Over the last few months I have seen people asking things like “What kind of stuff do I post to Twitter?” or “Why do I need a Google Plus account?”. I decided this would be a great time to explain each network and how I suggest to use them.
Social Media Posting Rules
I have a few rules that you should follow when posting to any social media network (or you know… life…).
– Treat other people as you would want to be treated.
– Don’t Feed The Trolls.
– Read your post before publishing it.
Facebook
I use Facebook to follow people that I don’t talk to anymore. It has been a great way to catch up with old high school friends and to learn about what is going on back in my hometown. I post links, photos and try to use my Facebook account to keep people updated on what is going on in my life.
Facebook Groups
We have a Facebook Group that we created very soon after Isabel’s birth. It was a private group that we used to share information with family before we were ready to start sharing with our friends. It really worked well. Since then we have made the group simi-public in order to allow other parents that have children with CHD to see our story.
Facebook Pages
Facebook pages are for businesses mostly. I have one for Kindred Web Consulting and don’t post to it as much as I should. It is a very good way to put out information to your customers. I use it as a way to let my customers know about new services and neat WordPress news.
Google Plus
I was all in when Google Plus stated. After the first few weeks, I started to lose my enthusiasm for the platform. My biggest problem was that I had 5 google email accounts and each one of them had their own Google Plus account. It was a little overwhelming. I have now narrowed it down to one account and will be posting the same information to Google Plus as I do to my personal Facebook page. My goal is to give my friends and family all the information they might want/need from me in the format that they like.
Google Plus Pages
Google Plus Business Pages are a must for every business. This is one of the easiest and most convenient ways to get listed as a Local Business when people search on Google. It is what sets your image on Google Maps and allows your business to show up in more often and higher in search engines.
Twitter
Twitter is great for quick updates. You have 140 letters to share whatever you would like. I use it to post quick links and some neat quotes I find.
LinkedIn
I am only on LinkedIn because it gives me a place to keep all my business contacts. I like the idea of LinkedIn but in small business it isn’t like you are going to link to the other 500 employees like you would in a large organization. It is a great place to have people recommend your business to others in their network. You can extend your network very quickly on LinkedIn with just a few recommendations from others.
I hope I have been able to give you a better idea of what each social network is and how it can be used. This isn’t an exhaustive list but it is a good start. How are you using the different social media platforms? Do you use them more for business or pleasure? Is there something you see on social media that really bothers you? Let me know in the comments.