Answer: Depends on what the business is selling.
Probably not the answer your were looking for right? Well there’s a reason for that. Not all businesses are the same, which means there isn’t a single site that works for every business. What I can do is give you a general idea and let you brainstorm where your company can fit in:
1. Linkedin is a great website for you to market your business to other businesses, as well as, to consumers. Join groups, get involved in discussions, answer questions that relate to your profession, simply just get involved. If done correctly, you will build creditability, new connections, and most importantly: new clients.
Big NO-NO: Don’t spam people with what you sell or any special offers. Prove yourself as a knowledgeable professional that everyone can trust first and not a salesperson looking to make a quick sale.
2. FaceBook is just everywhere. Businesses that sell to consumers will have easier success on Facebook in comparison to Businesses that sell to other Businesses. To market on Facebook, the approch has to be more relaxed and friendly, rather than straight to the point marketing messaging. Many brands who have an edgy approach to delivering their message (like a cool youtube video or just interesting things going on) will see great success in collecting a fan base. Just remember it’s not about the number of fans you have, it’s the number of participating fans who are your true target market.
Big NO-NO: Never remove any post that are negative about your company or products. Show the world your great customer service skills on how you can turn an unhappy customer to a happy customer.
3. Twiiter is great for one thing in my opinion: promoting events. Events can be anything from news events, recreational events, and to experiences at an event. I haven’t seen any case studies that I have proved me wrong till this point. If you disagree and have a case study, post it up!
Big NO-NO: Don’t tweet just for the sake of tweeting. If you are going to make a post, make it good. Your new potential and existing visitors will appreciate it.
4. FourSquare is great tool for businesses that need foot traffic or want to just gain exposure. Foursquare is an innovative tool that encourages users to explore different places in their city and learn what’s around them, almost like the yellowpages. Structured to be an insider’s guide to the city you are in, FourSquare helps you determine what places are good and what places are not. As a business you can help encourage more users to visit your business and provide incentives to those who visit the most. This helps to build your brand to the locals and shows what others think about your service/product.
Big NO-NO: Don’t get people you know to write fake reviews. In the long run it will not work in your favor. Instead use FourSquare to learn what users like or dislike about your business to help improve your offering.
5. YouTube is great if you have the resources to shoot video and edit it. Not something widely used by many businesses, YouTube can be a great alternative to create great video commercials about your business and spread the word. Simple solution would be to buy a Flip Cam and start practicing. You can also use youtube to promote slideshow presentations, software demos, how-to’s, and more.
Big NO-NO: Don’t use copyrighted information from others to create your video. 100% self creation is the best way to go to show how your business is different.
Hope that helps. If you have any other social media sites you want to know more about, please let us know.