Knowing how to use social media is an important aspect today for any business. But knowing which form of social media to use is just as important as knowing that social media is a way to grow your business. Each form of social media starts with a profile page. This basically tells your followers who you are and what your company is all about. Try to think of the profile page as the first impression a person would have if they entered the front door of your establishment. What kind of impression are you sending? What do we stand for? How does a business get started in deciding which form of social media to utilize?
As always, you need to do your research. You want to know about how each form of social media works, what are the positives and negatives of each kind of social media. Would you like to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pintrest, etc? When you choose which form of social media you would like to use, and maybe it would be more than one site for your business you need to know which form of social media will be best for your customers.
Previously, I have discussed that it is important that you are aware of who your target market is that you are trying to reach. Knowing who your target market is can help you focus and decide which form of social media you would like to use. How will you be using this form of social media for your business? It can be used for marketing, recruiting, network with people inside and outside of your industry?
After you have decided which form(s) of social media you would like to utilize, you know who you target market is, and in which way you will be using the form of social media you choose. You have more things to consider. For instance, who is going to be the “face” of our social media page, do I have anyone who is qualified to manage the company page or should I look for an outside source to manage my company’s page. These are all questions a company needs to ask, research and have answers to before they can make a decision about which form of social media to utilize.
McCorvey, J. (n.d.). How to Use Social Networking sites to Drive Business. Retrieved January 30, 2013, from Inc.com: http://www.inc.com/guides/using-social-networking-sites.html
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