A Quick-and-Dirty Guide to Covering All Social Media Platforms

Create a Facebook Fan page? Check. Establish a Twitter handle? Check. Set up a LinkedIn account? Check. Now that you’ve completed your to-do list for the top social media sites, let’s see how each of these platforms can help your company without sucking up lots of your time.

Facing the Book

Anyone can create a Facebook fan page for the family dog, but many companies have already established fan pages for their brands. While the Facebook fan page is a great tool for companies, if the goal of your business is to create revenue, then you need to do more than just gain a few “likes.”

While having a lot of “likes” can be beneficial, the real goal is to have fans who are engaged with your content. The more frequently fans of your company share your links and the more ways you create for them to interact on your page, the more recognition you will get. People like companies who talk with them, not to them.

One of the most important goals of your Facebook fan page is to get your Facebook fans to your brand website, especially if that’s where all of the information about your products can be found. So show a true investment in your fans by asking questions and starting discussions; they’ll invest in you in return.

Tweet It Out

Besides having a Facebook fan page, Twitter is helpful because you can start a conversation with anyone in the world. Twitter is the platform that’s made it completely kosher to direct comments at people you’ve never met, which is why it’s a handy tool to have in your back pocket.

With hashtags, you can also increase brand awareness through a conversation with the wider Twitter community. For example, if your company offers social media or marketing services, you can search for people in need of social media help by searching for hashtags like “#socialmedia,” “#advice,” and “#marketing.”

The goal of Twitter is to gain more followers and recognition, and making sure you’re active on Twitter is vital to helping your brand awareness grow. You also need to make sure you are very intentional with your tweets. When a company tweets incessantly about information their followers may find irrelevant, they run the risk of losing them. Cast a wide net within your specific sector and try to appeal to all of your potential clients.

Getting Linked

Another outlet that’s very different from Facebook and Twitter is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is designed for a very specific use. Companies with business-to-business offerings should be utilizing LinkedIn because its purpose is to create relationships, spread content, and contribute to conversations in industry-specific forums. Also, because it’s a professional network, you can establish yourself as a thought leader within your community.

Besides being a great industry outlet, LinkedIn is a solid resource for locating talented new hires. Finding a team member who can add value across the board is the best way to reflect a return on investment in a social media setting.

Tweeting the Facebook User on LinkedIn

If your company has covered the different social media outlets, then you’re connecting with as many people as possible. You’re also ensuring that your company’s reaching users who might use only one social media platform. Not everyone wants to be plugged in everywhere and, if your company wants to share an important message, the status or article you send needs to be coherent enough that if a user only sees it in one outlet, then he can get the full perspective of what you’re trying to share.

If, however, your customer is using all of the various outlets, then you have to make sure you’re not bombarding him with the same information over and over again. If you need a boost or a new perspective in your social media branding, then you can reach out and use a social media company.

By using a social media company, you can tap into a new set of creative minds that generate different ways to display your message in a consistent and innovative way. Also, the more you can tie your brand in with blogs, videos, or links, the more likely your customer will go to your external site and, hopefully, buy your product or service. Experts are helpful in keeping your brand image from going stale from overexposure.

Finding a Platform

In addition, there are several tools to help your business cultivate relationships within the Facebook and Twitter communities, like HootSuite, Buddy Media, or Sprout Social. These tools can help your company keep track of multiple accounts within the same social media outlet.

There’s also a solution that puts the user at the center of your brand and gives him an experience that yields true value. With The Always Be Social Platform, you can create hundreds of targeted ads, see the analytics regarding your accounts, and create a customized page that reflects your company’s brand across Facebook and Twitter.

The Key to Being Social

Whether you’re considering working with a social media company or are content with the direction your branding is currently headed, being on top of your social media campaign is the key in today’s growing market. With your Facebook fan page, your Twitter account, and your contacts from LinkedIn, you can inform your followers about your products and services by sharing the right messages and articles.

In the end, your company is using social media to generate business or awareness about your brand. By creating interesting content and conversations that vary across social media outlets, you have the ability to truly socialize with your audience. And isn’t that the point of it all?

Image source: http://socialmediainbusiness.com