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What is the best social network for businesses?
I am overwhelmed by the amount of social networks available, what do you think the best ones are? Why?
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- Trevor Usken
I would say that LinkedIn.com is one of the best in terms of networking to other business professionals. You can join groups that are related to your field and create discussions surrounding whatever topic you are interested in. It automatically connects you to other businesses and business professionals of whom you can network with easily.
I would agree that LinkedIn is very good but I would also use other popular ones such as facebook.com and twitter. The more sites you are on the more free marketing you can do for you and your company.
I agree with all of the above but there can be a problem because you might pick on just these three but suddenly you are hooked and pitched down an Alice in Wonderland mineshaft and then into a labyrinth and maze. A click here and a click there and suddenly two hours have disappeared. You have got lost in a time warp!!
So you do need to restrict yourself, probably by time.
LinkedIn will provide you with a platform in two ways. Firstly you will be able to set out your stall and tell the world about YOU in as much detail as you want. It is a great place to be found if you are looking for contracts.
LinkedIn is also a platform through the different discussions where you can make a real impact. Not only by commenting but also by raising your own discussions. Be bright and show you have innovative ideas and are forward thinking and down to earth.
Facebook can be used as a Fan or Business Page or you can form a group.
On both LinkedIn and Facebook Groups are useful. That group can be for others who have the same discipline as yourself if you are looking for like-minded people to gave technical discussions with, or it could be for people in your niche market. So as a web designer it might be "What makes a good website", "My biggest nightmare with my website". Either of those, and particularly the latter will certainly take you straight to individuals whio are having a problem that you could resolve.
Twitter is good if you have good knowledge to regularly give away. Get followers who want to get a better website and give out regular tips or links to other blogs. Either way your followers will begin to know, like and trust you.
In general, most people would suggest LinkedIn as the premier social network for business. It is optimized for searching out contacts and people with similar business interests. However, although LinkedIn is strong for making business contacts, it is still rather formal compared to Twitter.
Twitter offers a way to interact with like-minded people around ad hoc topics and discussion. It is less structured than LinkedIn, which means it is more suited to spontaneous discussion.
In the end, an investment in both LinkedIn and Twitter is probably well worth the time and trouble.
LinkedIn. Nothing else comes close. At a recent B2B Sales executive networking session, LI was the number one tool used by sales execs and their team for "working" their pipeline accounts. It is the best way to build a respected and trusted permission-based network among colleagues, clients, prospects, etc. I don't view Twitter so much as a social network, but as a tool that helps expand your network in true networks like LI and to drive web traffic and subscribers to your content.
The groups and discussion boards on LI have lost their pizazz over the past year with Focus picking up steam at the expense of the LI discussion boards.
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Related Activity
This is the same as asking, where should I locate my store?
The best social networks to use depend on your business and your market (aka your target community).
Facebook is, and will always be, dominated by people interacting with friends and playing games. People don't go to Facebook first to find jobs or learn about new industry best practices. Act accordingly.
LinkedIn is the top business network. Very professional and B2B. Focus is similar in that respect, but more 'focused' on actual business content, whereas LinkedIn focuses mostly on networking (the good old fashioned kind).
If you are involved in music, then MySpace is a great place to start.
Twitter is a lot of things and really depends on your message and your audience, but if nothing else, Twitter is good for SEO and getting news out.
Remember that different social networks are popular in different places, so you might want Facebook in N. America, but Orkut in Brazil or Bebo in the UK, for example.
There is likely to be a social network for every niche out there, (http://LandscapeArchitectureResource.com and http://land8lounge.com for landscape architects, for example), so you'll probably find one closely related to what you do.
If not (sorry to overwhelm you further) you can even start your own: http://ning.com !
Your final answer should, in most cases, be that there are many social networks that are worth your time. Leverage each one in the way that fits best with your goals and the goals of the network. They are all interconnected, so you will likely find value in being involved in several. Start small and try to add value to the community before expecting anything back.