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KristineS
04-04-2012, 12:56 PM
We've been using Facebook and Twitter quite extensively for EnMart. It's really been working well and I've discovered a couple of things.


People tend to talk back more on Facebook than Twitter, at least to us.
Twitter comments tend to be more retweets than they are actual comments
Prompt response from us is essential. Those who comment expect that someone will be monitoring the page.
If you do respond, people are so grateful to be acknowledged. It makes me wonder how many companies created a page and then forgot it.


Those of the rest of you who use social media for your companies, have you found the same things to be true, or have you had a different experience?

vangogh
04-04-2012, 01:14 PM
I'm probably not the best to respond. Most of my contact with paying clients is done through my site, email, or the phone. I've talked to readers of my blog through social media. I'm not a big user of Facebook so no talking there. Of course that's because I'm not there more than anything Facebook does. I used to talk to more people through Twitter, but more recently I've been able to connect to people better through Google+ Again that could be more me as I've mainly been using Twitter to post links to content I like. I do the same on Google+ but usually add some commentary.

It kind of matches what you're seeing with Facebook and Twitter. Perhaps we do need more than 140 characters at a time to have a conversation. Or maybe it's just us and how we use the services. I know there's plenty of conversation in the design community and seo community that takes place on Twitter. I'll read it more than participating though.

Harold Mansfield
04-04-2012, 11:29 PM
Facebook is just so much easier to use and communicate with, than Twitter. You don't communicate on Twitter. You grunt.
I don't actually talk to any existing clients on any Social Media. It's mostly email and phone. And I'm pretty sure they prefer it that way.

But, of the FB pages that I've set up or built for people, most are pretty inactive. I can probably name 3 that are pretty active and interact with people who leave comments and ask questions.

jamesray50
04-05-2012, 12:25 AM
No, I rarely get comments on my FaceBook page or on my Tweets. I wouldn't know how I got a comment on a tweet. I leave my facebook open and can see on the tab when there has been activity so I can go check to see what it was.

vangogh
04-05-2012, 11:17 AM
Facebook is just so much easier to use and communicate with, than Twitter.

I'm not sure that's true. Twitter isn't as easy to have a back and forth conversation with multiple people, but I think you can still communicate there. I suspect some of this is simply there's more people on Facebook than Twitter so you have greater odds of getting people to communicate on FB. I'd also say the 140 character limit is part of this as well.

I do agree though, that you'll likely have better conversations on FB or G+ than you will on Twitter in most cases.

KristineS
04-05-2012, 01:29 PM
I'm actually finding that I get annoyed when people Tweet content from a conference or something - using a hashtag and repeating points that are being made by the speaker. It's so disjointed, because the specific tweets from the conference appear with everything else in my Twitter feed. For me, that isn't that useful. Twitter is great for short exchanges, and I have made contacts there, but we generally take the conversation to another venue once the contact is made.

vangogh
04-05-2012, 10:19 PM
Twitter is great for short exchanges, and I have made contacts there, but we generally take the conversation to another venue once the contact is made.

That sounds typical. I think it's also an important point to understand with social media and networking in general. Lots of people want to lump all social sites into the same category, but the sites are different. You made a contact with a quick exchange on Twitter, but Twitter didn't lend itself to a longer conversation. Another network might be good for the longer conversation, but might not be as good for that introductory conversation.

The relationships we build online usually don't happen on one site. They happen over several sites. That's how life offline works too.

lucas.bowser
04-06-2012, 10:56 AM
My impressions:

Twitter - great for quickly disseminating information or making simple observations that your contacts may find interesting or useful. Difficult to have a protracted conversation though.
Facebook - great for group discussions and holding a small back and forth conversation over a period of hours or days. Allows for breaks in the action without losing context.
Email & Phone - Great for framing up larger discussions and projects, discussing issues, in a short amount of time in a one-on-one or small group setting.

vangogh
04-06-2012, 11:17 AM
I'd agree with those impressions. Like I mentioned above I think many people want to lump all these sites together as though each does the same thing and should be used the same way. People would be better taking the time to understand how each is different and understand their strengths and weaknesses. If you treat each site in accordance with what it does best your overall social media strategy will be more effective.

businessSM
06-21-2012, 06:38 AM
In my experience, Facebook and Twitter both have very different audiences but Twitter is actually a great customer service tool and a lot of companies that are getting it right are able to use Twitter conversations with their customers to their advantage. Twitter is also useful for reaching new audiences, whereas your Facebook group will only be viewed by those that actively choose to view it. vangogh you're completely right when you say that companies need to take the time to understand both - a blend of the two will always make the most robust social media strategy.

greenoak
06-21-2012, 07:35 AM
we get lots of comments on our facebook and i check it at least 3 times a day..... they usually just put a like on sometihng but if its a comment i always reply.....i dont see a need for twitter for us., but im not a user of it in any way, i have lots of networking going on all the time without tweets..and i dont get why they would also want to hear from me 4 or 5 more times a day.....i already do at least 2 fb posts a day........... .. but we are local and our customers are pretty engaged with our facebook....
what i miss sometime is a comment on an older post or picture.... the facebook architecture is so complicated, i figure out how to check all the nooks and crannies one day then still miss something later......but it tells me people dig back into our albums, so thats a plus....
anything really important is usually done on the phone in person or by email....facebook is just a great billlboard about the day and the store....

Harold Mansfield
06-22-2012, 09:06 AM
As much as I have tried, I just really don't like Twitter for business. To me it's just an old, limited message board.

KristineS
06-22-2012, 12:42 PM
Actually, I'm not finding Twitter as useful as I once did. The problem with Twitter is that it's fleeting. Most people won't visit your profile to see what you say over time, so you just have to hope they catch whatever Tweets you're putting out. Of course, you can use Twitter clients and favorite and do that kind of stuff, but there's still a lot that gets missed.

I'm finding Facebook much more useful and a business tool, and Pinterest as well.

AlexMc
06-22-2012, 02:32 PM
Great discussion here. I agree with everything the OP mentions. I'm not a huge fan of Twitter at all, as KristineS said it's hard to follow and I personally just don't like the appearance of it all. But, I do love Facebook. I get all the comments on my phone so I try my hardest to respond quickly. Thanks for all the insight vangogh.

vangogh
06-26-2012, 01:37 PM
I just really don't like Twitter for business.


I'm not finding Twitter as useful as I once did.


I'm not a huge fan of Twitter at all

In fairness, no social site was built so we could market through it or do business with it. What they all exist for is to help us connect with each other. I think Twitter still does that. Conversations 140 characters at a time aren't my favorite thing, but there are plenty of people who do carry out conversations on Twitter and get to know each other.

When you guys are saying you don't like Twitter is it because it's not directly driving traffic or leading to sales? It's not really supposed to. You can still connect with people through it and build your network. There are companies that use Twitter as a way to connect customer service with customers. It still drives traffic too, if the right person(s) tweet the link.

Harold Mansfield
06-26-2012, 05:59 PM
I just don't find Twitter visually stimulating or entertaining. The whole experience is kind of boring to me. It's too limited.
Now I've seen businesses like food trucks use it to announce where they are where they will be and I think that is a cool implemetation of it. But for me, it's really kind of boring.

KristineS
06-27-2012, 05:08 PM
In fairness, no social site was built so we could market through it or do business with it. What they all exist for is to help us connect with each other. I think Twitter still does that. Conversations 140 characters at a time aren't my favorite thing, but there are plenty of people who do carry out conversations on Twitter and get to know each other.

When you guys are saying you don't like Twitter is it because it's not directly driving traffic or leading to sales? It's not really supposed to. You can still connect with people through it and build your network. There are companies that use Twitter as a way to connect customer service with customers. It still drives traffic too, if the right person(s) tweet the link.

For me, Twitter was once a place to make connections. Now it seems as if there is a lot more crap than there used to be. I don't see as much meaningful discussion any more. I think the shorter format and the fact that it's so easy to miss something someone said has made me a bit disenchanted with Twitter too. I never looked at it as a business building tool, it was a relationship building tool and, as such, it worked really well for a while. Now, it may be that I've found other places that I think work better when it comes to building relationships. I'm still on Twitter and I still use it.

vangogh
07-04-2012, 03:14 PM
Fair points. I don't think everyone has to be on every social network. Some are more in tune with how we like to connect to people or they may better fit what our site is about. Twitter happens to be one of the big general networks. It makes sense to me to make it a part of any social strategy. I think your experience with it depends a lot on who you follow. If what you're seeing is boring or garbage, then it's more who you're following than Twitter in general. Stop following those people and follow others.

Once again though, you don't have to be on Twitter, or any other specific network.

MissesBeatriz
07-12-2012, 04:30 PM
My friend and I work together as a team. She is a fashion designer and I help her with social media marketing. So I manage her Facebook fan page and Twitter, and people love to comment, retweet, reply because they feel like they are actually talking to my friend (the cool designer). So I talk like her and the fans and customers get really excited, grateful for a retweet and at the same time, customers also reach out to us in case of doubt or problems. Which is good. I feel like we respond faster to issues though our social media. Cause although we have our emails on our phones, Twitter and Facebook are just easier. You get to share short ideas, comments, pictures, and customers love it. Its definitely a fun, great learning experience and you get to know your customers and fans.

vangogh
07-13-2012, 04:56 PM
people love to comment, retweet, reply because they feel like they are actually talking to my friend (the cool designer)

It works because you're active and engaging with people. I think most of us who don't do well on one social site or another aren't as active or able to engage the people in the community for whatever reason. Some assume social media marketing is all about dropping links on the best sites, but it's really the same old communicating and networking that works everywhere.

jamesray50
07-13-2012, 05:23 PM
I still really just don't understand Twitter. I follow people/companies, but I don't really follow their tweets. So I don't really know what they are tweeting about unless I actually look them up on Twitter. And I really have no desire to read the tweets, guess the newness has worn off. On the other hand, I only tweet my blog. I'm not sure how many followers actually see it. No one has ever told me they found me through Twitter or Facebook. I get all my clients from my website or search engines which directs them to my website. But, I still keep getting followers on Twitter, which amazes me since I don't tweet much. And they are legitimate followers, usually someone in my industry, or another business.

vangogh
07-16-2012, 11:36 AM
You do have to pay attention to what people are saying on Twitter if you want to interact with them. There are ways to filter out much of what you don't want to see on Twitter to focus on what you do. By default you can see the timeline of only those people you follow, but you can also create lists and save searches to further focus on what you want to see.

As far as tweeting you need to do more than just tweet links to your posts. That doesn't give much reason to follow you. If someone already reads your blog then you aren't giving them anything new and to those who don't already know you then your account becomes one self promotional link after another.

KristineS
07-16-2012, 12:00 PM
Twitter is definitely about community, you have to be a part of the community and make connections to really understand what Twitter is about. Vangogh is definitely right, if you're just Tweeting a steady stream of "come read my latest blog post" you probably won't draw much interest or traffic. You have to interact with people to make an impression, and this is especially important as the noise on Twitter grows.

vangogh
07-17-2012, 11:33 AM
All of these sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) aren't any different that being social in real life. Would you go into a room full of people and just keep repeating your URL over and over? Hopefully not. If you found yourself in a room full of people you'd probably first look for someone you knew and then gravitate toward those people and work your way into their conversations. If you didn't know anyone you might listen in on different conversations to find one interesting and wait for the moment where you could contribute something.

Think more about the social part of social sites. Forget for a moment about the medium itself. Then think what you would do if you wanted to socialize with a group of people physically in front of you and apply those same things to the social sites. In the end you're trying to connect and network with real people. The same things you would do to connect with them offline are what you want to do online.

KristineS
07-17-2012, 11:59 AM
I think a lot of social media "experts" have done those who use social media a disservice because they've emphasized how great those networks can be for selling and kind of glossed over the fact that you can't sell if you haven't formed trust with those on the site. Most social media sites can be great places to make sales, if you're smart about how you do it. Vangogh is exactly right, you can't go into any social media setting focused on your own agenda. You have to be aware of what's going on around you and focus on making connections first.

I did a post about why more isn't always more when it comes to fans or followers (http://www.asipublications.com/Stitches/DecQuorumBlogPost.aspx?id=8318) and also follow up post on how to be successful at the social media party (http://www.asipublications.com/Stitches/DecQuorumBlogPost.aspx?id=8390). They might be of some help.

vangogh
07-18-2012, 12:00 PM
I agree that sometimes the emphasis is placed on the selling. I think to a large degree that happens, because it leads people to reading the articles more, but there are also some "experts" who only talk in the sensational. There are plenty of people though who don't gloss over the hard work developing trust that has to happen first.

Nice articles. Sounds like we completely agree on this. :)

KristineS
07-19-2012, 12:13 PM
People want a silver bullet, and they thought social media would be it. Also, when something like that happens, there are always the "gurus" who jump on board and tell people exactly what they want to hear, even if it isn't the best strategy. There are plenty of people who understand how social media really works, but a lot of business owners don't want to hear that it will take work to develop a community and trust and that having tons of followers doesn't necessarily equal huge amounts of success. So you get the people who are saying what many business owners want to hear, not what would really help said business owners.

Glad you liked the articles.

A-E
07-20-2012, 03:06 PM
Our clients talk back by emails or phone calls. We are on facebook and twitter. And between the 2 facebook works best!

Geek_john
08-14-2012, 03:11 AM
There can be another way of using social media as an interface to interact at your won website by using functioanlities like social login and social sharing. Social login helps in understanding user behaviour and inturn defines the new marketing strategy. I think we need to use social media in both ways. I tired with a plugin called loginradius for this and it helped me. Hope it helps others too

StefanT
08-15-2012, 09:28 AM
This is a really interesting thread for me. I guess I really didn't get the point for Twitter. I figured if I had a Facebook page then why would I need Twitter for? But, from this thread I understand know that it's more about interacting with your customers and peers in your niche than about giving them the news of what's going on in your business. Cool stuff.

RyanDerous
08-16-2012, 11:23 AM
That sounds typical. I think it's also an important point to understand with social media and networking in general. Lots of people want to lump all social sites into the same category, but the sites are different.

That's a great point, and something to remember when launching a new social media presence. Not every business is suited for every social media platform. You might find more people talking to you on Facebook because Facebook fits your target audience better than Twitter or G+ or Pinterest or whatever. Knowing your audience will help you weigh what platforms you should use for your business. But I wouldn't discount one. Because, while Twitter might not be ideal now, you could launch new product in the next year, which has a different target audience that talks more on Twitter. I find it's good to have experience in all of them, but just focus on those that work for you.

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vangogh
08-16-2012, 11:52 AM
I figured if I had a Facebook page then why would I need Twitter for?

Think about it more like networking with people offline. You might have one group of friends where you get together to play some sport and another group where you get to together to play video games and another where you get together to discuss your favorite books. There might be some people in all three groups and some in a couple and some that are only in one of the groups.

Facebook is one place online where you can interact with a group of people. Twitter is another. You might interact with the same people on both and some uniquely on one of the other. The more places you interact with people, the stronger your relationship with them grows.


Not every business is suited for every social media platform.

Yep. Even though I just said the more places you interact with someone the stronger the relationship, that doesn't mean you have to join every site out there. Some sites won't have a lot of people you want to interact with and some just might not hold your interest.

KristineS
08-16-2012, 11:58 AM
I always tell people to go where you audience is. There are actually two things that need to happen for success on a social media platform. One is that your particular audience needs to be using that platform. The other is that you need to know how to use the platform successfully. Just having an account is never enough. You have to understand how to create a community and build trust. If you're just blaring out "buy my stuff" messages, you won't get very far.

facebookapps
09-05-2012, 04:47 PM
I always tell people to go where you audience is. There are actually two things that need to happen for success on a social media platform. One is that your particular audience needs to be using that platform. The other is that you need to know how to use the platform successfully. Just having an account is never enough. You have to understand how to create a community and build trust. If you're just blaring out "buy my stuff" messages, you won't get very far.

This is very true Kristine. However, I would not discount using any of the major social media platforms because they each have merits. It maybe true that your target market is suited to one social media platform rather than another but why exclude the rest? If you have set up your social networking properly your posts and information should be going to all the different platforms simultaneously you can then interject more content (not syndicated) to your preferred network(s).

Harold Mansfield
09-05-2012, 05:03 PM
This is very true Kristine. However, I would not discount using any of the major social media platforms because they each have merits. It maybe true that your target market is suited to one social media platform rather than another but why exclude the rest? If you have set up your social networking properly your posts and information should be going to all the different platforms simultaneously you can then interject more content (not syndicated) to your preferred network(s).

True, but I tried that approach for years and it was wasted time. Yes, you need to go where your people are. But you need to concentrate on the areas where you will connect with the highest amount of them, or an untapped resource without a lot of competition. I have the obligatory Twitter account (I actually have several) , but after 3 years I can count the amount of clients that use Twitter frequently on one hand.

I KNOW my people are on Facebook and Linked In and that's where I spend the most effort connecting with others just like them. Now I'm seeing that just about everyone has a tablet, so I make my content available there now. I'm now a firm believer that you don't need to spend a lot of time of every platform . Pick the one or two that will yield the best results, and hit them there.

Now, on the other hand, one of my clients owns a local "Entertainment" agency and all of his "Models" ( is that enough quotes?) have Twitter accounts, Tweet regularly and he gets a lot of inbound traffic from Tweets. That's what works for him. He wouldn't have the same results on FB or any other network. So I see no reason for him to divide his time and resources trying to. In his business, discretion and anonymity rules. And on Twitter, you can be anonymous.

Another one of my friends sells home made candles and gets NOTHING from FB, Twitter or Linked In. After all how many things can you tweet about candles? But Pinterest has been a God send. And that's where her time goes. Instead of hiring someone like me to build a FB page, why not hire a photographer to take great images of her products and post them where people are looking for cool stuff? Yes, she could build an ecommerce page on FB down the line, but right now, people are going directly to her site and that's working. No need to give them too many options, or a reason to leave.

So I say work it like the gristle at the end of a rib bone. Or as we used to say back in the day, "You got to get in where you fit in".

KristineS
09-06-2012, 12:17 PM
This is very true Kristine. However, I would not discount using any of the major social media platforms because they each have merits. It maybe true that your target market is suited to one social media platform rather than another but why exclude the rest? If you have set up your social networking properly your posts and information should be going to all the different platforms simultaneously you can then interject more content (not syndicated) to your preferred network(s).

I'm not a fan of syndicating posts and posting the same thing to multiple social media sites. Each site is different and a post that works on Facebook may not work on Twitter. I also have to agree with eborg that it pays to spend time in the places you know work for you. Why keep putting information out on a network that doesn't get you the response you need? When you're first starting out, I would agree it might be a good idea to try everything, but once you see where the responses are coming from, I would advise spending time and effort on those venues. There will always be more social media outlets popping up. You could make yourself crazy trying to be on all of them.

Harold Mansfield
09-06-2012, 12:25 PM
When I was a bartender we used to say that the worst thing that can happen to a gambler is that they win as soon as they sit down. And it's true. When people step into a bar to gamble, they have already planned on chugging along for a while, having a few drinks and hopefully before it's all said and done, maybe win something on the way out.

But when they win as soon as they sit down, mentally they weren't ready for it so soon. So they spend the rest of the time that they had already planned to unwind, putting the money back in and usually walk out broke.

It's kind of the same with Marketing. A lot of times we will ignore where we are getting the most promising results, because it's not where we want to get it from. So many people are focused on conquering the big dogs, that they completely over look other avenues that may be easier to work, have less competition, or is more focused on thier demographic.

Wh do you think eats more and lasts longer? A big fish in a small pond, or a smal fish in the ocean?

vangogh
09-07-2012, 07:03 PM
While I agree you should focus on the sites that are working for you, I don't think you should just ignore those you don't have success in right away. Just because you couldn't make a site work for you doesn't mean your customers aren't there. It could mean you didn't do a good job reaching them there or convincing them to follow you back to your site. Not that you should continue to focus on the networks that aren't leading to results, but don't assume your lack of success is inevitable. It's always good to try as many different marketing channels as possible and try different ways to make them work for you.

It's highly unlikely your market is only on Facebook and not Twitter. The big general sites include most everyone. It's more the niche social sites where your market may or may not be. If you have more success with Facebook and LinkedIn, then by all means put more of your efforts there, but don't assume you can't do just as well on Twitter or Google+ or another general network. Odds are you just need to figure out how to make it work for you.

Harold Mansfield
09-07-2012, 07:22 PM
My problem with Twitter is that I have no idea who I'm talking to. And there are more service providers and "social media experts" on there trolling for leads than there are business people looking to engage with service providers or "experts" or information. It's just not the best platform to find information. And there is just too much noise and junk streaming through it.

When I talk to people and ask them how they found me, it's in this order:
1. Web Search
2. Referal
3. Linked In
4. Saw one of your comments on Facebook/an industry blog/forum
5. WPMUDEV Directory
6. Saw your link on a site that you've built.

So for me, Twitter is wasted time. But like I said, for one of my buddies it's a gold rush of traffic. "Get in where you fit in" ( I should write a book with that title).

vangogh
09-12-2012, 02:05 AM
The same people are on Twitter though that are on Facebook and LinkedIn. I don't literally mean it's exactly the same people, but it's hard to imagine your people aren't also on Twitter. Obviously it hasn't worked for you, but I don't think it's because the people you want to reach aren't there. You say people don't tell you they find you there, but you also say you don't put much effort into Twitter because you don't think it will work for you. If you're not putting the effort in there why would you expect people to find you there.

I'm not saying you need to be there by the way. None of us can be everywhere. We have to pick and choose where we put resources and if you're doing well with the other sites you mention you're doing well to put your resources there.

On another note I get the feeling Twitter is making a lot of mistakes recently. They're basically telling developers to go away and they seem to want everyone to only access their service by going directly to their site. They recently announced they'd be stopping work on their Mac client and it seems likely they'll stop working on their mobile clients and clients for other operating systems too before long. It's a shame. My visits decreased greatly when they messed up their iOS client and it's decreased further with their dropping their Mac desktop client. I'd think of purchasing 3rd party apps, but the message seems to be that Twitter wants those to go away too.

My one hope is that they work with Apple and later Microsoft to more deeply integrate with the OS itself. For example the most recent version of OS X lets you tweet directly in the OS and you can share stuff to Twitter from a variety of different apps. On the other hand you can't get your twitterstream in the OS so out of sight out of mind.

Harold Mansfield
09-12-2012, 08:57 AM
But its not the same people. And you can't treat them as if they are all the same. There is a definite demographic to who is more likely to use which network, than they are others.

I used to put a lot of effort into it. I'm not saying it doesn't work at all. When I was writing my music blog, I got a lot of interaction via Twitter. That's actually where I did my Friday music giveaways, and it worked great. Probably had more interaction via Twitter, than Facebook.

But for THIS BUSINESS, most of my clients tend to be mid 30's and up, Solo Entrepreneurs and (non entertainment) Small Businesses, and they are telling me that they don't use it personally, nor do many of their peers. Some don't even like or understand it. So I'm doing what I'm supposed to. Going where they are to make it easy for them, and their peers to find and connect with me.

Everything is not going to be everything for everybody.

That being said, one of my recent clients is an author. Twitter seems to be good for writers. Made for them actually. He probably wouldn't do well with Pinterest. Others have been physical stores that sell products and when we can we set them up on Yelp and Foursquare. One is in MA, so Patch is a good fit too. Another is a Contractor, Yelp, Angie's List, and Pinterest works for him. I donate time to a Veterans Organization that has local workshops in AZ, so I'm trying to get them on Meet Up, however, not a lot of the Vets that they service don't "social network", so their website is their activity and engagement hub.

I keep saying it, "You got to get in where you fit in". But of course I say set up an account and at least pipe your Facebook updates to it. It's free and it takes minutes to do. Just to cover your bases.

dianecoleen
09-13-2012, 01:22 PM
Well, as for my experience, I mainly get messages on Facebook and a few on Twitter. I prefer talking on Facebook as it doesn't have a limited character as to what twitter has. I'm also a bit confused on twitters' features. I think I need some exploring on that social media site.

vangogh
09-14-2012, 06:08 PM
But its not the same people. And you can't treat them as if they are all the same.

Obviously the different networks won't have exactly the same people, but let's face it, there's a lot of overlap in these general networks. Facebook has about 900 million users and Twitter has about 500 million. I'd bet most Twitter users also have Facebook accounts and I doubt your customers are only on Facebook. When it comes to general social networks like these with hundreds of millions of users, we all have customers using each site.

When you're talking about networks this size it means the general masses are on both. I typed a few WordPress related searches into Twitter and I see plenty of people asking for help and looking to hire someone. Your customers are there.

Again I'm not saying you need to be there. If you're doing well without putting effort into Twitter then keep doing what you're doing. Just saying you can reach many of the same people in both places.

Harold Mansfield
09-14-2012, 06:39 PM
I still think you can separate it by demographic and niche a lot easier.

My older relatives are on FB, won't be on Twitter anytime soon. But my friends kids are on it all of the time.
It's an easy call that most people on Twitter may also have a Facebook account because Facebook is the biggest thing since oxygen.
But in reverse that is not true.

I have the Social extension installed in Outlook. It shows the latest from my contact's profiles, Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In. Barely any of my business/client contacts have a twitter account, or if they do, haven't touched it since they created it.

That's not always the case, but for the most part Twitter doesn't appeal to everyone. Nor does Foursquare. Nor does Yelp. They are measurable by most likely demographic. You can target where your demographic IS MOST LIKELY to be, instead of throwing a net over everything and seeing what you catch.

That's all I'm saying.

Social Network Demographics:



58 percent of US internet users that earn at least $50,000 per year are on LinkedIn, while only seven percent of those that earn less than $30,000 annually are.
56 percent of internet users 50 years old or older are using Facebook.
19 percent of female internet users are on Pinterest, compared to only five percent of male web users.


There's more here: http://marketingland.com/social-network-demographics-pew-study-shows-who-uses-facebook-twitter-pinterest-others-21594?utm_campaign=wall+&utm_source=socialflow&utm_medium=facebook

vangogh
09-18-2012, 11:50 PM
I still think you can separate it by demographic and niche a lot easier.

I agree. I'm not trying to suggest it's the exact same people across all these site, but once you're talking about networks with hundreds of millions of users it's still a safe bet there's a wide variety of people and you can find customers on any of them.

Consider the numbers too. 58% of US internet users on LinkedIn earn $50k. Let's pretend it's all LinkedIn users. In that case it's 58 million people. Twitter has 400 million people. If only 25% earn $50k it's still 100 million people. The % say Pinterest users are more likely to be women, but that doesn't mean there are more women on Pinterest than on Twitter.

Twitter might not appeal to everyone, but with as many users as it has I find it hard to believe your customers can't be found there. And again I'm not saying you need to spend your time there. If it hasn't worked for you, it hasn't worked. Since the other sites are working it makes sense to put your efforts there.

myQRad.com
11-02-2012, 04:44 PM
Has anyone tried to use LinkedIn to connect with customers? I guess LinkedIn may be better for certain industries, but I was just wondering if anyone had tried?

jamesray50
11-02-2012, 08:16 PM
Has anyone tried to use LinkedIn to connect with customers? I guess LinkedIn may be better for certain industries, but I was just wondering if anyone had tried?

Yes, in a way. First of all, in some groups there are lots and lots of links to articles. I don't read them, there is too many of them. Then there are connections of mine that send me messages with whatever they are trying to sell. I ignore these. I know what I need and will get it when I need it. Then there are people who are highly respected in my industry, mentors, that in addition to answering questions and keeping us informed of new things going on will also offer things that may interest us, like webinars. So, even though I may not be a customer in a sense, I would be if I attended a paid event.

When I write a blog I always post it LinkedIn. I received one of my clients from LinkedIn and who knows, maybe I'll get another one.

billbenson
11-02-2012, 09:43 PM
I view linkedin as a job search site. Post your resume and see who calls. Steve B, I'd be curious of your opinion on this if you see this thread.

vangogh
11-09-2012, 06:26 PM
I think LinkedIn is more of a way to network with people in your industry. It's kind of becoming the modern day rolodex. You're probably right that some industries could find customers though it, but I think it's more a way to connect people looking to work together or hire someone for a permanent job. It just seems more of a business to business place than a business to customer place. Again that's not to say it can't work to find customers, but I would think it less likely.

billbenson
11-11-2012, 05:14 AM
I think LinkedIn is more of a way to network with people in your industry. It's kind of becoming the modern day rolodex. You're probably right that some industries could find customers though it, but I think it's more a way to connect people looking to work together or hire someone for a permanent job. It just seems more of a business to business place than a business to customer place. Again that's not to say it can't work to find customers, but I would think it less likely.

Ya, I view Linkedin as a resume site. I've found a few old work friends there.

vangogh
11-13-2012, 12:27 AM
I know people who use it as a rolodex. You're out and meet someone and want their contact info. You either put it directly in your phone or take their card and then add it to your phone. I'm pretty sure there are apps that can take a picture of the card and quickly move the info to LinkedIn or at least your address book where it can be moved to LinkedIn.

Lately I have noticed more traffic coming from LinkedIn. There are a lot of groups there about most any aspect of business. I would think those who participate in the groups get business from each other or recommendations.

billbenson
11-13-2012, 01:09 AM
I know people who use it as a rolodex.

I use a text editor. I'm not sure how long ago I started using one, but at least several years. If I get a phone call or respond to an email, I put it in the text editor. If I have a product question for the manufacturer, I put it in the text editor. It is now 36k lines long.

The benefit is 'search'. I put something in the text editor entry which is unique. Usually a name or phone. Even with that many entries, it usually only takes a few clicks on next to get the info I need. It acts as a very crude database. But it works well.