Thrive - Tools, Tips and Information for ADP Clients

Building Your Business With Social Media

Part 1 of 2

Do you use social media, either for personal or professional reasons? If not, you surely know someone who does… and you may want to be next.

Social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are accessed by millions of people each day. Other social media tools, like blogs, podcasts, text messaging and instant messaging, allow users to connect and exchange ideas in ways that were never possible before. Social media is truly changing the way we think, act, relate and, ultimately, work with one another.

Diving into the world of social media can be a daunting prospect — even for people who comfortably use email and the Web on a daily basis. These tools operate a little differently, so here’s a quick primer on some of the most commonly-used terms:

  • Social Networks: Social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn allow users to interact online on a website. They provide features that enable users to instant message or voice-chat, message, send e-mail, share files (like videos and photos), blog, host discussion groups and otherwise keep up with one another. Both permit you to reach out to someone you don’t know — maybe a potential customer or partner — with that person’s contact information only becoming visible to you if she/he permits it upon viewing your request. Facebook is generally used for personal networking, while LinkedIn currently has a corner on the professional networking market. More recently, LinkedIn has become a useful tool for businesses to recruit new employees and form or join groups where similar-minded companies can network and share information.

  • Twitter: Twitter is a “micro-blogging” service that enables users to send and read other users’ updates, known as “tweets.” Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters, including links. On Twitter, you can join millions of other users and “follow” an expert in your industry or one of your customers as she/he shares experiences and information of interest. Twitter also offers a useful search function at http://search.twitter.com. You can see what literally millions of people may be saying about a topic of interest — in real-time. Even if you don’t use Twitter (yet), go to its search URL and type in a phrase — you’ll see how dynamic and potentially valuable the site can be.

  • Blog: A dynamic website where individuals or groups periodically update entries, typically called “posts.” Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject, while others function as more personal online diaries. Readers are often invited to comment on a post they’ve read, and sometimes these “conversations” can get lively. A “feed reader” allows you to read multiple blog posts (and other online content from multiple sites) in one convenient place.

  • Instant Messaging (IM): IM enables two or more people to “talk” back and forth online in real-time. An IM can be thought of as a telephone call that’s being conducted in text.

  • Text Messaging (TM): Texting sends “short” (160 characters or fewer) text messages to mobile phones using Short Messaging Service (SMS).

  • Podcasts: Audio and video files that you can download and play on your computer or MP3 player. Podcasts are also very easy (and free) to create. You could send them to prospects or customers, or post them on your own website — even www.YouTube.com. Podcast topics range widely, but one popular podcast includes recorded radio shows (think public or talk radio programs).

Many organizations are debating whether to jump into the social media world now, or wait and see how these tools evolve. The answer may be to do both. Experiment. You can wander almost any of these sites without revealing your identity until you are ready to do so. And — once you do — it can help your Google search results, too.

Here are a few key facts about using social media to grow your business:

  • Fact: More and more small businesses are using social media.
    By the end of 2009, small business use of social media had doubled to 24 percent from 12 percent in 2008. Common applications include launching a company page on a networking site, posting status updates on media sites and building a networking group on Linkedin. According to a 2009 study, 58 percent of businesses using social media indicate that these online efforts have met their expectations on metrics such as identifying and attracting new customers, generating awareness in a target market and staying engaged with customers.1

  • Fact: Today’s workforce is changing quickly.
    Boomers, a generation of 78 million, currently make up 45 percent of the workforce and are beginning to retire.
    Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) number 92 million and currently form 10 percent of the workforce. In less than 10 years, more millennials will be in the workforce than any other generation. The millennial generation embraces social media and expects their employers to, as well.2

  • Fact: Employees of all generations are using social media for work purposes.
    People in all age ranges are using social media for business purposes. Although millennials are those most associated with social media, large segments of traditionalists, boomers and gen xers are online for an hour or more a day when not at work.2 And 62 percent of IT managers believe that developing Web technologies is necessary for their businesses to flourish.3

In the next edition of Thrive, we’ll highlight the correlation between social media and financial success, and share more suggestions on how to use low-cost, highly interactive online tools to advance your organization’s presence among employees, prospects, clients and partners.

  1. 2009 Network Solutions, LLC and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business
  2. 2008 Aon Social Media and Employee Communications Survey
  3. 2009 Websense Web2.0@Work™ Survey

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