Location or Credibility?

With so many Social Media sites out there, where should you spend your time? In the "olden days" of just a few short years ago, it was fairly simple: For business, spend time on LinkedIn. For personal, use Facebook (or in the "real" olden days, use MySpace). If you have videos, then go to YouTube.

Nowadays, the choices are far more complicated. There are many more Social Media venues out there. There are corporately-hosted discussion groups, industry forums, third-party blogs, and Twitter lists. And so on.

Here is the general answer: It doesn't matter how many places there are, you should be wherever your target audience is. If they spend their time in a specific LinkedIn group, then that's where you should be. If they follow a particular person on Twitter, then you should do that too. And if they aren't on Social Media at all... then perhaps you shouldn't be either.

This week's action plan: Do a search in every social media venue that you know of (and on Google): look for the communities that are actively discussing your interests. Instead of just reading their posts, consider how you can become part of this community. Each valuable contribution earns you credibility in the eyes of your target audience. Unlike the world of real estate, location doesn't matter: credibility and reputation does.

Randall Craig is an expert on Social Media Strategy and Social Media Policy; to find out how his workshops, webinars, and keynotes can help your team or add to your event, contact him through www.RandallCraig.com, or by email at editor@ptadvisors.com.

Make It Happen Tipsheet
Comments or questions? let us know: editor@ptadvisors.com

Copyright © 2010 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: Dec 28, 2010