If I had a dollar for every time someone told me “Facebook is just not for me” or “I can’t get into LinkedIn, that won’t do me any good”… well, let’s just say that I’d have a lot of dollars. It’s hard to believe that with 100’s of millions of registered users, some people are still against the idea of using a social networking site like Facebook to further their cause. The fact of the matter is that in 2011, social media is where it’s at. You simply cannot afford to not give this medium your attention. These networks can provide you with a unique venue for creating a buzz around what you are doing, regardless of industry and regardless of offering. The sheer volume of people that head to these sites on a daily basis tells us something… if you’ve got something to say, it’s time to take your message to where the masses are!
This is not just a Facebook thing that we are talking about… Facebook is one of the most popular social networking sites on the globe, and for good reason, but it’s by no means the only game in town. Consider some of the other options like Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, Bebo, Orkut, DIGG, Technorati, just to name a few. All of these websites have their own spin on the social media craze, and many of these sites can offer you something of value if you take the time to think creatively and read between the lines.
Social networking sites and the tools they offer can help us do what most of us, if not all of us, are trying to do in one way or another… sell something. It doesn’t have to be a product or service, maybe you are “selling” a message, or selling yourself (no I don’t mean this in a bad way, sell yourself in the context of looking for a new job, you need to “sell” yourself to potential employers). If you are looking for a job, full-time, part-time, contract, anything really, there would be a lot of value in you creating a LinkedIn profile and connecting with all those people that you’ve worked with and for over the years. Get proactive and start communicating via this resume-style site – you simply never know what opportunities are available within your existing network until you tap into it. And it doesn’t stop there… Facebook now allows you to market your brand by creating custom fan pages with your own “tabs”, which is essentially a way for you to create your own website within Facebook.com. You can then push your content and messaging out to fans and friends with these dynamic and completely customizable fan page tab designs. As far as Twitter goes, don’t even get me started! If your business does anything with events you just have to try this out. If you want to fill seats at your next seminar, or want to get the word out about some recent PR (all good things of course), or keep customers updated with your upcoming product releases, try tweeting this info. You would be surprised at what kind of response you can get when you are sending out simple, 140 character messages directly to your followers smart phones. Which brings up another very important point… don’t just consider what sites people are spending their time on, think of how they are accessing those sites. If there was ever a time to mobile applications and wap websites, that time is now.
Spending on traditional forms of advertising and marketing is decreasing and companies and consumers alike have moved on to bigger and better ways to connect and engage. If you haven’t already given a social media or mobile campaign some thought, don’t wait any longer. There are many options out there and you don’t have to break the bank to get started and test the waters. Be open to this constantly evolving medium, get creative and let your voice be heard.