Talking with many such people in the industry, I have been told the first thing they do no matter what size the company is, is set up LinkedIn and Facebook pages for their firm, and a Twitter account.
Most report that for more professional companies, LinkedIn is probably the one they will work on the most, as their target market is heavily penetrated on that venue.
Facebook and Twitter seem to be then were they hit a roadblock.
Many report that because these portals lend themselves more to a personal interaction that they are at a loss of what to write.
One contact mentioned that they felt it is similar to when websites were first coming out.
You definitely needed one for credibility, but you were not quite sure on how to effectively use one.
Some companies use social media in a number of different ways.
First of all, they use blogs as the basis for their online presence.
One company I consult with has four blogs that they use to address different parts of their market:
- A self-help website.
Builds credibility for other parts of their business and is the reason they got into elder care.
It was a family medical crisis. - The second blog is to give people the exposure they deserve within the eldercare industry, so they use this blog to post interviews on.
- A third blog is a site for people to memorialize the individual memories of their parents.
- The fourth blog is their consulting business to help elder care companies better market their products and services.
Finally, they use Facebook to show the personal side of each employee and their business.
If you are out to attract prospective customers and develop your online presence and exposure, you owe it to yourself and the financial future of your business to learn everything you can about social media.
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