Welcome back to Chit Chatter. This month we have decided to jump into the topic of social networks. A social network is a group of people who share something in common and are connected by a software platform. There are age-related social networks, professional social networks, topic driven social networks and many, many more — this is just the tip of the iceberg.
So how do you use a social network? The first use is personal — for keeping up with friends and family and updating them in a very simple way on how your life is going, posting photos, etc. The other use is the one we will discuss — using a social network for business or professional purposes.
Decide Which social networks you should target?
Targeting is the first step to any successful outreach plan, and it is no different then what you would do for any other type of media outreach. As we mentioned above, there are many different social networks out there and identifying your target will help you determine which ones to include in your plan. Some of the more popular social networks are:
For a comprehensive list of social networking sites you can check out Wikipedia’s list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites)
Research your targeted networks:
Once you decide on the network your target is using, spend some time on the site and explore it. Since social networks vary in their setup, it is very important to figure out how consumers are connecting to each other before you try to connect to them. Keep in mind that some of the social networks you will want to target may not even allow businesses to establish a presence.
Strategize:
Now that you have done your research and are familiar with the social networking sites, you’ll need to decide on the best way to establish a presence and start connecting to your consumers. For example, if you decide to target Facebook, one of the first things you would want to do is to create a page for your product or service. This will allow users of the network to connect to you. On Facebook, when a user comes to your page, they can decide to become a “fan.” Once they become a fan, that information is displayed on their profile and all of their friends will see it. Their friends can then decide whether or not they also want to become a fan and soon you can get a loyal group of supporters that you can connect with on a personal level.
Each of the social network sites requires a slightly different strategy, as one size does not fit all. You’ll need to adjust and tailor the program based on what your objective is.
Measurement and Return on Investment (ROI):
One of the most important things you’ll want to do with social networking is to develop a metric to measure the success of your outreach. The metric you choose will depend on which social network you target and what strategy you are using on the network itself. Once you decide on how to measure, make sure you are using the results to learn from them. For example, if on a day you put up a video on your page, you received a high number of page views, perhaps consider adding videos on a more regular basis.
Social media is a rapidly changing landscape and social networks are no different. This means you can’t just do something and then forget about it. You need to constantly be changing and adjusting your strategy as the landscape changes. The most important thing, however, is to make sure your social media tactics are relevant to the audience, in order to help you achieve the objective you have set.
