A few links on social media

Recently I hosted a phone conference titled “Connection: What To Post on Social Media For Your Business.”

I had overheard someone say that beyond events, they weren’t sure what to post, so I pulled some tips I had learned from various social media books.

A nice explanation of social media I read in How to make money with social media is:

• Facebook is like a pub, casual, more personal and intimate
• LinkedIn is like a trade show, all business
• Twitter is like a cocktail party, fleeting and somewhat superficial
• YouTube is like Times Square on new year’s eve, lots of links trying to get noticed

Pictorial sites such as Instagram and Pinterest are also gaining momentum, and check-in sites like Foursquare also have a purpose. Facebook can become a more business oriented tool with the introduction of business pages and subscription options for personal pages.

Each outlet serves different audiences and demographics, so you want to think about the one you want to focus on. As you become comfortable, you can experiment with other social media venues as well.

Aside from tooting your own horn by promoting your business events or sales, you can also:

1. Position yourself as an expert by linking to news in your industry, explaining trends, sharing the history of your product or service, etc.
2. You can present how-to’s and tips with instructions on how to make life easier, how things work, what people do.
3. You can also show your human side and be personal. Pick something that shows your personality—a hobby, a favorite food or color—and share your observations about that topic of interest.
4. A picture speaks a thousand words: sometimes just posting a photo will keep you active in the social media world.
5. Share what your favorites are doing: cross-post the wisdom or news of people you like and follow, and give them a pat on the back
6. Have fun with holiday tie-ins: does an upcoming holiday relate to your business? Do you make up holidays to help people celebrate life? You can find a list of holidays online and use the more obscure ones for fun as a promotional tie-in.

The key is to invite a dialogue with your readers/followers/likers and interact, rather than push out information. Social media has to work for you, and not be a burden.

Some links I came upon when I was researching my chat:

• When to post to social media
• A word of caution about auto-feeds to social media 
• Password security 
• How to follow the plethora of information resources 
• Some help with understanding Search Engine Optimization
• Tips on what to post on Twitter
• Pinterest news about attribution concerns  
• An article about Instagram’s rise