Blog

Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Youtube, now Google+… So what's the deal? Should a business or non-profit really invest time and effort into these services?

Not long ago, I was puzzling myself over the business potential of social media. MySpace, the once-leading social network, had recently crashed and burned. Facebook, the new king of the hill, seemed more of a fun distraction than a professional business tool. Twitter, I simply didn't "get" - wasn't it cluttered with inane posts about day-to-day stuff no-one cared about, like what people ate for breakfast? LinkedIn was simply a mystery; I had signed up and added people to my "network", but then what? A brief foray into the site didn't reveal anything useful to me as a small business owner. Youtube was primarily my source for vintage Mickey Mouse cartoons for my kids. And then along came rumours of Google+... Google's first social network, Buzz, was a huge flop; why should I pay attention to yet another attempt at Google to cash in on the social network phenomenon?

My Epiphany: The Power of Direct Connections

My epiphany came while reading Twitter Marketing: An Hour a Day, by Hollis Thomases. Before finishing even a few chapters, I realized that all of these social networks could provide some very real benefits to my business if I planned carefully and spent a little time investigating further. Any one of them can become huge black holes, sucking in time like there's no tomorrow. However, as long as you stay focused, they can also provide a powerful, measurable way to directly connect with clients, peers and suppliers without a significant investment of time or money, leading to increased customer satisfaction and increased revenue. Below I'll provide a general introduction to social media, and in future blog posts, newsletters and video tutorials I will provide in-depth coverage on each service.

Twitter

While exploring Twitter Marketing, I created my first Twitter account and figured I would start by searching for "Joomla" since it's a key interest of mine. In minutes I was "following" dozens of key figures in the Joomla world, including Brian Teeman, co-founder of Joomla. What surprised me was the quality of the conversations taking place, and how easy it was to jump in. When Brian posted a link to a History of Social Media, I responded with some fake vintage social media ads which he promptly forwarded his 3,000+ followers. Soon after, I posted a "tweet" praising a Joomla component I found helpful from a company called CorePHP; that tweet was soon retweeted to CorePHP's 14,000+ followers. Though neither retweet reached my target market (most are experienced Joomla service providers) I realized how easy it was to get my name out in front of thousands of people while engaging in real and personal conversations.

Getting Started

• Sign up at Twitter.com and then add your basic info and a personal image ("avatar") to your profile.
• Search for interesting people using Twitter's "Who to Follow" page
• Find local Twitter users via Twitter Advanced Search or Twellowhood.

Facebook

The real fun started with Facebook. Once I started paying closer attention to the business page I'd set up months earlier, our Facebook followers started to rapidly grow and led to a related increase in new clients. I discovered that simply posting links to interesting articles, tips, and coupon codes can be an easy initial way to engage with fans.

More recently, I set up our first contest, our first group deal, and embedded our Twitter feed and Youtube video tutorials right into our Facebook page. Though it can be technically challenging to add advanced features to a Facebook page, inexpensive "apps" are available that can greatly reduce the learning curve. Also, many apps are available as "white label", meaning that there's no link or logo identifying the application developer. For example, looking at our contest page, no-one can tell that we didn't develop it from scratch.

Through our Facebook page, we are adding new fans daily. Each time someone "likes" our page or one of our Wall posts, a notice is broadcast to their Facebook friends, often bringing even more people to our page. Our Facebook fan base is growing exponentially and is resulting in increased traffic to our website and new clients, all the result of a small investment of time and a little ingenuity.

Getting Started

• View our video tutorial series, 8 Steps to a Facebook Business Page
• Visit the new Facebook Business Centre

LinkedIn

After receiving many invitations to LinkedIn, I finally signed up a year or so ago. I found some other peers and clients to connect with, but my account then languished; occasionally I would sign in and poke around, but I simply couldn't find anything useful to do.

After reading a report on LinkedIn's continued growth, I finally read a few online tutorials and was pleasantly surprised to discover LinkedIn Groups. Others find LinkedIn helpful to request recommendations, find employers or employees etc., but, as an online marketer, LinkedIn Groups has become my most-used feature of the site.

LinkedIn Groups are essentially online discussion forums. There are thousands of Groups (local, national, and international) covering all kinds of subjects. Since they are populated by working professionals, they are a wonderful opportunity to network with peers, suppliers, and both current and potential customers. Learning to dominate LinkedIn Groups can be a great strategy for building your online reputation.

Getting Started

• Check out 16 Smarter Ways to Use LinkedIn to Build Your Business by the brilliant folks over at CopyBlogger.
• Visit the LinkedIn Learning Centre.

YouTube

YouTube, owned by Google, is the world's largest repository of videos. However, it has also evolved into the world's second-largest search engine; people turn to the service for how-to videos, product reviews, entertainment and more. By tapping into YouTube, you can both support your existing clients and attract new business.

For Digital Bloom, I have been posting online video tutorials and embedding them into our website and Facebook page. It's very easy to embed a video into any website and YouTube now offers a way to do so without including their logo. Existing customers have been finding the videos through our website and posts to Twitter and Facebook, but the converse has also been happening; people have been finding our videos by searching YouTube and then visiting our website for more tutorials or out of curiosity.

No matter what business or organization you are involved in, there is likely a way to make use of YouTube. Content is more important than production values, and short videos can be quickly produced for little or no expense. Also, pricing for professional video services has fallen so a small investment can take make the whole process painless.

Getting Started

• Sign up for a Youtube account and then create a branded channel.
• Check out Mashable's great collection of Youtube tutorials, HOW TO: Get Started Marketing on YouTube

Google+

Google's latest foray into social media has been received much more favourably than Google's earlier service, Buzz. Even though accounts are still available through invite only, Google+ is the fastest growing social media service and will likely have more users than both Twitter and LinkedIn within one year. Although business accounts are still being developed and may not be launched for weeks or even months, it is still a great time for business owners to explore the service.

Getting Started

• Read 3 Ways Google+ Benefits Businesses Now from Growth University.
• Use one of our invitations to join Google+.

Take Action

If you are new to social media and don't have much time to invest, you are probably best to focus your initial efforts on Twitter and Facebook.

• Create a Facebook page, add your logo and some basic information, and invite your friends.
• Set up a Twitter account, add a profile picture and brief bio, and follow a few people.

Then once or twice a week (or more) post links to interesting articles, updates on what your business is doing, perhaps a special discount or two...

Social media is evolving constantly. For the latest information and tips on making the most of your social presence, follow Digital Bloom on Twitter and stop by our own Facebook page.