The importance of social media is noted but what is very frustrating is when you go online to search for the right community and social media sites to set up a presence, you are going to be greeted by a thousand sites, all trying to get your participation.
Registering an account with all of them is not a wise choice because not all communities are created equal. The following are 7 Things to Consider Before Joining a New Social Media Site and I really hope that this post can help you out in doing a quick evaluation to find out whether a platform is worth your time.
Community Culture
Different communities on the Internet have different acceptance levels for businesses and these levels might differ for the type of business that you are in.
Also, you need to take note of community elements such as the depth and type of discussions, how community leaders interact and how to garner eyeballs of the members. If you find it hard to come up with a strategy for a community because of these culture elements, then this might be the platform that you should assign a lower priority to.
Presence of Target Market
This have been stressed again and again but I still see some companies jumping onto generic social media sites like Facebook and Twitter just because, well, every business is on it. This is just like spending thousands on newspaper ads or TV ads because other companies are doing it.
Is your target market active on social media sites? OK, most people are into social media now. But do your customers want to interact with you on social media?
Cost/Benefit Analysis
You need to know the results that you will be getting from this site, whether it is the amount of traffic, newsletter signups or even sales, if you are into e-commerce.
As mentioned in my blog post, 5 Social Media Marketing Pitfalls Beginners Must Avoid, social media is not free. Yes, the registration part is free but your time and your employees’ time are not. Focus your energies and time on platforms that can bring you results.
Site Owner Aspirations and Efforts
There are a lot of social media communities out there but not all are well maintained and have the growth potential. A huge part of whether a community will do well and not slowly die off is up to the person behind the community.
Does the people supporting the community frequently communicate with their users via emails, blogs or through other channels like Twitter? Are basic tasks of running a community (weeding out spam content, debugging, etc.) jobs well done?
Suitability for Overall Internet Marketing Strategy
Just like what I have mentioned in the opening of this article, having a presence on all social media platforms is not feasible. Make sure that the new web community that you are about to join fits into the focus and things that you want to achieve with Internet marketing.
If your business revolves around flowers or gardening and your Internet marketing goal is to simply get in front of more gardeners, spending time on professional social networking platforms like LinkedIn and Ecademy might not be the right choice. Some social networks integrate with each other easily so you might want to find out such possibilities.
First Impression
People often say “Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover.” This may be true but you can directly tell from your first impression whether a particular community is right for your business.
Are the members active? You want to engage and communicate with prospects and customers, not yelling to no one in an empty hall. Are the contents interesting or filled with spammy links to fake business opportunity sites?
Industry Reviews and Usage Tips
If you are stuck between joining or ditching a new social media community, head over to Google and find out what others are talking about a particular platform. Often times, you will even end up finding tips on how to get the most out of the platform for your business.
The authoritative blogs covering social media that you should follow are:
- Mashable (MUST subscribe!)
- Techcrunch – Covers startups but aren’t most social media communities in the the startup stage?
- ReadWriteWeb – Startups, business and Internet trends in general.
- ChrisBrogan.com – An authoritative figure in the social media arena with mind-boggling insights to share all the time.
- Hubspot Blog – A marketing software company’s blog covering Internet marketing tips and buzz. Check out their TV show, Hubspot TV too!
Share Your Community with Me!
What are the communities that you or your business have set up a presence and what have led to the decision? Let me know in the comments section below.
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Photo Credit: martinhoward’s Hallway
