by Tracey Allen

Created on: October 31, 2010   Last Updated: November 12, 2010

You know that social media is here to stay and you should be using it for your business but don't know where to start.  Below is a brief outline of social media the more prevalent in social networks today, namely; Linkedin, Facebook,and Twitter. 

Facebook.com

How to compare Facebook? Think of the traditional community places of gathering like the post office, church hall and family/friend parties and that is close to what facebook does remotely.

Facts -  Facebook has been around since 2004 and currently boasts more than 500 million active users, with more than 250 million users logging in at least once each day.  Add to the fact more than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college, with the fastest growing demographic those 35 years old and older.  Basically users can create groups, announce events, post pictures, videos, and more to their social network.  There are components designed especially for businesses including targeted advertising.

Suggested Use - The suggested use for Facebook to start is to create a business page or fan page to develop a facebook following where you can then share information about your business and invite customers to interact with you via video, blogs, photos, discussions, and  events. Search one of the top companies in your field/industry on facebook and see what they have – then develop yours.

Twitter.com

How to compare Twitter? Think of the water cooler talk at the office, news stories, and other places people go to gossip or ask opinions.

Facts - According Comscore, “30.8 percent of smartphone users accessed social networking sites via their mobile browser in January 2010, up 8.3 points from 22.5 percent one year ago. Access to Facebook via mobile browser grew 112 percent in the past year, while Twitter experienced a 347-percent jump.” Twitter is growing in popularity thanks to the increasing use of smart phones. 

Suggested use - What is it? In 140 characters or less you can talk about something relevant– for example a tweet by @ hitconsultant  “HHS Announces New Competitive “Early Innovator” Grants for States that Lead the Race to Develop IT Systems for S... http://twurl.nl/xbxjuu” Typically you can add in some personal items if they relate to you and your business i.e news in the industry, breaking controversy, new products, events, blogs – items of interest.  Some people talk about weird and wacky things

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