Businesses have wholeheartedly jumped on the social network bandwagon. Business owners have discovered unique ways to advertise, recruit employees, and build relationships with customers through social networking. But which social network is right for your business?
Each social network has its own unique features that make them ideal for certain kinds of industries. Here is a brief overview of the most popular social networking tools available:
LinkedIn. This site is dedicated to helping people develop business relationships. It’s a good place to post job opening announcements and look for contractors or consultants.
MySpace. This site is incredibly popular with the younger crowd, especially teenagers and college students. It works especially well for companies that are in the entertainment industry, or those who do business that caters to younger consumers.
Facebook. This site reaches a broad audience; it is particularly helpful for keeping in touch with family and friends. It allows you to create and join a variety of different groups, making it ideal for businesses to build and maintain relationships.
YouTube. This site features videos. It is a great place to advertise new products and services. Businesses often use it for posting testimonials, mini-infomercials, and commercials.
Twitter. This site is the newest social networking tool and it’s growing. It allows users to post little blurbs about what’s going on in their day, and it is an effective way to distribute small bits of information. This is also a great way to personalize your business to customers.
Consider your goals and objectives when it comes to social networking. If you are looking to do things like post job openings and meet other like-minded business owners, LinkedIn is the obvious choice. However, if you want to advertise a hot new product and get a lot of exposure online, then YouTube or MySpace might be more appropriate.
Social networking can be time consuming, and you need to choose wisely when it comes to making a business investment in such a venture. Based on these descriptions of social networking sites, it is clear that one business doesn’t necessarily need to use all of them. One or two will suffice and allow the information about your business to be viewed by diverse users.
