Using social media can be as simple or as in-depth as you wish to make it. For some, simply hopping on Twitter and tossing out a few wild tweets or signing in to Facebook and posting incessant emotes makes up their entire social media interest. For others who are willing to dig a little deeper, social media can become a more fulfilling jump off point or a deeper and invaluable tool.
Using the aforementioned example, many people don't even realize the power of the platforms that they are using. Does a seventeen year old realize the V-8 power under the hood of Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter? Of course not, and honestly they probably shouldn't. For them it is just a fun way to connect with friends and highlight different events in your life. The thought of Facebook being a "tool" doesn't even cross their minds, in fact, to them the only "tool" relatable to Facebook is the dweeb they had to delete from their friends list after they left an unsavory comment about smoking pot behind the gym that was read by a misunderstanding mom.
The fact is though; all of these websites are using social media to create the social network that we all know and love today. These are tools by the most obvious definition; they can extend your brands reach, tiny little tweeting fingers grasping at new and more varied clients every moment of every day. Even on a small scale, if we are continuing to use youngsters as an example (aw what loveable little scamps...), this fun way of connecting does just that. These connections are precisely what needs to be taken advantage of too, where a teenage update-happy socialite sees these new friends as a status symbol, a business looks at these connections as anchors for possible new business and eager clientele.
But, you can even take it a step further. Perhaps you are a small business with their eyes on the prize. You were smart; you realized early on that using social media and social networking are legitimate interests in your small business's future. You have your Facebook page, you are Linkedin, your Twitter hand is strong, and you even dabble in GPS-relevant Foursquare. So,
Now what?
You could stop right there and, quite honestly, probably be just fine. You would be ahead of the curve that many others have neglected to cruise around, you could blast out some emails, tweets and FB posts and no one would blame you. After all, you saw the status quo ambling down the racetrack, dropped a gear and blasted by it, but there are still others up ahead and wouldn't it be nice to lap them?
In order to take it to that next level there are a few brief thoughts to consider. First of all, to think big you sometimes have to think small. Take Twitter for example, they say that brevity is the soul of wit, in the tweet world, it isn't just the soul, it's the heart, the guts, the brain, the fingertips, the genitals and possible both hamstrings and the eyeballs, too. Use those 140 characters wisely my friend! You can get a lot across in those few characters, just don't get lost!
In other parts of social media the opposite is true, in Facebook you want to see exactly what you can express while simultaneously not going over the top or creating too little content to be intriguing at all. It's finding the grey area and hiding out in the mists of information. Oh, and you'll absolutely want to have some graphics to go along with your links, blurbs and babbling thought bubbles. No one wants to see dry text on FB anymore.
On the other end of the spectrum, consider blogging in general. This is one side of the coin that could often use more meat. Anyone can write a half-assed paragraph or two, it takes real journalistic integrity to dig a little deeper, and your clientele will appreciate that. Quotes, statistics, interesting prose. A lot of these finely tuned writing arts are tossed out the window in the new-fangled (dag-nabbit) world of blogging. This is seriously too bad, many who are willing to read an article would appreciate a bit more grandiose, and it could help your company get its sleek high-heel model foot in the door. Why read 200 words of garbage written by someone who really doesn't care when you could be reading 600 eloquently written textually-bourgeoisie bonds of pronouncement?
The main thing to keep in mind when using social media is that nothing is set in stone. Being unique is lauded over far beyond the typical. In this age of squeaking by, try being yourself. Representing your company in your own words is far more important, and it can be exciting to try new things and see what works. Either way, good luck, and may the tweets be with you!
- Josh