What Social Media Solution is Right for You? How to decide between the many, many Social Media outlets out
there!
Why Even Choose? ! There are many social media outlets and applications out
there
! … so how do you choose which one is the right for you and what your GOALS are?
! It can be similar to picking the right type of partner or date!
! Choosing the right type of partner will determine long term happiness and mutual benefits
Meet the Lucky Candidates ! Facebook
! Google +
Facebook PROS
! Over 757 Million Daily Users
! 18 minutes spent on Facebook per visit; also a wide variety of Facebook mobile applications and its own brand of Facebook Pages for businesses
! Sheer expansive amount of usage worldwide among every age group and demographic
Facebook CONS
! Hard to accurately measure impressions (many have to be bought now through Ads and promoted space as opposed to organically)
! Time consuming to keep track of “trolls” and negative commentary
! Depending on the demographic, much information may not be seen a trustworthy as a source
Twitter PROS
! 140 characters of a “headliner” Tweet can be used to generate leads
! Immediate response and immediate reaction from fans and followers
! Usage of #hashtags allow for filtered listening and promotion and allow for people who aren’t yet following you to find you in a crowded space
Twitter CONS
! Messaging needs to be consistent and up to date (it can be easy to “lose track” of comments)
! Deleted tweets never die – they are cached by Google and stored so be careful what is said
! 140 characters can provide limitations in how a message delivers tone and context
LinkedIn PROS
! Considered the professional social media solution; known as more of “professional networking”
! High SEO; well done profiles will show up high on search engines
! Great for business to business marketing to find the right people to reach out to
LinkedIn CONS
! Can have a higher SPAM increase due to the algorithm that give you higher SEO
! Interface does not lend itself to automated sharing
! Limited interactivity when compared to more popular candidates such as Twitter or Facebook
Google+ PROS
! Less competition (for now) so less users mean that there is less noise and more opportunity for messages to be heard by the right people!
! Unique opportunity to run webinars and video messaging with “hangouts”
! Big impact on Google search results for business
! Responsive design!
Google+ CONS
! Different layout and cover photo dimensions than FB or other social media channels so dedicated artwork needs to be made
! Less users (for now) so not as wide as audience
! Confusing at first to grasp things like “circles” and who can view what information you want public
Instagram PROS
! Known as the more photogenic version of Twitter and it lets you say a whole lot more than 140 characters
! Plays upon the more visual and immediate nature of the web
! Usage of #hashtags allow for filtered listening and promotion; but some are Instagram specific!
Instagram CONS
! Instagram can best be credited for the birth of the selfie!
! Can mainly only be used on mobile and it is difficult to toggle between multiple accounts
! Not seen as a space to play in if you do not have a lot of visuals to display on a daily basis
Pinterest PROS
! Considered an online scrapbook of sorts; fantastic for reaching a mainly female audience
! Easy to use; adding a Pinterest widget makes it easy for people to “pin” images directly from the website and drive traffic
! Hard to have to pay per click or have ads
Pinterest CONS
! Is not popular among all demographics and industries (can be considered “niche”)
! Has the same issue that Instagram has in the sense that if you do not have very many visuals; it can be hard to generate content
! A strong website presence is required
What Does This All Mean?
Weigh the Pros and Cons of Each Social Media Channel
! Decide on ONE to develop a good and solid foundation with; one that fits your needs and goals
! Pick one that best fits your own pros and cons list
! Once that social media network is established then maybe think about branching off into one or two more at a time
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