Thinking back to the time when Al Gore invented the internet (joke), the Information Superhighway was an still an elite toll road that allowed you to cruise at 56K without a care in the world, except that it was maybe tying up your phone line. Who could have imagined that the wide open superhighway of years past was to become the electronic equivalent of the 5 South on a summer race/fair/Dodgers vs. Padres game day. So many choices on where to go, but how do you reach your final destination efficiently? A business owner who wants to utilize social media to market to their customers is faced with many of these same decisions...to find effective, efficient marketing platforms that reaches the target market without getting lost in the traffic jam.
So...where does one go? Well, that depends on the 5 W's (and their tag-along cousin H).
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| Poor How...and he's the most important part! |
Facebook has about 1.23 billion monthly active users. To give that some perspective, about 1.35 billion people live in China alone. Now when numbers get in those proportions, it is impossible to reach everyone about everything. And do you really want to?
Facebook is a great tool for getting your name out there. Reach is Facebook's biggest asset! It is also great because it allows businesses to tap into the collective library of information Facebook has recorded about its users. And by having consumers seek out your page for the ever desired "Like" allows you to have direct access to your customer's thoughts about the way YOU are doing business. Picture posts only enhance that level of interaction!
In short, Facebook is great for both business and personal use. But make sure you don't confuse the two. You want to be relatable, but not share every single detail of your business just because you can.
In short, Facebook is great for both business and personal use. But make sure you don't confuse the two. You want to be relatable, but not share every single detail of your business just because you can.
Twitter
Remember when tweeting was something only birds did? Now it is a way to give a shout out to your favorite celeb, enter a contest to win that cool new thing you want to win, and say exactly what is on your mind...as long as you operate within the 140 characters or less parameter.
Twitter is a great platform for fast-paced, on the move kind of companies. Twitter eliminates the fluff. You can do stuff like post pictures and links to videos and other media, but let's be honest...links require a whole separate window and time and other things that people don't want to be bothered with. Plus, it gave us the #hashtag and a way to see what is or get a topic trending. And how can you say anything bad about that?! Twitter is a great business tool, but lacks that meaningful interaction that personally, I want - which is probably why I'm not a super tweet and RT-er, although I do love me a good #hashtag.
Instagram
Remember when tweeting was something only birds did? Now it is a way to give a shout out to your favorite celeb, enter a contest to win that cool new thing you want to win, and say exactly what is on your mind...as long as you operate within the 140 characters or less parameter.
Twitter is a great platform for fast-paced, on the move kind of companies. Twitter eliminates the fluff. You can do stuff like post pictures and links to videos and other media, but let's be honest...links require a whole separate window and time and other things that people don't want to be bothered with. Plus, it gave us the #hashtag and a way to see what is or get a topic trending. And how can you say anything bad about that?! Twitter is a great business tool, but lacks that meaningful interaction that personally, I want - which is probably why I'm not a super tweet and RT-er, although I do love me a good #hashtag.
What would the world be like if I couldn't go out to a restaurant and take a picture of my yummy meal and beer that I am about ready to dive in to? I don't know and I'm not sure I want to!
Even though you can add text and #hashtags for daaaaaaaaaaaaaays, Instagram may not be the best tool for business. However, if your business is one that is about photography, fashion, or food - where the product speaks for itself - Instagram may be for you! Similar to Facebook, Instagram allows a lot of user interaction. For example, I can post this (hilarious) picture I found while cruising the Zulily site, tag +zulily, and throw a couple of #zulily #uglychristmassweater #cheese hashtags in and that totals about 5 different ways someone could find my post.
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| I'm pretty sure I have a similar picture buried deep in a family photo album. |
In contrast, if I were a dentist trying to get people to come to my practice, posting post wisdom tooth extractions and a teenager getting fitted for braces probably wouldn't entice many people to come in and join the fun. It's all about understanding your product and your market.
Google+
Google+
Oh, Google+. When Google+ was the super exclusive, invite only, cool new kid in town, EVERYONE thought Facebook and Twitter were going to go the way of MySpace. The only reason I have a Google+ account is because it comes as a gift with purchase, so to say, with my Gmail account.
For businesses though, Google+ can be a great medium. Most of the people I know who are still on and active (key word right there) are tech savvy, computer gurus that all work in IT (and who I would call on to fix a blue screen of death in lieu of heading to the Geek Squad counter). But if you don't fit in to this profile, Google+ might be a difficult frontier to navigate.
Pinterest
The bane of many a existence. It's a rabbit hole of funny e-cards, crafting fails, fashion, design, and recipes for everything you could ever imagine. It doesn't surprise me that the majority of Pinterest users are female. I can't imagine my husband using papier mache techniques to wind rope around balloons to make decorative hanging lanterns. However, I can imagine myself pinning outfits I want and the really nice set of earrings that match EXACTLY what I was looking for, which never happens.
Pinterest is both great for both personal use and for business. It's instant gratification in an instant gratification type of world. Cruise boards, find something you like, click the link, and boom! You've just stumbled on the one thing you need that you never you knew you needed - no trip to a brick and mortar store required.
LinkedIn
I have a LinkedIn. As a business student at CSUSM, I was "required" to have one (many professors utilized them and would ask you to for projects and such). The only mention of businesses on LinkedIn are the ones people work for and tend to be buried under superfluous titles such as "Director of First Impressions." If your business is headhunting, then LinkedIn is a GREAT source for you! For the other 99% of LinkedIn users, it is merely a way of keeping arms length connections with former co-workers, professional colleagues, and the random person who tries to use LinkedIn in a Facebook/Twitter-esque manner.
LinkedIn is a great idea, but you should really reflect on the marketing goals of your business if LinkedIn is a platform you wish to utilize.
Snapchat
I feel like I'm dating myself here, but I'm not too sure what all this new fangled Snapchat business is about. I know my sister uses it. I know that you can send a "snap" that the other person receives, then automatically gets deleted.
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| Cue Mission Impossible "This message will self destruct in 5 seconds" dramatics |
One wonders, how does a 10 second snap of something equal an increase in revenues? After all, the "I" part of ROI was 10 seconds. But if that 10 second snap is viewed on Snapchat Stories, which is a timeline viewed about 500 million times a day, you could see how that R could grow exponentially.
However, a business would need to be in tune with its target market to direct marketing efforts to Snapchat. The median age of the average Snapchatter is about 18 years old. If your business is selling reverse mortgages or AARP memberships, Snapchat may not be the place for you.
So What Does This Mean For You?
It means that the "how" as in how is the social media platform is geared for business isn't as important as the "what" your business is about and the "who" you are marketing to. Using social media as a marketing platform is great, but don't turn it in to a great waste of time by spamming on every single site out there. Take that extra time to learn your customer's 5 W's ... and don't forget about H!
Stacey,
ReplyDeleteReally, really cool post! You are right that Facebook reach is unparalleled with any other social platform. The irony of Facebook's wall is to see what your "friends" have been up to. The more of these "friend's we have we are less likely to catch that info because someone else made a post. The "wall" is like a running treadmill.
I do not have much experience with Snapchat. I have downloaded the app but ten deleted. Not sure how I will utilize it yet. At first I could not understand the concept or why anyone would want to send a picture that will self destroy within seconds. One positive thing I find is that it does not take up memory on our phones ... ad I suppose in our brains; it's gone. the "I" in ROI could be ironically those 10 seconds of exposure, a sense of urgency that businesses could use to pressure us into buying something, following a link ... before it's gone. When people feel there is a "deal" and it's limited by time, often times they make the jump for it.
Thanks for your post.
I also agree that Facebook seems to be the number one utilized social media platform for business. Most likely because of the amount of people and time they are on it. I know that I will almost always go check out a company's Facebook page in doing research.
ReplyDelete