Which Social Networking Site is best?
Posted on 09 February 2010
People ask me this question all the time as if there is a magic bullet that once found, will shower the recipient with riches. And, I will burst that bubble by saying there is no magic bullet.
Really, as with all marketing, which platform is best for what you want to achieve.
There is having connections with people on all the sites and that is great to keep in touch but it may not have anything to do with marketing.
I know alot of professional service firms pooh-pooh Facebook and that leaves a great opportunity for the firms who don’t. Facebook Fan Pages will grow in importance as people learn how they are to use them.
Linkedin is a great site for business to business (but not exclusively so) but it does depend on how you use it. Again, goes back to what your goals are. Setting up groups and participating in groups are great ways of gaining credibility and extending your market. But, you need to have something else to follow on too.
What is at your website to capture interest further?
How are you going to convert interest into a client?
How are you going to do that as well as servicing clients?
Great questions that need answers otherwise your ROI will be poor.
If you are using Linkedin as if you would personal networking, then you may be missing opportunities. I have a guide on how to use linkedin here
The fundamental difference between face to face networking and online networking is the scale. Face to face tends to be 1 to 1 and sometimes 1 to many. While, online networking is many to many… that’s new and it means that if you change your approach, your returns will also increase.
With regards to Twitter, it is an interesting tool. And, I think you have think what you want to achieve. Also, is your market on twitter? With twitter, a tweet life expectancy is around 10 minutes. So, if your market isn’t consuming in real time there is less chance that your efforts will be received. Sure, there are tools that collect tweets from people you are particularly interested in but that won’t be for lots of people.
Again, I think you can use twitter in a tactical way to have lots of comments on an event, topic etc.
On a personal note, I like sites where I am able to explore concepts, engage with others in that exploration and make new connections. Connections aren’t always prospects but they are always interesting. Taking that perspective further, it’s about how to create win:win outcomes…
How do you use the different social networking sites?
3 responses to Which Social Networking Site is best?
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Thanks Karen for this post.
I use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, plus my blogs on my own ning sites, IPAlly and Law and Social Networking.
I have accounts on XING, ecademy, Plaxo and Bebo and for the life of me can’t tell you why I bother.
If someone can give me some tips on XING and ecademy I would really appreciate it.
Nils
Xing is a mystery to me too! I have asked a mutual contact to show me the way!
I am not a fan of Ecademy. I was a member in 2004-6 but it is of limited value to me.
Social Networking is about participating and if there topics of conversation are stimulating then you’ll grow a strong fan base.