OBJECTIF BUSINESS WEB
Promotion
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Google+ and other ...
You probably use Social Media in your personal life. You may have even already used in your professional life. Since fashion Social Media appeared in the world, more and more businesses saw a real opportunity in the use of these platforms.
People tend to use what they know: if you are a daily user of Facebook, you'll be tempted to use the same platform for your business. This strategy may seem logical that it is always easier to use the tools with which we are most familiar.
However, I would like to show you through this article that your favorite Social Media is not necessarily the most suitable for promoting your business.
The Top 10 social platforms classified by market share
Some Social Media are obviously more used than others, but also that the market is constantly undergoing major fluctuations and some trends are visible.
We can easily deduce that most people use Facebook as their primary social platform and, therefore, most professionals are tempted to do the same. But is this a wise choice ?)
How Social Media is the most suitable for me ?
There is no easy answer that question ridge. Obviously, it depends on your business model (the type of business that you manage) but also of your market, the preferences of your prospects, your personal knowledge and content you can produce, your habits and your calendar , etc ...
Through this article I will attempt to give you some tips and guidelines on the main Social Media in order to wisely choose one that best fits your needs. However, as I mentioned earlier, keep in mind that trends are constantly changing and that what I write today will no longer necessarily valid tomorrow.
The strategy you need to define the ideal Social Media for your promotional concept
The goal is not to find a platform that you used. The idea is to find a platform that your prospects use. If your potential customers are using this platform then you have the opportunity to reach them using it.
I hear people tell me "The previous graph shows clearly that the majority of people using Facebook. Therefore, this is where I would have the best chance to meet my prospects".
Not quite. There is a second criterion to keep in mind: you want to reach your potential customers when they are most receptive to your message. Even if your prospects use Facebook, do you think they are really receptive when they write a personal message to their friends?
An example: you are selling a consulting service in finance to large companies. Even if the decision-makers of these companies would tell avid Facebook users, do you think the best time to talk about their business finance is when sharing personal data with their relatives?
The suitable platform (or combination of appropriate platforms) is one that combines two criteria: gather your prospects and find receptive to your message. If you find this platform and you manage to enrich attractive content, then you will win your bet to be effective in your Social Media strategy.
What are the existing platforms and how do they differ from each other ?
I can not give you a complete and detailed list of all existing media platforms Social as they are numerous on the canvas. However, I will try to give you an overview of the most popular platforms and the most practical and try to point you in the right direction.
Also, remember that each country has its own Social Media. For example, China, Japan, India ... all have local Social Media more popular than Facebook or Twitter. If you trade with a specific market, ask about the social habits of the market to be able to approach at best.
In what follows, I will try to introduce you to several of Social Media platforms and make you appreciate their differences. Please note that I've only commented on 12 platforms that I have personally tested but many more are available on the web (StumbleUpon, Delicious, Reddit, to name but three). Descriptions and explanations that follow are only a first step in your decision process. To define which (or which) of these platforms is most suited to your needs, the best method is to try
Facebook
Facebook is the most important Social Media web in terms of number of users. Mainly used as a personal blog where show his mood and his latest, Facebook is a platform bringing together millions of people worldwide.
audience
Audience widely Facebook offers very advanced targeting capabilities on its advertising platform. But for mainstream users, Facebook is a very large audience platform without precise targeting and using a system of networks to attract potential visitors. The concept offers little room for targeted strategies and it usually takes about strategies "boilerplate" that adapt to all situations.
Communication Type
Horizontal - Facebook provides true horizontal communication. This means that you deliver a message to your visitors and that they can not only respond, but initiate debates and participate by sending their own content to the community. This interactivity is the same principle of horizontal communication.
Content source
Creating and récupération- Facebook offers content creation tools but also the ability to recover and repost content from other platforms very easily.
Content type
Rich - Facebook offers its users a wide range of content types including, among others, text, images, videos, applications and links.
Popularity
People - Facebook was in 2011, the social platform far the most used in the United States. Social Media This is undoubtedly the most popular platform in the world and if your content corresponds to this type of communication and audience, while Facebook is certainly the best place for your promotion.
Sphere of influence
Personnel - Facebook works almost exclusively on the personal sphere. This is where people share their private lives, thoughts and photos with friends and family and often their careers and skills. Many companies use Facebook can the latter offers specific tools such as "pages" and "groups" specifically developed for professionals. The only limit to this concept is to position his company on the network keeping in mind that Facebook users are coming to share private information with their personal sphere. For example, if you sell cartoons or video games, you may find a sympathetic ear. However, if you sell steel to companies, Facebook will certainly not have the slightest interest in you.
Twitter
summary
Twitter follows Facebook in the race for the most used platform in the net but is still far behind. Twitter offers a radically different concept: sharing his humor, his stories, ideas, suggestions in a text limit of 140 letters with all its "followers". You create a community of people who follow your updates and willingly share with them everything that goes through your head.
audience
very large audience - Twitter is used in many ways, in different situations and to serve various purposes. This variety gives Twitter a very wide audience of different people.
Communication Type
Horizontal - Twitter allows users to post information but also to receive and comment. This feature makes Twitter a powerful communication tool.
Content source
Recovery - Twitter does not offer content creation option (beyond 140 characters) and the content is almost exclusively recovery through links.
Content type
Extremely limit-Twitter allows users to post 140 maximum print characters per message. This content is extremely limited but may contain tags and links.
Popularity
People - Twitter Social Media is the second most popular of the canvas. It is certainly not as popular as Facebook, but its user base is more homogeneous and offers a broader solution to achieve specific targets.
Sphere of influence
Personal & Professional - Twitter both a personal and professional communication. Using this platform, you will face people using Twitter to share their personal information, and others to publish professional news.
MySpace
Audience down - While MySpace is still a large audience, it has greatly diminished since 2008 with the explosion of Facebook. In addition, MySpace is now almost exclusively turned to the world of music and groups. If your company works in this universe, MySpace is definitely the ideal platform for your business. Otherwise, you should definitely look for an alternative.
Communication Type
Horizontal & vertical - MySpace offers a similar service to that of Facebook. Communications are horizontal can that visitors can post directly on your wall and send the content. Nevertheless, the concept is not as developed as Facebook, and in many situations communication is only vertical with rare opportunities for interaction via the sections "comments".
Content source
-MySpace Creation tries to encourage users to create and post content on the platform. Although you have the ability to link external content, it is not the most effective way to use MySpace, and you would have more results by posting unique content instead of creating links with other content.
Content type
Riche - MySpace offers many tools and options to create and post content such as text, images, videos, animations, music, and much more.
Popularity
People - MySpace was a pioneer in the world of Social Media and has attracted millions of users in the last 5 years. Although the platform has lost a large market share, it remains one of the leaders in the fight of Social Media.
Sphere of influence
Personnel - MySpace is primarily designed for personal use, except for music professionals. It would be difficult to use MySpace as a professional tool for use in B2B for example outside of the musical sphere.
Scoop.it
Scoop.it is a concept totally innovative partially reusing concepts Tumblr, Digg and Squidoo. On Scoop.it, you repost all items net you found interesting in your personal magazine. This magazine can then be read by anyone around the world and you become an expert in your field without writing a single line of text.
audience
wide audience and expanding - Scoop.it is still new in the market for Social Media but has already managed to prove its innovation and efficiency. Based on a concept similar to Squidoo, Scoop.it reached an extremely wide range of people with different interests and social circles.
Communication Type
Vertical - Scoop.it lets users post comments at the bottom of each article or repost these articles on different social platforms. Nevertheless, this very limited interactivity is the only possible between the writer and the readers which makes communication difficult and essentially vertical.
Content source
Recovery - Scoop.it is based on the idea of recovery of articles interesting. There is no creation of content here.
Content type
Limited - As Scoop.it is exclusively a recovery platform, content creation is extremely limited. The content of the recovered items, however unlimited
Popularity
Anonymous - For now, Scoop.it is still almost unknown in the world of Social Media and is only beginning to take its place among the greatest.
Sphere of influence
Professional - Scoop.it is not only a professional network but displays its magazines a truly professional manner. You can reach all target types in both professional and personal sphere, but the concept has not been developed to support personal thoughts in the style of a blog. You reach here only include those who have some interest in the topic you cover.
Google+
summary
Google+ is the most direct threat to Facebook. Developed in 2011, Google+ offers the same features as Facebook with a very similar concept to it but avoiding major mistakes made by Facebook. Here, circles of friends, family, professionals, clients, etc ... are clearly separated and allow better management of confidentiality while giving a more professional look to the whole. Course, Google+ also offers all the innovations developed by Google, which gives the competitor an advantage over his opponent.
audience
wide evolving audience -Google + was launched in summer 2011 and, after a few hours, was left with more users than he could manage. The beta version was a real success and was limited the time that servers are adapted to the constant influx of visitors. While Google+ has not an important traffic than Facebook, its future promises rapid change. Like Facebook, Google+ brings together users from all backgrounds, income, social status, age, etc ... This variety of people and interests gives Google a very large audience that continues to grow.
Communication Type
Vertical & Horizontal - vertical Google+ is mainly in terms of communications and offers far less freedom than does Facebook at interactivity with others. The basic concept is to inform your different social circles with your news and possibly comment on the messages of these. The concept of the "wall" was not developed as in Facebook for obvious reasons of confidentiality and respect for privacy.
Content source
Creation - Google+ is designed to share content with others. You can obviously share links and external content, but the main goal is to create your own content and post it on the platform.
Content type
Riche - Google+ offers a range of types of very interesting content. You will be in position to post text, videos, photos, links, geographic locations, etc ...
Popularity
People - While Google+ has not yet reached the fame of his opponent Facebook, Google has even more need to be introduced and its popularity speaks for itself.
Sphere of influence
Professional & Personal - Google+ has a real advantage over Facebook: the clear separation of social circles. The result of this breakthrough is a better differentiation of spheres of influence which allows Google+ to achieve both personal and professional spheres.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the market leader: Social Media platforms professionals. This media allows users to create a professional online profile and start building their network.
audience
Wide audience - LinkedIn is used worldwide and reached a very wide range of people from different trades.
Communication Type
Vertical & Horizontal - LinkedIn is a very effective way to publish your professional news but also to bring together professionals worldwide on specific topics, encouraging interactivity and discussions.
Content source
Creation - LinkedIn allows you to link your profile page to your personal websites, but its goal remains to create a unique profile attracting different visitors and creating connections.
Content type
Relatively Rich - LinkedIn offers its users to post text and photos as well as their "skills portfolio". Nevertheless, the creation tools panel is relatively limited compared to other platforms.
Popularity
People - LinkedIn is certainly not the most famous Social Media, but on its specific market no competitor is able to compete.
Sphere of influence
Professional - LinkedIn is definitely a platform that aims to create professional relationship
Digg
Digg is the leading specialized platforms in the site recovery. The concept is to share with your community and with the rest of the world your favorite sites and your new finds. The same principle of Digg is to push your favorite sites up helping them to come forward.
audience
limited audience - Digg is a platform with millions of users worldwide. However, your personal sphere as the user remains very limited: you have no influence on your contacts, the rest of your suggestions based on the mass of votes worldwide.
Communication Type
Vertical - On Digg, communications are very limited and rare interactions are mainly vertical.
Content source
Recovery - No content creation on Digg. The only use of this platform is a sharing of your favorite sites to make them go up.
Content type
Very Limited - Since there is no content creation on Digg, the only type of content is links.
Popularity
People - Digg is very popular in its field, the same level as Delicious.
Sphere of influence
Professional & Personal - Digg accepts all types of sites and therefore covers the personal and professional spheres.
Viadeo
Viadeo fight in the same category as LinkedIn, but in a more discreet manner. LinkedIn groups where 100 million users, Viadeo only collects "only" 40 million of them. Otherwise, the concept is very similar to LinkedIn.
audience
Wide audience - Viadeo reached more than 40 million people worldwide, all accessible via your network of connections.
Communication Type
-On Vertical Viadeo, communications are essentially vertical: you tell people your news, and these can possibly answer. Interactivity on a large scale is not the strong point of Viadeo.
Content source
Creation - Again, Viadeo expects that you create unique content with a certain value.
Content type
Relatively Rich - Viadeo provides no special tool content creation but all the necessary and usual tools are available.
Popularity
Relatively popular - Viadeo is not the media's most popular Social and even in his branch, it is not classified as well as LinkedIn. However, in some countries (France is a good example), it is found generally more popular than LinkedIn.
Sphere of influence
Professional - Viadeo is a professional tool that aims to develop connections and networks of the professional sphere.
Squidoo - Hubpages
Squidoo is a platform for creating information. The concept here is to build a page talking about a specific topic and nurture this with as much content as possible. Squidoo works on a principle similar to Wikipedia, with two variations (major) except you are the one to write and edit your article and you have no duty of objectivity. If you want to write a completely subjective article about your products or your business, feel free to! Squidoo is an effective alternative when you do not have the time or the means to create a website or blog.
audience
Wide audience - Squidoo covers any type of subject and therefore brings together people from all backgrounds.
Communication Type
Vertical - Squidoo is not dedicated to interactivity but more information. Its communication methods are dramatically vertical and there is no interaction with readers beyond) the integration of plugins from external platforms.
Content source
Creation - Squidoo is a pure creation platform and demonstrates its usefulness when unique content and value is produced.
Content type
Riche - Squidoo offers users many authoring tools (text, photos, videos, surveys, etc ...)
Popularity
Moderately Popular - Squidoo has never met with success he waited and did not take sides with giants such as Facebook or Twitter - its lack of interactivity could be the cause. However, Squidoo remains a popular platform that has attracted many visitors and whose power comes from its huge information base. Moreover, the Squidoo system allows your pages to be found easily on search engines.
Sphere of influence
Professional & Personal - Like any subject can be studied on Squidoo, the platform attracts users and readers interested in the personal and professional spheres.
Technorati
Technorati is one of the oldest still existing platforms Social Media. Technorati is not technically a Social Media can it operates more like a blog directory. However, with time, Technorati was able to adapt and expand its functions to move ever more real Social Media. The concept of Technorati is: bloggers register on the platform and their articles are automatically published in the flow of information and accessible to all.
audience
Wide audience - Technorati accepts almost every conceivable type of blogs and thus reaches a very wide audience. Nevertheless, keep two things in mind: first, Technorati covers only the sites written in English, and Technorati certainly republish your articles, but these soon disappear in the mass of information published daily. Your personal audience is limited to English speakers who have seen your articles on the platform.
Communication Type
Vertical -Although Technorati offers a few communication tools, the main goal here is to republish existing content and not to communicate with its visitors.
Content source
Recovery - Technorati was created for the recovery of items and therefore outside of your personal statement, no content is created on the platform.
Content type
Limited - Technorati will give you back links to your personal blog but will offer no specific content creation tool
Popularity
People - For those who keep their blog for some time, you've probably used or heard of Technorati can that is a world reference in terms of recovery of articles and blog directories. For those who do not know yet, there have nevertheless already certainly benefited because Technorati improves the results of search engines by its recovery function.
Sphere of influence
Professional & Personal - Any type of blog can use Technorati and therefore that platform is aimed at both the professional arena and more personal blogs.
Tumblr
Tumblr is halfway between a standard blog and recovery platform as Scoop.it or Digg: it allows users to both create unique content and repost existing content. Tumblr works on the concept of sharing information of any kind with your sphere.
audience
limited audience - Although Tumblr is a platform bringing together millions of users and that in absolute you can reach all of them, in fact you will reach your own sphere network.
Communication Type
Vertical - Like most blogs, Tumblr works primarily vertically. The only interaction is the use of the "comment" section of each article.
Content source
Recovery and creation - Tumblr offers both a creation option and a recovery option for its users. In this way, you can either create your own content or redirect your visitors to content from other platforms.
Content type
Riche - Tumblr offers the usual tools of a standard website (text, photos, videos, etc ...) plus a range of sharing options allows easy recovery of various content.
Popularity
People - Tumblr is the leader in its niche: Content retrieval blogs.
Sphere of influence
Professional & Personal - As many platforms of internet blogs, Tumblr lets you total freedom in choosing the content you want to create, and therefore reaches both the personal sphere and the professional sphere.
Youtube
Youtube is, for years the undisputed leader of the platforms for sharing videos. Since its acquisition by Google, its popularity has grown even more. Youtube is the most used Social Media around the world for sharing and viewing video.
audience
Wide audience - YouTube is a global platform involving billions of users and videos in every category imaginable.
Communication Type
Vertical and Horizontal - vertical Youtube is primarily a communication platform. Its primary purpose is to communicate a message through a video. Nevertheless, this Social Media also offers several methods of interaction through comments and video responses.
Content source
Creation - Youtube allows users to retrieve videos for their own account, but its main goal remains to create original and unique video content.
Content type
Limited - Youtube offers no alternative to videos: this is a platform built in order to share videos and only videos. You can of course add a textual definition, but the main content is always a video.
Popularity
Extremely popular - With Google, Youtube is the most popular website worldwide. This popularity leaves very little leeway to competition (Dailymotion, WAT, etc ...).
Sphere of influence
Professional & Personal - Youtube allows post touching video of any topic which gives him a dimension both professional and personal.
Printerest
Pinterest is the new kid in the world of social media. It seems a little simplistic, but do not be fooled by appearances: this is what we reproached Twitter before it exploded! Pinterest is a social media focusing on the visuals and images. The concept is simple: as soon as you find an image that piques your interest (funny, amazing, informative, shocking, etc ...), you publish on your pinterest so that your contacts can see it too.
audience
Wide audience - Pinterest is trying to consolidate all possible types of images in a common database.
Communication Type
Vertical - Pinterest offers users the ability to share images news that interests them. It is little horizontal communication, especially vertical post information to drive.
Content source
Recovery - The content comes to 90% of other sites but few also come from user uploads.
Content type
Limited - The content is solely visual. This is primarily of images but may also be derived in a short videos and text is often added.
Popularity
Relatively popular - In full expansions, Pinterest is the new kid that everyone speaks. For now it remains relatively limited in terms of number of users, but it is changing rapidly.
Sphere of influence
Professional & Personal - Mainly for personal use, Pinterest fits very well for professional use is if you have a company that works mainly with visual elements.
Personal branding
Behind this Anglicism hides all the tools for self-promotion on Internet. How to use social networks and which favored? What content offer? What mistakes should be avoided? Focus on personal advertising methods
Investing professional social networks
Personal branding is self marketing applied to new technologies. "Being present on the Internet is now essential, regardless of the profession practiced ensures Pascale Baumeister, author of Revealing his true personality with personal branding. The reflex recruiters now type the name of the candidate on Google. Is better that appear in the top results of the information related to your business. "An active account on LinkedIn, for example, became over time the standard for professional social network. "This is also the case of Viadeo, even if it is losing momentum," observes Karen Tuyserne, of Embauchezmoi.org. To choose, it is better to concentrate on LinkedIn, even if creating a parallel account on Viadeo does not take much more time.
Twitter, a tool to provide content
Among the tools available to its online promotion, there are also Twitter, which has the distinction of being halfway between the home network and the business network. Karen Tuyserne, "is a mine of information, with a system for sharing articles and interesting docs. "His advice? "Muez yourself an expert in your field by conference live-tweet related to your business for example. "You can also relay your information gleaned during a show. "It is important to take a proactive approach, recommends Gilles Noblet, author of Developing your personal brand, personal branding for all. Fund your account content, intervene in the talks ... "For recruiters and head hunters, it is reassuring to see that a candidate seems passionate about his business.
Facebook, privatize rare exceptions
What about Facebook, the largest existing social network? "It's a platform that is set to become almost exclusively focused on private, says Pascale Baumeister. The system of friends and pages is done so that it is better to limit its activity to Facebook with friends and family. "With few exceptions:" For example a restaurant can promote the establishment of this network that lends itself well, Judge Gilles Noblet. In the areas of graphic design or fashion also. "
4 personal branding mistakes not to commit
1 - Forget to lock content compromising. This is especially the case for Facebook, which can circulate private photos of you in the evening for example. "Some parameters exist so that they are visible only to your relatives," says Gilles Noblet.
2 - Confusing professional and private life. "Be careful not to disparage an employer, a colleague or a recruiter with whom you have an interview, advocates Pascale Baumeister. Similarly, avoid mixing with the pros contents of the news related to your political or religious views, especially on Twitter. "
3 - Wanting to remain anonymous at all costs. Karen Tuyserne, "Internet has revived the debate on the anonymity of the candidates. But recruiters are less likely to pay attention to accounts without photo. "
4 - Missing professionalism. Train spelling, recommends Karen Tuyserne: "It's not because it's the internet to be used SMS language or writing without rereading. "
Use Facebook to promote your website or online store
Knowing how to use Facebook to animate a community, retain your visitors and customers, and increase your site traffic. Facebook is a great tool, remains how to use it well.
Summary:
1. What is the purpose of a Facebook page ?
2. What are the criteria used by Facebook ?
3. How effective publication on your Facebook page
4. Influence of Facebook on the ranking in search engines
5. How to get fans on your Facebook page
1. What is the purpose of a Facebook page ?
It must be used as an element in its own right in your communications, you must call the user, create an interaction of the most frequent and regular as possible, either by asking questions, by organizing games, offering original applications ...
The goal is to appear in your fans newsfeed, and for this, in addition to having fans (the number of fans is not the only important part) should your page generates the 'activity.
For your Facebook page to be useful, we need that interaction between you and your fans and between fans themselves to increase your opportunities. We must comment, share, we must love, generate reactions, etc ...
2. What are the criteria used by Facebook ?
The algorithm of Facebook, is based on the affinity between people, and between fans and pages they are fans (interactions), the types of publications (various publications, links, photos, questions, videos .. .).
It is also based on the frequency of publications (your page must be constantly animated). Facebook also assesses whether the publications have been created automatically or manually, giving quite sour, more weight to the latter.
3. How effective publication on your Facebook page ?
Be aware that these are tools with very high range, with great potential, but remains very difficult to use given that everything is totally public.
From the moment you have a facebook page, remember that this is not your site (this page and its contents belong almost to Facebook), so do not give your content to Facebook.
For example, when you publish a news item on Facebook, turn on the news and a link to the full news on a page of your publication site.Terminez asking the opinion of your fans.
4. Influence of Facebook on the ranking in search engines
Compared to SEO, you should know that Google and Bing take into account the links a page receives from Facebook (this is already the case, and this influence will probably become more and more).
The concrete objective of using Facebook to improve its positioning in search engines is to obtain a maximum of fans (true fans, really fans of your site), maximum interaction on his wall, many comments, and maximum I like.
5. How to get fans on your Facebook page
The basis of all is the number of fans that you have on your Facebook page.
To increase your number of fan, place your Facebook page wherever you can (on every page of your site, with a "box facebook" in the signature on email messages you send to your customers, etc ...
Please note, a helpful fan is a fan that really likes your site. If you have 1 million fans who have no interest in your site, the million fan is useless since he never participate on your page.
So do not fall into the trap of various "tricks" that provides a lot of fan roundabout way (sites that sell fans, fans of exchange platforms, etc ...).
It has no interest, it will make you lose time, and not Facebook will eventually sanction the use of these systems.
6. Measure the effectiveness of your Facebook activity and that of your fans
Facebook offers more or less detailed statistics on your activity (number of I love, virality of publications, number of times a publication has been seen, etc ...).
Going on https://www.facebook.com/insights/, you will find many statistics.
To know the number of visitors coming to your site from Facebook, go to Google analytics, in the "source of traffic"> "source"> "all traffic", and indicate in the "facebook" filter.