Should You Jump Into Social Networks to Promote Your Business?
There’s a lot of buzz in the online PR world about social networking, whether that be traditional social networks like Myspace and Facebook or social networking through microblogging services such as Twitter.
Should you jump into social networking to promote your business? And if so, with so many options available, how do you choose which social networks to participate in?
Benefits of Social Networking
I’m not much of a supporter of diving into every new or large social networking environment or fad to promote a business. However, social networks do have some benefits that make them worth considering as an addition to your online PR efforts:
1. Social networks and microblogging services can serve multiple roles with a single tool. For example, you can network with colleagues, while also promoting offers or information to clients and potential clients of your company.
2. Social networking is cost-effective. Most networks are free to join.
3. Social networks and microblogging services can help you get news or a message out very quickly to a targeted audience.
Problems with Social Networking
Despite its benefits, there are also some drawbacks to social networking for promoting a business.
1. Social networking can be a productivity killer. Many businesses simply try to do too much - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, etc. The multiple updates aren’t always reaching different audiences, and it’s a waste of time that could be spent elsewhere if you’re simply targeting the same groups with the same messages, but in different locations.
2. It’s easy to get too personal, or too off-topic, when social networking, Twittering, etc. You may divulge more information than you wanted to (or than you should), and once you’ve said it, you can’t take it back. The instant gratification factor also makes it easier to communicate without thinking things through; contributing to negative “Web wars” at times.
3. The bulk of the population still hasn’t embraced these technologies, meaning your target audiences may not yet be well-represented there.
Choosing Social Networking Services for Your Needs
There are good things about social networking for PR. There are negative things as well. So how can you strike a happy balance? How do you choose the best social media communication tools for your business, without over-extending your resources to reach only a small portion of your audience?
1. Target, target, target! It doesn’t matter what the largest social network is if your specific audience isn’t represented there. Niche social networking tools may be a far better option than simply going with networks that always seem to be getting the buzz. For example, no network yet beats Myspace for promoting to musicians. If you’re trying to reach an adult audience as opposed to teens, you may be better off using a service like Gather.com. If you want to network with other professionals in your industry, LinkedIn might serve your needs more effectively. There are also smaller social networks targeted to very specific niches (webmasters, photographers, etc.). There’s no reason to try to “do it all.”
2. Understand the numbers. Don’t join a social network simply because they say they have X number of members. Those numbers mean absolutely nothing. What you should care about is not the total membership, but instead the “active” membership (and those specifically within your target audience - it goes back to targeting).
3. Get to know a network’s policies on promotion, as it applies to your plans. The last thing you want is to be labeled a spammer. Understand that these tools are more about networking, building relationships, and communicating than blatant promotion, as in marketing and sales.
No matter how deep you decide to delve into social networking and / or microblogging, always make sure you’re making the best use of your time, and reaching your intended targets.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Stick to business networking sites targeted at professionals such as Linkedin, Schmoozii, Xing, and Konnects. These networks focus on professionals and the members there expect to be contacted about business related products.
If you aren’t targeting professionals, then I wouldn’t recommend using social networking sites to promote your product. Most of the users are there for socializing and it may be counter productive spending time to approach people that are looking for friends.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I completely agree with the section Problems with Social Networking!
1. Spot on with this point, it’s a very easy trap to fall into due to the addictiveness of these sites.
2. I’ve experienced this point myself on twitter. You begin with twittering about SEO and interacting with other SEO’s then all of a sudden you start posting the football score or that your kettle has just boiled!
Good post!
July 6th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
There are now thousands of social networks that cater to a whole variety of subjects. These smaller, focused sites allow users to connect with like-minded people and give advertisers targeted demographics. Niche social networks are also good for marketers who have a product or service they want to promote that relates to a particular interest. A good place to find such sites is this search engine for social networks.
July 7th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I definitely agree with you on finding your target audience. It’s so easy to get caught up in EVERY social network out there. I did that not too long ago and ended up wasting a lot of my time. I took a step back, figured out where my target audience hangs out, picked the best 4 or 5 sites where they frequent, and stay active/focused on those instead of EVERY single site out there. It’s really helped get the word out about Salesconx to the right people.
Also, you’re correct about some target audiences not really being “online” yet. There is no “big” Myspace-type site for salespeople (and there may never be), so it’s been difficult for me to find them for the Salesconx marketplace.
It’s going to take some time and LOTS of effort to find new sellers for the site (as expected) but I’m confident (and excited) about the outcome for us and other small businesses utilizing social networks to promote.
-Gina
Marketing Manager
July 8th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Ilike our tips , Thx for social networks tips
July 8th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
You make some great points in this post. I think that too many businesses try to jump on the social media bandwagon and often miss the mark because they are not approaching it the right way.
I also believe that there are two different goals one can have in mind when launching a social media campaign, boosting SEO by obtaining links or creating buzz/brand awareness. And depending on which one you are after you need to take different approach. Of course the true masters of social media marketing (and there are not alot of them) can achieve both at the same time. But I also think that you need to have the right type of business to do so with social media.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
How does one promote one’s business (or web site) on twitter? Maybe I’m still in the box ’cause I don’t see it.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
“If you aren’t targeting professionals, then I wouldn’t recommend using social networking sites to promote your product. Most of the users are there for socializing and it may be counter productive spending time to approach people that are looking for friends.”
I actually disagree on this one. Social networks are highly effective for marketing certain types of products. For example, one of the first types of social media marketing was for musicians - it was effective early on and still is. I work with that group, as well as authors, and find that even for book promotion social networks can be great. At the same time you have things marketed towards the social network users (like Myspace graphics), and those marketing campaigns have been hugely successful in the past.
It’s all about knowing your target, knowing where they are, and know how to motivate them or connect with them on as large a scale as possible.
July 13th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Social bookmarking sites especially onlywire is extraordinary in getting traffic in less than 24 hours.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:38 am
The best thing about Social Networks is that you can not only promote a product / service to a specific target market, but also evaluate what tey think about it. You can get tips about what your target wants and improve your business.
July 20th, 2008 at 5:46 am
I think Schmoozii said it best…. The value from linkedin vs myspace is considerable…in that myspace is so obtuse that targeting anybody worth targeting is either incredibly hard or expensive…
July 24th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I find that social networks is way too time consuming and the results are usually poor. There are so many other ways to promote your business. Especially promoting an online business…
July 29th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I definitely agree with your comments. I DO believe there is value in social networking with these various ’social’ sites; however, I definitely agree that they are time consuming. These sites can be very ‘distracting’ on your main purpose or bottom line if not done properly.
Daniel Tetreault.
August 1st, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Most of the time, traffic from social networks are no deeply targeted. With so many new social networks sites coming up, choosing your “list” of network sites to concentrate on could be a headache.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:55 am
I just recently really started social networking when I finally found one that reaches my niche.
I’m making some good contacts, but it does take loads of time. I am keeping track of my time spent on social networking and the people who visit my site from the contacts.
I believe with any marketing, we have to know what we’re spending and what we’re getting back, so we can determine the return on investment for our time or money.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I somewhat agree with you on this. Although it is best to identify the social networks that work best for your business, you can still use other networks for backlinks since a lot of them will offer you the opportunity to link your blog and rss feed to it.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Promoting a web site in several social networks can take a lot of time.
The ROI isn’t easy to evaluate…
August 26th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Social media sites bring a quick burst of traffic, but how much of it is converting to actual sales? Most people and mainly going because of the information.
September 5th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Social networks are a great free advertising resource that builds a solid foundation that brings a steady flow of traffic over time. I personally prefer steady traffic to high peaks of it. So it’s definitely a must for me!