The term “social media” seems to be a catch-all term these days for sites that may provide radically different social actions. For instance, Twitter is a social site designed to let people share short messages or “updates” with others. You can share photos and join “Tweet-ups” to connect with other people. Facebook, by contrast, is a much more robust social networking site that allows for sharing updates, photos, joining events, creating and joining private groups, and many other activities.

The online environment is substantially more sophisticated than it was even five years ago and that is going to continue to change. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are the channels that are probably best-known today, but Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and others, are also popular. While they are each unique, and they are each evolving in their own way, I think it’s safe to say that there are a number of aspects of the social media world in general that are going to stay constant. Specifically:

• Social media is friendly, conversational, immediate and unpredictable.
• There are many different avenues for staking your business presence in social media and they almost always connect, so whether we realize it or not, we are creating an identity network that allows potential customers to see us from a variety of viewpoints and engage with us from different angles. Your business needs to have profiles on numerous platforms, if only just to claim the space; posting regularly gives the crucial added benefit of boosting your search engine rankings.
• There are many different ways to play with social media and many different expert opinions on how to do it “right.” For example, Twitter may be an effective platform for some businesses. But if your clients and customers do not show up there, it’s pointless to expect a lot of valuable engagement. Google and other search engines are always watching, however, and it is vital to have a strong presence on a variety of social media platforms to boost your search engine rankings. Is there a right way and a wrong way? No! Because this world is continually evolving you need to play a little – trial and error is expected! You go with what works until it doesn’t anymore.
• Knowledge of and comfort with social media grow over time. The goal is to build your online community, communicate with members of your community, lead them back to your website where they can find out more about what you offer and, hopefully, start conversations with your potential customers about how you can meet their needs. Your strategy will evolve – what feels right and comfortable in the beginning will give way to other ideas and opportunities for serving your clients and prospective clients. Be flexible!

Would you like to know more about how my team and I can support you in the development of your social media presence? Contact me at susan@crossmancommunications.com and let’s talk about it!