Social Media Platforms and Counting

When I talk to people about social media marketing, the overwhelming majority of people only think about Facebook. They think social media equals Facebook. Although that makes sense given the ubiquity and widespread adoption of this social network, it is NOT the only lemonade stand on the block! Social media has proliferated and evolved into many new shapes and forms and there might be some hidden gems waiting for you and your business. Since social media marketing strategy the term “social media” was first introduced into our lexicon in 2004, the rapid changes in technologies and fragmentation into various forms of social media has been beyond belief. This evolution makes defining social media a bit slippery. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of social media is “forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content”. Alright, that makes sense so let’s take a look at all of the different types of social media platforms that fit this definition. As a small business owner you may feel overwhelmed with all of the options. Take a deep breath…and know that you should NOT be active in all of these social media platforms for your business. Consider your business social media marketing plan objectives and develop a targeted social media marketing strategy while being realistic about the time and energy you are willing to expend in your social media efforts. The main message is that there might be social media marketing alternatives to Facebook and other social networking sites that could give you a considerable business advantage. With Facebook moving to the Facebook Timeline format for all business pages (which many consider a disadvantage for small businesses) looking at alternative social media marketing platforms may be more important than ever. Before you launch your presence on any platform consider the options and what works best for your unique business.

Social Media Platforms Every Marketer Should Know

In the second edition of my book, How to Make Money with Social Media, written with Dr. Reshma Shah of Emory University, we provide real solutions based on real case studies on how to set-up, launch and run an effective, ROI-based social media campaign. Whether social media marketing plan template you’re using social media to build awareness for your business, to drive leads to your sales force or anything else in between, it’s important to be familiar with all of the social media platforms at your disposal. The clean, simple interface makes connecting with friends, family and business associates a piece of cake. Google+ was the fastest-growing social network in history and looks as though it’s here for the foreseeable future. Strengths: Ease-of-use and uncluttered environment. Weaknesses: Competition from other well-established social media platforms. Use our hub pages as a reference to get up-to-speed on all the main digital marketing techniques. They will help you quickly understand how to make the most of the technique through definitions and recommendations on our member social media marketing world resources and blog articles covering strategy, best practices and the latest statistics. You may have heard of this! Social media have transformed marketing, for the better most would say. We'll help you make the most of the power of social media marketing using a strategic approach sharing approaches from the leading commentators and companies.

Characteristics of Social Networks

Long before it became the commercialized mass information and entertainment juggernaut it is today, long before it was accessible to the general public, and certainly many years before Al Gore claimed he “took the initiative in creating” it, the Internet – and its predecessors – were a focal point for social interactivity. Granted, computer networking was initially envisioned in the heyday of The Beatles as a military-centric command and control scheme. But as it expanded beyond just a privileged few hubs and nodes, so too did the idea that connected computers might also make a great forum for discussing mutual topics of interest, social media marketing tips and perhaps even meeting or renewing acquaintances with other humans. In the 1970s, that process began in earnest. It started with the BBS. Short for Bulletin Board System, these online meeting places were effectively independently-produced hunks of code that allowed users to communicate with a central system where they could download files or games (many times including pirated software) and post messages to other users. Accessed over telephone lines via a modem, BBSes were often run by hobbyists who carefully nurtured the social aspects and interest-specific nature of their projects – which, more often social media marketing tools than not in those early days of computers, was technology-related. Moreover, long distance calling rates usually applied for out-of-towners, so many Bulletin Boards were locals-only affairs that in turn spurred local in-person gatherings. And voila, just like that, suddenly the antisocial had become social.