Social Media: The More the Merrier [Guest-Post]

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Managing social media campaigns takes time and energy, so it’s understandable to want to cut back on that expenditure. With Facebook still reigning over the social empire, it could even be reasonable to think about focusing all your efforts toward just that site, and nixing other profiles and platforms.

The truth is, diversification is a valuable tool for social media. The old adage about not putting all your eggs in one basket translates to social marketing; pins, tweets, and likes are all vital.

So what are the benefits of spreading yourself out across the Internet? Utilizing multiple platforms:

1. Offers Different Benefits


Each social network offers something different to its users. Businesses can capitalize on this by taking advantage of the unique appeal of varying platforms. For example, Twitter is an excellent venue for flash sales and frequent updates; Pinterest can humanize a business, by posting pictures of the workplace and more lighthearted fare. Once you realize why users visit certain social networks and what they are hoping to get from them, you’ll have the information you need to use each one more effectively, and independently of the others.

2. Reaches Different Audiences


Some social marketing principles translate regardless of the site. Deals for consumers who engage with you—whether by following, liking, checking in, or repinning—are a standard marketing tip, and rightly so. The difference between a check-in on Foursquare and a repin on Pinterest comes down to audience. While there is a great deal of overlap among social media platforms, with many people belonging to three or even more, the engagement rate and demographic breakdown change drastically. By having multiple social media presences, you’ll reach as many people in as many ways as possible, like the growing population of online senior citizens.

3. Creates a Safety Net


The current social media giant is Facebook, as everyone knows. But there is no guarantee it won’t one day go the way of MySpace, or that any of the other contenders might take its place at the top. If that happens, you don’t want your business scrambling to build a page from scratch on the new hit site, while your competition has had an established presence there for years. When you stay on top of all the popular platforms, though it might require more work, you won’t lose out to the capricious whims of the Internet.

4. Isn’t as Hard as You Think!


Best of all, maintaining a business account on social networks isn’t as time consuming as it sounds. There are multiple applications and built-in features that will cross-post between platforms, reducing your workload and strengthening your overall social media presence at the same time. Before you shrug your shoulders and decide you don’t have the time to put the effort in, keep in mind that you may only be heavily practicing social marketing for one or two sites, and simply networking to connect to the others.

Social media platforms are like potato chips: you can’t have just one. For best results, indulge in the entire variety!

Written By Megan Totka

Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide.

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