For many, social media sites could be just a virtual place to express your voice or have some fun. For the enterprising ones, social media sites could mean serious business.
You probably do not have to move your mouth to talk to the right people but the good news is, they will still "hear" you. You would be amazed at the powerful connections that social media sites have. All it takes is a click and you could probably be publishing a very valuable piece of information for your prospective clients or bosses.
Here we have analyzed 5 popular social media sites based on the following criteria: Communication, Brand exposure and Traffic to your sites. You could find out which social media site best suits your purpose and which social media sites could bring your message to the right people better. A snapshot of our take on the 5 social media sites is shown through star ratings that would give you a gist of our recommendations and a quick estimation of their effectiveness.
1. FaceBook
Facebook is a fastest-growing popular online platform that enables customization of user interface, which also includes installing applications to personalize the experience further. Users are connected to their friends very quickly as they could receive notifications when someone in their network has made changes or updates to his/her current profile or status.
Communication: 4/5 stars
With the help of notifications, the convenient and simple platform allows the ease and swiftness of communication. Besides, accessing FaceBook with mobiles has become an increasing phenomenon. Users can share opinions, join groups, hold events and participate in contests conveniently.
Brand exposure: 4/5 stars
Definitely great brand exposure. Users are able to get to know about you as long as their friends are “connected” to you. Users are able to view the necessary information they need to get to know you. Advertising platform on FaceBook could also increase your brand awareness significantly within your target audience.
Traffic to your sites: 3/5 stars
Moderate traffic to your sites with the aid of “share” and “like” buttons. Will attract only people who are interested in your profile.
How can you benefit?
If you are intending to create a professional online portfolio for networking purposes and attract future employers, FaceBook could be a useful channel, but do keep in mind of the content that you are publishing. You future employers might not want to see you being "tagged" in an album "A racy party at John’s".
If you are searching for a convenient way to find friends, family or acquaintances and get connected to them easily, FaceBook is a appropriate platform.
If you are organizing public events or gatherings, FaceBook is a great way to send out invitations. Invited people are also able to invite their friends for the event, depending on the privacy level that you select.
If you are seeking for advertising to reach out to your target audience, FaceBook could spread the word for you as the advertisements would appear to those who have indicated the related interest in their profile.
Who should use it?
Freelancers, entrepreneurs, organizers, advertisers and anyone who wants to connect with people.
2. LinkedIn
LinkedIn‘s tagline “Relationships Matter” is very appropriate to show us what this social network does. Believing that people relationships is a valuable asset, LinkedIn serves to help individuals and companies to build and maintain them. This gives professionals an advantage to be more successful and productive in their careers by leveraging on as well as contributing their to own professional and trusted network.
Communication: 3/5 stars
Not spontaneous communication with others, but you could build an identity for yourself by answering enquiries related to your industry to demonstrate your expertise. A feature called Answers, is similar to a forum where users can post questions and contribute their related opinions or solutions.
Brand exposure: 5/5 stars
Certainly favorable for branding your identity for both individuals and companies. Users could get themselves connected to a people in the same interest of work and industry to build a network. Make the profile a complete one in order to leverage on this platform effectively.
Traffic to your site: 1/5 stars
Significant traffic might not be evident. Only potential clients and customers are more likely to visit your site.
How you can benefit from it?
If you are a fresh graduate, who is all ready to step into the working society, LinkedIn is a great starting place to prepare your resume and introduce your strengths and abilities to attract employers or recruiters to land in the profession you desire.
Also advantageous for job recruiters to seek for passive yet qualified job candidates to match them to the right job or profession.
If you are thinking of extending the web of your career network, LinkedIn is an excellent tool to facilitate you. Use the LinkedIn search to search for contacts in your email address lists who are already on LinkedIn. You would also be able to search alumni networks as indicated by your profile information to increase the chances of getting “connected” with the related people.
VickiH
CJ_The@rkitekt