Social Media Strategy

What can social media do for your company? Do you know the difference between Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Gather, and Myspace? Social media is the hot new thing. This means it can be overlooked as a fad that won’t really make a difference, or it can be overhyped. It may be unclear how this platform can help your marketing and what strategy is the best to adopt. With the following breakdown of the most commonly used sites, we hope to clear up a few issues.

Facebook: Originally a college social site, it’s open now to the public. Advantages in the Facebook design are primarily in the nature of connectivity. Facebook’s design encourages further connections, constantly suggesting possible people and groups to make contact with. Built into its design structure is also the possibility of building a fan network, rather than only “friend” connections. Likely an effect of its original manifestation, Facebook has a more severe aesthetic, lacking the bright colors and originality of Myspace page designs. Its connectivity is not something to overlook in any way. Personal referrals are still the best advertising and Facebook has a built in referral method showing friends what companies and people their friends are connected to.

Myspace: Suffering from an association with internet predators, many college bound or parentally restricted teens were encouraged away from Myspace. However, it’s bright aesthetic allowing for strong independence in page design and it’s easy and active music play options have kept it popular in some circles, especially with youth oriented bands and their fans. It doesn’t have the connectivity of Facebook. Here, your potential customers mostly still have to be looking for you or you have to be actively recruiting them.

LinkedIn: Is marketed towards job hunters. An excellent interface for business connections and resume sharing, it isn’t currently designed for stronger and broader ranging social connections. There are discussion groups available and strong connectivity possibilities within professional spheres, school or organizational. Inversely from the potential of more lightly social connection sites, LinkedIn might be best taken advantage of by use of targeted and personal connections rather than an all-inclusive fan building strategy.

Twitter: has a lot of buzz going around about it right now, but it isn’t the most effective tool for marketing. It is a short line communication, updating connections with a brief update of goings on. If your company is capable of generating a continuous flow of engaging short updates, then it may be convenient, otherwise another social media may be a better option.

Gather: one of the newer options, this site advertises itself as the adult option for social networking. It lacks the games and quizzes that abound on both Myspace and Facebook, and has no real options for personalizing your homespace with Myspace style decorations, however in keeping with its adult persona, it is an excellent spot for following and connecting with blogs and interest focused conversations. It may be an ideal place to host conversations regarding market specific topics, keeping in touch with customer concerns and proving your company to be up to date in the conversation.

Advertising always works when you have the right message sent to the right audience with the right medium. It’s all about the right time and place. How people are looking for the services your company offers is one of the most important questions for a marketing strategist to ask, and included in the answer is, almost always, people ask their friends. This means social media is not a platform that should be overlooked.

Biznetix is available to assist with your social media strategy questions.