This is the third part of a five part series. This post will explore some of the different social media channels you can participate in.
If you have read the first two parts to this series, then by this stage you should know what your social media goals and objectives are going to be and you are ready to decide what social media channels you are going to participate in. Contrary to what you think, you do not need to join and engage in every single social media channel available. It is more important to be focused and participate in those channels where your customer and audience are likely to be.
You can identify what channels your customers are active on by monitoring and listening to existing conversations about you and your organisation. Are they on Facebook? Twitter? Linkedin? You can then use these as a starting point to start engaging with your customers.
Social media channels
Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly used channels.
Founded in 2004 Facebook is now the worlds largest social network site with over 400 million active and shows no signs of slowing down in growth. According to Istrategylabs, the largest age group on Facebook is now 35-54. Facebook is predominantly used for personal use, although businesses are increasingly adopting it as a means to engage with their audience.
How it can be used for business
As a business you can engage by creating a group, fan page or community page for your business. The differences between the different options are very subtle. They all serve the same purpose, a person becomes a member of your page, you can then send them updates and they also receive all the content you publish in their home news stream. I reccommend starting with the fan page.
You can do more then just post content, you can post company photos and videos. You should try and encourage user engagement by asking questions, running competitions, having opions polls, there are many different methods of engagement you can employ.
Twitter is a microblogging service and was launched in 2006. The majority of businesses are on Twitter and has almost become the norm for a company to have a link to their Twitter account on their website. Twitter allows you to share a 140 character message to the world, you are also able to include links in these.
How it can be used for business
Below are some of the ways business can use Twitter. 
- Customer service
- Brand awareness
- Engaging customers
- Broadcasting
- Offering Promotions
Many businesses use a combination of the above from one Twitter account, some have a diferent one to serve each purpose.
LinkedIn is the social network site for professionals. Allowing you to interact and connect with others.
How it can be used for business
All businesses should encourage their employees to utilise it as a means to build generate new leads and keep in contact with existing contacts. You are able to create a company profile on there but the best way to use LinkedIn for business is by creating a Group.
A group allows you to create a community and easily engage with the members in your group. You are also able to send them emails directly to their inbox, provided they have not opted out of receiving the emails. You can add your news feeds from yourwebsite (if you have them) to the group to0, so again those who have not opted out will recieve these in their emails. Your group should be based on your industry and not your company.
Youtube
Youtube is a website which allows you to watch, upload and share video. It has grown to become the second largest search engine, so there is certainly potential for business.
How it can be used for business
It is simple, create and upload videos. Try not to go for a sales video, here is my products and services, buy, buy, buy! That just is not going to work. Like with the Linkedin group try focus on your industry and offer something to the viewer. For example if you are a plumber you could record DIY plumbing tips or if you are a law firm, you could offer practical advice on a monthly basis.
People often say that you should try to create a viral video, in my opinion you cannot create a video. You can however create a good video and hope that it goes viral. Another point is that a video may easily cost you up to £1000, if you can’t afford it, don’t try and make a completely amateur video yourself. A poor video may give off a poor reflection on your brand.
Summary
– You do not need to be on participate on every social media channel out there
– Listening and monitoring will help you identify which channels your customers are on
– Focus on your industry and not your brand
– Facebook, Twitter and Linked are a good starting point
Part 4 will be coming soon. Follow me on Twitter for updates
I am learning as I go, therefore I always welcome comments and feedback. Please comment below.
What other good social media channels are there for small business?
