Harness the power of social networking

As a web design company, we've spent a substantial amount of time integrating our CMS with the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google+ so your website can harness the power of social networking. Whilst it's no secret that big business uses social media to it's advantage, nearly 40% of small businesses in Australia are actively using some form of social media to push their business and increase their exposure. But which social network is best for your business? There are advantages to each social network but it pays to consider your product/service, your audience and overall web strategy to see what social networks will suit your business and yield the best results.

Facebook.....Social media's Godfather.

Facebook is the most powerful social network in the world on sheer numbers alone. Closer to home, there are over 10.7 million active users in Australia alone so creating a Facebook presence (Facebook Page) makes a lot of sense. Several Australian businesses like Quiksilver, UGG Australia and Bonds have forged the way and built enviable online followings by taking their brand onto Facebook.  According to a study by eMarketing Connected, of the top 50 brands in Australia, 48% of them have a presence on Facebook so the message is clear - if your business isn't on Facebook, your competitor most certainly will be. The best aspect of Facebook is that it lends itself well to both product and service based websites and can be a great medium for customer engagement, feedback, and brand development for your products or services. It's ability for your posts and products to be liked and shared amongst people's networks is one of Facebook's biggest draw-cards and works particularly well on ecommerce sites for commonly used items or items where you're more likely to purchase/use based on a friend's testimonials or comments. Think about how often you've clicked on a link on your own News Feed of something that your friend has shared and you start to see it's power.

When you're thinking about creating a Facebook Page, consider the word of mouth aspect and whether or not it is a product/service that can be shared around and also whether it's something that people want to hear about. What works well for a website selling electronics and fashion might not work as well for taxidermists or plumbers who might not have much to share via Facebook.

Ideal websites for Facebook: gifts, electronics and technology, beauty, fashion, footwear, travel, pretty much any ecommerce based website where you want people to spread it amongst their network.

Twitter.....Powerful promotion in 140 characters.

Properly applied, Twitter is just as powerful as Facebook in that the people that 'follow you' are people genuinely interested in what your business has to offer be it products, services or information. The tricky part to Twitter however is being able to enticingly market your message with a 140 character restriction. Like Facebook, Twitter has a variety of business types that suit regular tweeting; If you're selling products on your site Twitter is a great way to highlight products or push featured products; if you're service is based business, tweeting regular offers or specials keeps your followers engaged and increases the likelihood of them contacting you; and if you're a business with select or specialised information to impart, tweeting about recent Blog or News articles gives your users even more reason to visit to your site for more details.

Ideal websites for Twitter: fashion, beauty, sites that Blog and publish News frequently, social commentary, specialised services, promotional websites, tourism.

YouTube. It's more than just Justin Beiber videos.

Whilst it isn't a social network per se, linking and embedding YouTube videos - or better yet creating your own YouTube channel should you have a number of videos - is a great way to socially showcase your business and it's products/services in action. It's sharing capabilities with the likes of Facebook and Twitter make for a great three-pronged push of your online brand. YouTube is traditionally used to show what you or your business has to offer be it a specialised skill, product or offering but can be used in other creative ways from showing testimonials and building credibility, to giving a guided tour of your business and making how-to videos - the sky is the limit. With a host of options and features to take advantage of (the ability to add call to action buttons to videos to drive more traffic to your site is a particularly good feature) YouTube is a relatively low cost way of adding interest and a bit of dynamism to your site............and who knows, do it right and your video could be the next viral sensation.

Ideal websites for YouTube: products that would be benefitted with a how-to video, sites that have a showroom, promotional websites, tourism, travel, commentary, sporting, technology and the 'geek factor'

LinkedIn....It's not what you know but who you know...and who they work for.

Whilst Facebook and Twitter get about in jeans and a t-shirt, LinkedIn takes pride in wearing a suit and tie. As a business networking tool, many businesses/individuals (over 100 million professionals worldwide and over 2 million active users in Australia) will attest to LinkedIn's powerful ability to reach out to people in your network that you've done business with or hope to do business with in the future. You create a profile much in the same way you would a Facebook profile but approach it in more of a professional, CV sort of way with details of past employers, key skill-sets and recommendations. LinkedIn is perfectly suited to specialised and professional services and since consumers tend to do more research for higher-priced services, prospective customers are able to check out your profile and see your previous work, clients and any recommendations that might be relevant. 

Ideal websites for LinkedIn: professional services, recruitment, sites where credibility of the person/service is key.

Google+......It's Google Plus

Google+ is Google's second foray into the world of social networking. Offering many of the features of Facebook, Google+'s steady take-up is a great alternative if you didn't want to use Facebook. With many home pages set to Google, it's presence is just as visible as Facebook. Google+ has a number of offerings similar to Facebook namely in the form of Google+ Pages for businesses wanting their own branded page and +1 which is Google+'s equivalent of 'liking' something on Facebook. Many businesses team both social networks up for maximum exposure. Google+ also lets you to create social groups called 'Circles' - this is quite powerful in enabling you to post information for specific circles to view for truly targeted messages.

Ideal websites for Google+: Same as Facebook basically - any website where you want word of mouth to take over your network.

Wrap up

So there you have a bit of an overview of the major players in the social network space and some things you'll want to consider when deciding which one is for you. Remember though, social networks shouldn't be viewed as something you 'tack on' to your website , it should be integrated. Whatever social network you use, it should compliment your website as that's the end destination ideally so make sure you dedicate some time each week to manage your various profiles. Don't neglect your followers or customers and by keeping your content fresh and up to date you maximise the likelihood of them visiting your website and picking up the phone.