What Social Network Is Right For You? (Part 2 of 3)

On our last post (1 of 3), we looked at the "Taste Test" approach for initiating your Social Media Strategy. There is real value in this approach as sometimes you will find your message take root in an on-line community that you hadn't initially considered. With that said, it could require more time and effort getting accustomed to how each community prefers to receive their content and what content they prefer to receive. One way to eliminate this risk is to focus your energies on the "BIG THREE".

Approach 2: THE POPULAR CROWD

How about just a focus on the Big Three - Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter? If this is your first rodeo, you really can't go wrong with these three sites. The reality is that these three sites have huge membership numbers and a proven track record of success. This strategy could get your team familiar with the effort required to build and maintain a social presence through content creation, curation and dissemination. As with the previous approach, set goals and collect enough data to determine what is working and what is not. After you have done this, you may have the desire to try additional sites such as Google+ and Pinterest… Do It!

Out of the Top 15 most active social networking sites, the Big Three received 80% of the traffic in June of 2012 (according to www.ebizmba.com). It seems as though everyone loves them, they are wildly successful and it is never a bad approach to initiate your social media strategy by cozying up to the "Popular Crowd".

The only obvious con to this approach is that these communities are completely saturated. If you are having a hard time differentiating yourself or if your brand is not gaining traction you may want to consider a different approach. This takes more leg work up front but it could really pay dividends when your brand takes off. This is the "Targeted Audience" approach and it will require that you identify the demographics of those you would like to reach and research which site this persona is most likely to be found.

So, what say you? What are your thoughts on the "Big Three" strategy? Comment below, we would love to hear from you!