As a social media professional, I get asked a lot of questions about the different social networks. One common question that people ask is why there are so many different networks. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for everyone to be on one platform?” they ask. Well, considering not everyone is using their social media accounts for the same purposes, there are a few different details to consider when answering that question.
Many people have social media accounts just for fun. Since everyone has a different definition of fun, each social network appeals to different individuals – some enjoy the brevity of text Tweets while others prefer to Pin the most beautiful images they can find. A photographer may prefer a Facebook page for sharing images while a business professional may have more luck on LinkedIn. Think about mixing and matching these methods. Would you log into Twitter to check out the latest photos from your friends? You can, but it’s not the most efficient way to browse photos.
It’s not just about the different types of content. Sometimes, exclusivity is the name of the game. It’s not uncommon to find Tweets about how those “Facebook people need to stop invading Twitter” or Facebook posts about how “hashtags belong on Twitter, not here”. Each different social networking site has a distinctly different style of user. Pinterest is statistically the easiest to pinhole, with the majority of users being women. It’s not hard to imagine each of these different networks as a different social club. Comparing social networks can occasionally seem like comparing a biker gang to a girl scout troop.
There are definitely ways to use each of the different social networks to your advantage from a business perspective. Explore the features and tools provided by each site and develop a strategy – it will be different for everyone. Essentially, a social network is not about the photos or the text but about the connection shared by people. If you can figure out a way to join the conversation, you’ll be likely to increase your brand exposure to a whole new crowd of people. For assistance, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to talk to you about the right social network (or combination of social networks) for you and your business.