Many companies and brands have a Facebook presence of some sort. It may be as simple as basic information and links to their web site. It could be that they have a very engaging Facebook presence and try to interact with its users frequently. Given that Facebook has over 1 billion users is it worth investing your time in other Social Media platforms? A recent report by GWI suggests that it might.
Their Social Media Platform Update detailed the usage of Social Media globally in 2012 and had some interesting findings. As detailed in my previous post on Social Media Platform Usage in 2012 Google+ has the 2nd highest monthly active user base – which amounts to 25% of global internet users. With YouTube and Twitter both having over 20% of global internet users (Facebook has over 50%) – putting some effort in to the other Social Media channels does have a large potential audience.
Of course, each Social Media platform has its own uses, user base, and depending on your needs some might not really suit your presence or persona. Again you need to establish what the aim of the presence would be and how you can best meet your goals.
You might find that Facebook is enough. However if you are looking for more serious participation such as knowledge sharing then Google+ or Twitter may be more appropriate. You should never discount forums either as a means of crowd sourcing. Peer-to-peer support and advocates of your brand are a great addition your presence. Alternatively you may be looking towards recruitment – LinkedIn is the obvious choice there – but there are alternatives in this space too: jobgo being just one example.
In future posts I will discuss the usage and opportunities with the top Social Media platforms but I will leave you with a question:
What Social Media platforms do you use and how do you use them?