Social networks have changed the face of business forever. They allow businesses and professionals to interact with members of their client or customer base in a new, innovative way and allow businesses and professionals the chance to market products and services for absolutely nothing at all. Here is a list of some of the most popular social networks that are available to businesses and professionals along with their primary benefits:
It may not have been the first social network, but it was definitely the first to get it right. Facebook lets businesses and professionals create their own pages which can then be “liked” by individual users of the social network. The more likes that a page is able to receive, the higher it will rank in the social network’s internal search engine, and the more likely that new clients or customers will be attracted to using the business or service for themselves. A good social media campaign should include a plan to get as many Facebook likes as possible.
There is no distinction on Twitter between accounts for businesses and professionals and accounts for individual users. Anyone can create a Twitter account for themselves or a business. Once an account is created, any other Twitter user can opt to become a follower of that account to receive messages from the followed account. Unlike other social networks that are full of bells and whistles, Twitter is beautifully simple to use. The service lets users create public messages up to 140 characters in length which can be read by anyone, but which appear specifically in the news feeds of any official followers. It may not seem like a lot, but 140 characters is plenty of space for businesses and professionals to keep prospective and satisfied clients and customers engaged in business happenings and offers.
Google+
Google’s solution to Facebook, Google+ offers many of the same benefits as Facebook, plus a few extra perks. Perhaps the biggest and best perk of using Google+ is that information shared on Google’s social network is instantaneously indexed by Google’s search engine. This means that users of Google+ are more likely to have the information which they share on the social network viewable by users of the Google search engine than those who only share the information on Facebook or Twitter. While possible for Facebook and Twitter profiles to appear in Google search results, information shared on a Google+ profile is likely to reach a favorable search engine rank on Google faster than an equal profile created on Facebook or Twitter.
Designed to be the social network for business professionals, LinkedIn can be a great way for businesses and professionals to find new customers and clients. The network is perhaps the most professional social network among the web’s most popular networks, so personal posts, comments, and photos should be excluded from the LinkedIn profile. The benefit to using LinkedIn is that the service connects people who are looking for work with people who are looking to have work done. It is a go-to resource for many businesses and professionals who are looking for fellow businesses or professionals that they can outsource to.
