The Social Media landscape is a very interesting one. It comprises of 10 key elements and all of them can be used, and are being used, to help generate and maintain sales for small to medium sized businesses. In this 7-part blog series, I am going to give an over view of the 7 elements you need to be using as a bare minimum.
- Publish
- Share
- Discuss
- Social Networks
- Microblogging
- Lifestream
- Livecast
The other three, virtual worlds, social games and MMO (or Massively Multiplayer Online game) can also be used, although not essential.
So, let’s keep the focus on the big 7 and help you get your Social Media skills & understanding to a whole new level.
“Share” The Social Media Landscape – Part 2 of 7
YouTube, Flickr & Blip.fm are three systems you can use as part of your Social Media presence. There are a lot of misconceptions about sharing online and the biggest one of the lot is the idea that you “must be TV quality” to bother sharing.
This is absurd and while it may have been true 10 years ago, times have changed and customers are looking for content, not presentation.
YouTube is an online video sharing website that allows it’s users to upload, view, share, comment on and embed videos on other websites or blogs.
It is very interesting to note that YouTube was created in February 2005 and just 21 months later, in November 2006, was bought by Google Inc. for US$1.65 billion – not a bad return on time invested by the three founders!
How is YouTube good for business?
As you will soon figure out, YouTube is an incredibly simple system to use, costs nothing and allows you to connect with your customers at a whole new level – no matter where in the world they (or you) are.
All you need to create a YouTube clip is a very basic webcam, which you can purchase online for about twenty bucks. From there, you login to YouTube.com and click the “upload” button and start recording your clip.
Videoing interviews with your staff, tours of your office and clips from live presentations are just three simple ways you can please your customers. Trust is the most important aspect of creating sales and by letting your clients see “behind the scenes” will build a lot of trust, very quickly.
Each video that is created has a short explanation with it. It is wise to put your website in this bio to encourage viewers to click on your website or blog to learn more and perhaps make a purchase.
Flickr is most commonly used for sharing personal photos. Bloggers are catching on to Flickr and using its slideshow features to create a “flashy” look on their site.
Flickr is not a system that you will use a lot, however, it is one that you need to use. Upload photos from events, tradeshows, team meetings, your staff and more. As with YouTube, use Flickr to build trust with your customers by opening the “behind the scenes” in a simple and well presented manner.
Music is a massive industry, perhaps one of the largest on the planet. Sharing your favourite songs using Blip.fm is a fun and easy way to meet like-minded people – you are looking for people with the same interests are you after all, aren’t you?
Create a free Blip.fm account and occasionally “Blip” a song that you really enjoy – post it to your twitter, facebook (more on these in Parts 4 & 5) blog, website as part of your Social Media presence.
So there you have it, some food for thought on the Share element of the Social Media Landscape. YouTube is definitely the key player here – ensure you use it!
Come back for Part 3 – 7 real soon or even better, subscribe to this blog and have the next post emailed to you when I hit “submit”!
Uncovering the Social Media Landscape
