examples of successful corporate blogs

• How to select a name for your blog and decide what to blog about

• How to differentiate yourself from other bloggers in your space.

• How to use images and craft enticing headlines

• Blog etiquette and principles of communication

• 100 blog post ideas

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Social Media School: Video Bootcamp

• Step-by-step for creating a YouTube Channel

• How to customize your channel

• How to optimize your channel and videos for greater search visibility

• Understanding YouTube Insights

• Examples of companies using YouTube successfully

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Social Media School: LinkedIn Bootcamp• Step-by-step instructions for creating or enhancing your LinkedIn

profile

• How to make your profile searchable by the people you want to meet

• LinkedIn etiquette and best practices

• How to make connections & build your network

• How to get referrals to clients, investors, donors and employees

• Ideal if you have a sparse profile, are just starting out, or if your profile needs some extra TLC for a job search


Questions?

Contact:Stephanie [email protected]

Website: www.socialmediaschoolny.comTwitter: www.twitter.com/socialmediaschlFB: www.facebook.com/socialmediaschoolny

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