SOCIAL MEDIA 101
There are many questions about what the differences are in the social media platforms. I thought I would present them to you so you can understand some of the basic differences between FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, and Blogs. There are others, such as Pintrest, Etsy and Snapchat that I will discuss another time.
FaceBook:
Facebook was launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his friends so that Harvard university students could stay in touch with one another. It now is the world's largest social media platform. It used to be mainly used by students and younger teenagers but once the parents caught on to how much fun it was (and to keep an eye on their kids) the kids left to use SnapChat (we will leave that one for now) and left FB to us!
Here you can post photos, videos, and links to articles. There is no character limit to how much you write or post.
You can ask people to 'friend' you which means they will follow you and see new items you post. You can have as much privacy as you like adding and showing only to those you wish.
You can 'like' or 'comment' on other people's posting too.
Instagram:
Funny... Instagram is owned by FaceBook. Instagram is the latest and hottest social platform in social media right now. This site is all about photos. It is the best way (in my opinion) to get your product/service seen. Simply, post a photo, write a catchy subtitle or description, then link it to hashtags (#'s) so anyone surfing a theme or word with that #, will find your photo and learn about who you are. I recently purchased a birthday cake for my son because of a great photo I stumbled upon.
You can also leave private messages for people using the '@' sign (I actually chatted with Bryan Adams!). Again, you can receive followers and follow others and receive 'likes'.
You can join me on Instagram at: @jennb001
Twitter:
Twitter is a site that allows you to post thoughts, information and articles that are of interest to you and your 'followers' in 'real time'. These posts are called 'tweets'. Some feel that the 140 characters is very constraining (especially because photos and links take up some your characters) but I see it as a creative challenge!
You can retweet someone else's tweet, you can follow and be followed.
Again, there is an opportunity to speak directly with companies and people using the @ symbol. I have provided feedback to companies directly when I was either satisfied or unsatisfied and heard back from them within a day. This reinforced a positive customer service experience.
You can join me on twitter at: @mytime0101
BLOGS
Blogs are a great way to meet the person behind the company. If you are an artist, post a picture of your latest work and talk about the inspiration. Show many photos of the work in progress. It is similar to an electronic diary but more. You can post photos, and use the blog to link it to your website, instagram, facebook, and twitter accounts. You can also create links to other's in your industry.
When someone subscribes to your blog, each time you write a new blog, they will automatically get it in their email inbox.
The possibilities are endless!!
Each site is different and requires a different amount of time to maintain. Some you could post to daily, weekly or monthly. There is a balance of keeping up with what your followers expect of you without over doing it.
Too much, you over saturate their feeds and it feels like spam, too little and they will unfollow you and forget about you and move on to your competition.
One last important piece to mention...
Even though each of these platforms serves a different purpose, they are all important to link your business to the outside world.
For more information on how I can help you grow your business using social media, contact me directly at either one of the above sites OR
cell: 416-844-8204 or drop me a line at jbaldachin@rogers.com
