Paul Eitmant

A few months ago, I had a conversation with a friend in the electrical industry who told me his account had decided to invest in a social network campaign rather than the established marketing tools (space advertising, direct mail, and so on).

I know we have to look at these situations one by one, but at the same time, as an old school marketer I was surprised, but not ready to admit it won’t work.

Listed below are key points you need to understand before you make a decision on the new way of getting your message to your ultimate end users.

Asocial networking site(SNS) describes any website that enables users to create public profiles within that Web site and form relationships with other users of the same Web site who access their profile. Social networking sites can be used to describe community-based Web sites, online discussions forums, chartrooms and other social spaces online.

1. Facebook

Launched in February 2004 for college students, Facebook has come a long way in a short seven years. Now with an estimated 800 million active users it is ranked as the most used social networking service in the world (by the number of active monthly users).

Lucky for you, starting a business page – and tapping into the power of Facebook – is pretty easy. Once your page is created, users ‘like’ it (opt-in to get your posts) and your news will be posted to their ‘wall.’

The Facebook interface makes it easy for your fans to ‘like’ or share your posts and when they do, their friends (the average user has 130 friends) will see this activity, therefore putting your brand in front of an audience you may not normally have access to.

2. Twitter

A micro-blogging social media site that has been around since 2004, Twitter has an estimated 300 million users worldwide. It has been described as SMS of the Internet, because posts are short, sweet and to-the-point.

Twitter is a tidal wave of information. Posts come in at 140 characters or less and can be organized via hash tags (#). Topics range from totally practical (I often search #Boulder) to the absolutely absurd (#gympetpeeve).

Twitter differs from Facebook in that users “follow” each other. If someone follows you, you can follow them back. Therefore it is easier to gain a following, but the followers are not as targeted as they are on Facebook.

I have found that Twitter is an awesome way to connect with people and/or other businesses participating in the same event. Following a hash tag at a concert, live performance or webinar creates a richer experience. As a business owner you can utilize this at events your company participates in – try it! – I’ll bet you’d be blown away by the response.

3. YouTube

YouTube is a video sharing social media site that is owned by Google. There are more than 48 hours of new video uploaded to the site every minute. Wow! As a small business owner, using video in your online marketing strategy – and the back-end key words of your YouTube video – is just as important as your other online strategies.

YouTube recently announced YouTube for schools and I predict more ‘stations’ will be rolling out in the future. Will your specialty be included? Maybe!

4. Google+ (Google Plus)

Google is a powerhouse, this is no surprise. Originally launched as a search engine company in 1996, Google has continually added, updated and created new products that will appeal to its 1 billion unique visitors per month.

Google Plus was introduced in June 2011 for personal use and in November 2011 was opened to brands. Some of the features of Google+ include: Circles, Hangouts, Messenger, Instant Upload, Hashtags and more. These products are definitely designed with the user in mind. The downside – there is no way to create a vanity URL for your brand page.

Even though this is Google’s fourth go at a social media site, you cannot deny the importance of adding your brand to there, if for search engine rankings alone.

5. LinkedIn

Founded in 2002 and launched in 2003, LinkedIn is THE premier B2B social networking site. LI gets 2 new members every second, putting it at 135 million active users in more than 200 countries.

Traditionally viewed as the spot to put your resume and search for a job, LinkedIn has grown into a robust networking site. From job listings to interest groups (there are more than 870K groups) there are great benefits to keeping your profile up-to-date. Look at it like a business after hours event…. put on your suit, add a smile to your face and be on your best behavior because you never know what kind of business leads you’re going to get.

I always recommend dedicating an hour or so a week maintaining your LI profile. Also, be sure adding your company listing, and update it as well. Use your LI company profile page like a resume for your business.

6. Ryze

Started in 2001, Ryze is a social networking site for professionals – particularly entrepreneurs. It’s free to join and there are paid memberships are available. There are currently over 500,000 members worldwide.

More than 1000 organizations host networks on Ryze. According to their website, networks on Ryze let existing organizations and communities plus new ones use Ryze’s technology to connect their members with each other.

As of this posting, Ryze is not accepting new members. How intriguing!

7. Talkbiznow

Talkbiznow is a web-based business community that provides business services for small businesses and professionals. In addition to the basic functionality of creating a profile and connecting with others, users can manage a calendar, store files (up to 50MG of free space!), host webinars, and manage all other social media sites with Social One and lots more.

The company’s mission is to simplify the essential business services and seamlessly integrate and deliver them through the Internet for Free. Making it possible for businesses of all sizes to network, collaborate and essentially expand their services in avenues they might not have explored before.

The social media landscape changes week by week. Tap into our deep expertise in social engagement and analytics, and let’s design a campaign that plays on your consumers’ ball field. We’ll keep you legally compliant across all platforms, and guide you through best practices, so no matter what changes come down the pike, you’re ready for action.

Kelley Swee, a contributor to the website Hongkiat, have analyzed 5 popular social media sites based on the following criteria: Communication, Brand exposure and Traffic to your sites. You could find out which social media site best suits your purpose and which social media sites could bring your message to the right people better. A snapshot of our take on the 5 social media sites is shown through star ratings that would give you a gist of our recommendations and a quick estimation of their effectiveness.

Communication Brand Exposure Traffic to your site

Facebook 4/5 stars 4/5 stars 3/5 stars

LinkedIn 3/5 stars 5/5 stars 1/5 stars

MySpace 5/5 stars 3/5 stars 1/5 stars

Twitter 5/5 stars 4/5 stars 3/5 stars

Digg 3/5 stars 4/5 stars 5/5 stars

Conclusion

It is definitely not an exaggeration to say that social media websites are evolving to be (or are already) integration into our lives. Especially for the younger generation, they are growing up in a world that seems smaller because communication has become much easier as compared to their grandfathers’ time. Interaction with a complete stranger from another side of the world doesn’t seem that strange after all.

The key is to remain competitive is to bring the resources to your advantage. Identify your needs to attain effective communication and then choose the right channels to broadcast your message.

With more advanced technology, better accessibility and better user experience are made possible. We can definitely expect a proliferation of social media websites and applications. People are interdependent and vital networking with others is definitely an asset.

The question to be answered; is there going to be enough electrical decision makers using these sites today and in the future to make this a viable advertising tool.

Paul Eitmant is President and CEO of IP Group International, which serves the needs of business-to-business enterprises in over 30 countries worldwide by adding specialized expertise to the business planning and implementation process; Tel: 480.488.5646; paulipgroup@cox.net.