In today’s hyper-connected world, most business owners are beginning to realize that social media isn’t optional any longer. Customers have told business owners that they use social media to talk about, recommend and make most of their purchases. Being connected to social media is now a requirement to stay competitive.
Over 30 million businesses currently have active pages on Facebook; while over 1.2 billion people worldwide have Facebook accounts. Twitter already has 4.5 million business accounts; with 271 million user accounts and 500+ tweets sent each day. With all this traffic it only makes sense to expend some time and energy on these sites.
While these two social media giants are a must for any business to get into, you should always diversify for the best results. We’ve all heard the phrase about putting all your eggs in one basket – same goes for marketing eggs.
Think about joining a niche social network site. Your target audience will be smaller, but you will reach more people who are interested in what you offer. Targeting specific markets – doctors, artists, film directors – allows you to customize your content to their interests, experiences and needs.
Twitter and Facebook are both filled with ads and posts from businesses just like yours. Most users are busy ignoring most of these. Going after the smaller, more select groups online – especially if you cater to them – will allow you to enjoy a more captive audience. Think about giving one of these a try:
It is not just a place to create a free blog, it is more than this, it is a whole social network just like Facebook, you find people share everything on Tumblr from Fashion, Sports, Pets .. etc, the difference between Tumblr and Facebook is that users of Tumblr is more anonymous, people on Tumblr do not share their photos, moms and dads, they share everything what makes Tumblr extremely viral, things just seem to get shared more on Tumblr than they do on Facebook and here is an Example.
In one of my websites that talks about “Cool Gadgets” I shared the same photo in both Facebook Page and Tumblr Account the Facebook Page has 2800+ Likes while the Tumblr Account has 500+ Followers, I shared the same photo @ the same date/time and here is the results:
In Tumblr with less than 500 followers I got more than 250 likes and re-shares while in Facebook with more than 2800 likes I got 2 likes and no shares and only 30 people saw this post!
Pinterest offers crafts, party ideas and other cute things for its female users. Gentlemint is the male counterpart of Pinterest. Here men can find all the fun things that interest them, from football to the best craft beer. Men love Gentlemint.
CafeMom is the site to hit if you want to reach over a million moms. Just a few users could immediately start sharing your product or service on blogs around the world. “Mommy” blogs are like super highways online.
Like Pinterest, Kaboodle allows its users to upload their images. However, Kaboodle is mainly about shopping, and allows users to create their very own custom designed style board. Share your niche business ideas with more than 5 million people a month.
This social media site is designed for everyone who loves books. With more than 25 million users, the chats in the forums get very lively. Talk about books, plots, authors, or anything related to books and reading.
Many Facebook users have switched over to the much smaller and simpler Ello because they don’t like Facebook requiring users to use their real name. Ello offers ad-free, anonymous posting.
Care2 is a site that lends itself to caring for ourselves and the world we live in. Everything from a “healthy, sustainable lifestyle” to “supporting socially responsible causes” is covered on this social action network. With over 16 million members, Care2 is rich with stories, blogs and other topics written by fellow users. There is always room for more experts to jump in and join the crowd; spread your knowledge while you promote your business.
There you have it, a few good suggestions to get you started on your newest business quest. Whether you specialize in tea kettles or tree houses, there is sure to be a specialized online site that will want what you are selling. Reaching a more select audience will help you convert these visitors into happy customers; happy customers will spread the word quickly among those with common interests. What better way to market, and sell, your desired product?