Mr. Always Write, Social Media

You should be spreading your brand’s wings far and wide by setting up your company profile in as many places as possible. And here are the four social media sites that are essential to start with.

Starting the Social Journey

Whether you’re one to ride the tech wave or a traditionalist who prefers a face-to-face approach, no one can deny the important role online marketing plays. From garage start-ups to corporate empires, everyone needs a social strategy. Why? Because if you neglect it, you’re asking for the same of how the world sees your brand — they won’t.

10 years ago, this was a much simpler concept. However, although a less clouded landscape made for a more clear approach, the expansiveness of today’s social media galaxy brings with it not only complexity but additional avenues to take advantage of. It’s all in how you look at it and how far you’re willing to travel within your online journey.

At the very least, you might as well claim digital ownership of your branding rights. Even if you aren’t active on a particular site, secure your profile. That way, you not only protect your name but also construct another alleyway through which the world can find you.

That all said, it can be a daunting thought — let alone, task — to even begin the process of building a better brand awareness strategy. Don’t be discouraged, be excited. Paving a smooth online road to your business is literally within your reach.

Let’s start with the best places for you to be right now. (Full disclosure: I’m already on all of them.)

Likes, Likes, & More Likes

No one can deny that Facebook is the king of the social media prom. Although it can certainly claim the crown for kickstarting the social networking phenomena, it actually wasn’t the first of its kind. Did you know that LinkedIn showed up to the party before Facebook?

Nevertheless, regardless of whether recognized as a pioneer or imposter, Facebook has secured its spot in social media history. There is no denying that the demographics of Facebook have changed over the years. And they will continue to. It’s now an older crowd (and that’s ok).

The 50+ aged user is the fastest growing population on the social giant, but that doesn’t mean that those 49 and under aren’t on it anymore. The daily activity trends have fluctuated, but there is a wider audience to captivate than ever before. You just need to ensure your messaging fits your target if you want it to be effective. Which, frankly, should always be a marketing principle of yours anyway.

Facebook should be the foundation of your social media strategy. Use it as the second in line, to only your website. Documenting, sharing, and posting any and all relevant company updates while working to acquire as much active engagement as possible. Then, build beyond.

The Good: It still maintains it’s rightful place as the most active daily network, worldwide.

The Bad: They make it harder and harder for business Pages to be visible, so be prepared to pay for adverts.

The Reality: If you ignore Facebook, expect to be ignored by everyone on it in return.

Say More With Less

Twitter is the natural destination for where to fly to next. Based on simplicity, being that it limits its users to posts of 140 characters or less, some find it a little harder to migrate to when compared to Facebook. Nevertheless, tweeting perseveres. Many are now on both sites, while some stay isolated to their favourite. The latter is not an effective approach.

Either way, there began the debate of which was better and there never really can be a legitimate answer as you need a properly comparative question to field a logical debate. These are two different worlds. I used to refer to Twitter as simply the status updates posts of Facebook. The analogy still holds true. That speaks volumes to how well Twitter has maintained its original mandate and how effective it continues to be at delivering on it.

There is a lot to enjoy across Twitter that you can’t embrace on Facebook. The purity of it enables a much closer feel between users. That can be translated into how well you communicate your brand’s voice while increasing your customer service reach as well. Even if it seems like it’s more to learn, it’ll be worth it. Get on Twitter and get good at it. You won’t regret doing so and your followers will be happier with you for it.

The Good: There’s a lot less to figure out before you can be actively tweeting away.

The Bad: To be good at it, you need to be willing to spend the time learning, engaging, and keeping up.

The Reality: Social media is for connecting and Twitter makes it feel like a much closer one.

Show ‘Em What You Got

We have been visual creatures long before we sought every like we could solicit online. Instagram hatched an egg that was desperately needed at the time of its launch and it has only continued to crack wider open since. With no signs of slowing down in sight, Facebook purchased Instagram in 2012 and has ridden the train fuelled by its success ever since. Many hardcore fans were made anxious by the purchase, worrying it would then become too much like another version of Facebook (which was far from what it was seemingly designed to be).

Similar to the Twitter/Facebook relationship, the Instagram/Facebook comparison takes one aspect of Facebook and channels it into a world of its own. One that’s lifeline relies on multimedia. And we love it. Even those who may be wary of Facebook or confused by Twitter can find ways to use Instagram daily.

I’d go so far as to say that if you wanted to break the sequence of starting at Facebook, Instagram could be a detour worth taking. Media is what drives traffic and this is what your focus should be when it comes to getting more people to find and engage with your business, online.

The Good: They continues to grow in active users while other monster platforms plateau around it.

The Bad: Any time a new feature is introduced, people are skeptical that it may be the start of the end.

The Reality: Instagram isn’t going anywhere and it will continue to innovate – get onboard now.

All Work & Maybe Some Play

Believe it or not, LinkedIn’s fight in the social media ring dates back further in the history book than Facebook’s. Kudos to the platform for still maintaining its main objective of being the place that professionals can go to network in the digital age. That’s always been their goal and they’ve done a fantastic job of positioning themselves as such.

However, it’s no secret that they’ve tinkered with their user experience in recent years and in ways that makes them feel more like, well, Facebook. Those who are drawn to LinkedIn for its professional undertone aren’t fans of such alterations, for obvious reasons. But, let’s at least give them the benefit of the doubt that they’ll sort it out and keep their handshakes firm along the way.

Not only is LinkedIn the go-to as an online office lobby for your personal brand, but it should also be somewhere you create a home for your business. You’d then have yet another place that people can actively find you while furthering your brand awareness. As an added bonus, you can then link to your company page in your personal profile’s work history. Thus, creating more networking potential while enhancing and legitimizing your work history.

The Good: It’s been around longer than the rest and it’s not going anywhere any time soon.

The Bad: They seem too insecure at times and it leads to some less than welcomed revisions.

The Reality: It’s great to be well liked on the casual networks, but you need to be noticed on LinkedIn too.

Finding Your Way

It’s a complex world online, but the navigation can be pretty straightforward. If you start at these four landmarks, the rest of your journey benefits. I know these efforts aren’t for everyone and that’s a major part of the equation that led to the birth of Mr. Always Write.

I’ve always taken an interest in the tech world and tend to be the friend who shares reviews of the newest products and progress before others even realized they’re coming. Bringing it to the boardroom, I found myself at the forefront of pioneering online outreach strategies at the workplace.

Unfortunately, in many cases, my passion was met with hesitation. Not due to a lack of trust in my abilities, but because many decision-makers that surrounded me were more content in what was being done than courageous in attempting what wasn’t.

Needless to say, I always saw this as a welcomed challenge To help prove why it was important to develop better strategies, policies, and results. I’ve helped those less likely to dive on their own, by taking their hand so they can jump in alongside me. The results then spoke for themselves and those that needed convincing became engaged participants. I’ve led a number of digital marketing initiatives for a variety of employers and helped transform the way they now market, engage, and sell.

I welcome you to dabble in it all yourself as it’s not my style to strong arm. However, if you find you could benefit from some collaborative help, you’re willing to admit you’re not the expert, or you just simply don’t have the time it takes, we should chat.

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Shaun
Shaun

Freelance thinker, paying too much attention to aesthetics. Oxford comma enthusiast. Spider-Man supporter. Sports fan, with two favourite hockey teams. #GirlDad