Types of Social Media

Social media has many faces. A few social media sites, like Friendster, have been relatively short-lived, while others, like those listed below, appear to be here to stay.

Facebook: The reigning king of social media, this site enables you to set up a page specifically for your business in addition to your personal page. The business page can function differently in that you may solicit "likes" rather than "friends," and create an engagement with your clients, so they can get to know your brand better.

Twitter: Twitter is another enormously popular social media site on which users can post updates using 140 characters or less. Like Facebook, it also enables you to post photos and link to other webpages.

Google+: Once thought of as the new Facebook, Google+ has gained a solid user base in a short period of time and has some proven advantages vs. Facebook along with a built in search (SEO) benefit.

Linked In: This is a business-focused network. People and businesses use it to learn about each other, and scope out potential employees and employers. Users can post their photographs and resumes.

Using Social Media Effectively:

As a business owner, you should use social media differently than you do as an everyday person. It's generally not savvy to use your business' social media pages to share pictures of your new girlfriend or vent about a visit from your in laws. Here are some tips for posting about your business.

• Emphasize images and de-emphasize words. Internet users like pictures and don't like to get bogged down in large chunks of text. Post a lot of pictures that illustrate what's happening in your business, and keep the captions short and sweet.
• Publicize special offers and sales using your social media page.
• Post the material on different social media sites - the audiences will usually differ. For instance, 70% of Google+ users are male while 84% of Pinterest users are female.
• Engage your audience. Ask one question a day, and solicit responses. For example, if you own a hair salon, ask followers and friends which celebrity hairstyle is most inspiring. Encouraging others to engage with your page helps to build community, and a client base.

Social Media is essentially free advertising, and a great way to connect with your clients and potential clients on a more personal level. If your business is not using it, you may be missing out on some essential and fun networking.

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