By Rachel Newman
It’s practically all you hear these days. When asking for marketing advice, what suggestion do you hear far and away the most?
If you answered forehead tattoos or sandwich boards, there is a dunce cap with your name on it, but if you answered join social media, go straight to the head of the class. I’ve read it. I’ve said it. I doubted it. I’ve lived by it.
Social media is free, densely populated and unbelievably popular in most demographics. Its downfall? Where it is effective, it is also immensely time consuming, and if you are a small business owner, you don’t need anyone to tell you how valuable your time is.
So if you want to participate, but can’t afford to hire anyone or devote your life’s work to building up your followers, what do you do? The answer is simple: Figure out what you want to use social media for and then choose the right platform.
Here is the BBB’s Guide To Recognizing Your Social:
You May Be A Twitterer If…
Your company’s marketing is tethered to provided links and information to customers. Twitter is mostly a platform for sharing links to blogs, websites, and news and business information.
Your company utilizes a business-to-business strategy. Studies have shown that Twitter is far better for B2B businesses, and that B2C businesses struggle to connect with their customers in the same way.
Your company values promotions, like coupons or giveaways, and contests. According to SocialBakers, a social media analytics company, the large B2C brands that have the most success on Twitter are those who run contests or tempt followers with giveaways and promotions.
You May Be A Facebooker If…
Your company utilizes a business to consumer strategy. Similar to the way that Twitter supports B2B businesses, such is true of Facebook with B2C businesses. Logic would suggest that this is because of Facebook’s personal pages and emphasis on strong personal connections between users.
Your company wants to show or offer its services on your social media. Facebook offers users the opportunity to use and create “apps” which they can add to their pages. The BBB has a “Search For An Business or Charity” app which allows users to search without leaving Facebook.
You are more interested in offering a visual experience to your fans and followers. Successful Facebook pages often rely on photos and videos, not links, to attract new fans and conversation.
For more information about using social media, visit BBB.org. To connect with the BBB, visit us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
