Below is a list of the most frequently used social networking sites, how they can be used, and what companies are using them:
1. Facebook: Facebook is currently one of the largest social networking sites. It also seems to be the most popular; according to our textbook, in a study of 10,000 visitors to the top internet retailers, Facebook was the most visited, with 81% of users visiting regularly. As a social site, Facebook is a place where companies can post interesting and creative content, like contests, polls, pictures, events (whether real or virtual), and where the company can interact in a two-way conversation with consumers. This is a great environment for companies to get feedback from their users.
Barnes & Noble (https://www.facebook.com/barnesandnoble) does a great job of this. They have a lot of information on their Facebook, they encourage fan interaction, and they post a lot of their deals and coupons on their wall.
2. Twitter: Twitter is more of a one-way mode of communication. Users can retweet posts and @reply to posts, but Twitter is still more about one-way communication than interaction. With Twitter, companies can post links to news stories, and direct users to their website.
Newspapers (http://www.twitter.com/nytimes) are a great example of how to use Twitter. They tweet a brief description of the latest headline, then link to their website, where users can read the full story.
3. YouTube: YouTube is a great example of user generated content. It's also great for companies because they can post ads, creative videos, and anything else that seems appropriate for their target audience. A great advantage of YouTube? Sometimes, companies place ads in certain geographic locations, to satisfy the needs of the people in that location. That means that different locations receive different ads. With YouTube, companies can post all their ads in one place, so users can see the ads that won't be playing on a television near them any time soon.
For the first group project in class, my group focused on Levi. I really loved their YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/user/levis?blend=7&ob=5), and felt they came up with some really creative ways to attract their audience. They focus on their "Levi's Go Forth" campaign, and post different versions of their campaign video in about ten different languages. Levi does a great job of linking their YouTube with their Facebook, as their Facebook page has a tab dedicated to the Go Forth campaign.
Other less-used and less-common social networking sites include the almost-forgotten MySpace, the image-supporting Flickr, and the professional networking LinkedIn.
Consumers are on social media. Companies need to go where their consumers are. Some social media might not be right for all companies. The company may have to pick and choose which sites work best for them. Either way, they need to adapt to some kind of social media site, if they haven't already.
#socialmedia:
it, or lose your followers. It's up to you.
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