What Social Network Is Right For You? (Part 1 of 3)

Initiating a Social Media Strategy can be quite daunting. The primary cause for consternation is selecting which social network tool you should spend most of your time on. Many will take an "all of the above" strategy where others say concentrate on the big three (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter).

In my experience there really is no "one size fits all" strategy but for the next three posts we'll take a look at the most common approaches. Taking a closer look at the approaches may help you determine what Social Networks or will provide you the most value and help you achieve your online goals.

Approach 1: TASTE TEST

It's never a bad idea to "try before you buy". This is true in cars, software and social networks. There is always a chance that your brand will flourish in the most unlikely of places. Many times setting up an account takes very little effort and thanks to aggregators such as www.hootsuite.com, making and scheduling updates to your sites is relatively easy. The most important point to make regarding this strategy is that you will need to budget the time to determine your success metrics then track and evaluate the results. When there is sufficient data to determine what is not working, focus your energies on what is.

Consider including the Top 5 most active Social Networking sites this past June (according to www.ebizmba.com) in your "taste test":

1. Facebook 750,000,000 Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
2. Twitter 250,000,000 Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
3. LinkedIn 110,000,000 Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
4. MySpace 70,500,000 Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors
5. Google+ 65,000,000 Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

I would also recommend looking at Pinterest as well. It's hard to ignore the rapid rise in adoption and usage. It could very well sneak up on some of the sites on this list.

By the way, can anyone tell me why I am always surprised to still see MySpace on this list? I just can't figure it out.

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

There is a drawback to this strategy however. I am a firm believer that truly establishing your brand in an on-line community takes time. You need to establish yourself as a reliable and active member of the community. This will not happen overnight. This type of shotgun approach may lead to pulling the plug on a community before you have time to take root. Beware of this if you decide that this approach is right for you.

Next post, we'll take a look at initiating your Social Media strategy by becoming part of the "popular crowd". Fortunately, unlike other times in your life, getting in with the popular crowd won't require doing something insanely stupid or self-deprecating... maybe that was just me...

Let me know your thoughts. Would you add anything to this post? If so, here's your chance.