Social media – the ‘buzzword’ of the moment. Should your company be using it? Well, yes undoubtedly – at least, some of the networks.
In recent years, social media has rocketed in popularity. In fact, 73% of consumers can now be reached through a social network.
“1 in 3 social networkers are fans or followers of a company.”
Social media can be extremely valuable for your company. It would be an oversight to ignore this fact.
Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn. These triplets are definitely the biggies! And so, they are the one’s this post will focus on.
I will aim to summarise why each of these networks are important. In doing so, I will look briefly into which of the three may be most appropriate for your company.
Facebook
Approximately 750 million users worldwide. About 30 million of these in the UK. That’s more than a third of the population! It’s no wonder that Facebook is a big topic of conversation.
More than 30 billion pieces of content are shared each month. Your links, news stories and blogs could be part of this mass sharing.
And what will that do? Promote your company. Build your brand. Reinforce your brand values.
“40% of social media users follow a brand – 51% of these will buy from it!”
Now, maths has never been my strong point – but that’s a lot of people. Potential customers.
The above highlights a lot of potential. But given that Facebook is generally utilised for personal use – i.e. individuals following brands – this leaves little scope for B2B companies.
Is your company operating as B2C? This social media network is definitely something worth considering.
B2B? Well, perhaps a little less appropriate. But saying that – it should not be automatically disregarded. Do a bit more research.
Twitter
Approximately 300 million users worldwide. About 6 million of these in the UK. UK residents are the biggest users of Twitter outside the US.
That makes Twitter the second largest social site after Facebook.
Used differently to Facebook, this site provides opportunity for both B2B and B2C companies.
The B2B Social Media Guide study shows the following:
- 38% of B2B companies reported to have gained a customer through Twitter
- 51% of B2C companies say the same
Whatever your company, using Twitter could potentially be a beneficial tool.
Of course, B2B and B2C companies will use this network in very different ways.
LinkedIn
Approximately 100 million users worldwide. About 6.5 million of these in the UK.
That’s the third largest social network after Facebook and Twitter – but interestingly, a similar number of UK users to Twitter.
“LinkedIn is used as a networking site for professionals.”
So, who is this ideal for? Well, on the whole… B2B companies!
Lots of people of influence use LinkedIn. The average user being a middle-aged man with a degree and a salary of £60k.
Network with these people. They may own their own business. Or have a large amount of influence in their current employment. Either way – this network can be viewed as nothing but a great opportunity for professional networking and ultimately generating business.
What now?
It is clear that the above networks could be of potential benefit to your company. This article should act as a starting point for you to consider which networks may be most appropriate for your company.
As a general rule, it was concluded that:
- Facebook is generally more effective for B2C companies
- Twitter is generally effective for both B2B and B2C companies
- LinkedIn is generally more effective for B2B companies
That said – it is important to realise that there are many other factors to consider when choosing which social networks to use. For one, the target audience needs to be identified. Why? Well, for example; different age ranges use different networks.
Check out our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn page’s and let us know what you think!
I hope this gave you an overview to why Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are important and how they could potentially benefit your company. Please feel free to leave any comments.
Sources: B2B Social Media Guide; Link Humans