Corporate Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Facebook Characteristics.

Despite all recent changes, Facebook still remains the most used social media platform. It gives you an opportunity to create customized pages, add images and video, interact with followers and respond to their comments directly on your page. You have to make your content engaging enough to attract new followers and build a network.

- 845 million active users.

- The average Facebook user spends 20 minutes on the site per visit.

- 57% of Facebook users are women.

Facebook for corporate marketing. Make your page a place for people within your industry to "hang out" online. Use the features of Facebook's new layout called Timeline, to highlight posts, especially those with images or promotions. If it applies to your industry, use apps to create games, sweepstakes, or contests to give users a reason to visit your page.

What to post. Industry news, office events, and things like a weekly quote are a great way to show off what you know and what you're about. Facebook is the best place to post images and video, as they are embedded and can be previewed in your page. Images and video are a great way to encourage "likes" and attract new followers.

When to Post. Best time to post on Facebook is between 1 and 4 p.m.

Twitter Characteristics.

Twitter's strength is in its ability to make content go viral. Even though Twitter gives you a page, engagement with your brand will be through the tweets. Each tweet is limited to 170 characters; images and video can only be linked. Twitter's search makes it possible to track public tweets about your brand, find interesting topics or users to follow. It is easier to gain followers than on Facebook.

- Over 100 million active users.

- Over 250 million tweets posted daily.

- Female users are also prevailing.

Twitter for corporate marketing. Think of Twitter as a stream of headlines and links to articles that should give users an idea of what your tweet is about. It should be interesting enough to encourage them to click on the link, reply to you or, better to re-tweet your post. Twitter is a great place to post links to your blog, product pages, or articles that might be relevant to a given category. You want to appear in as many relevant categories as possible to increase your followers. Use hashtags (#) to categorize your tweets and make them searchable.

What to post. Links to articles you find interesting and re-tweet, or share posts from other users that are relevant and also interesting. Twitter also has a "trending topics" feature, which can show you the hashtags that are being used the most at that time. Be sure to check these often, and use those hashtags when they are related to your brand. Thanking people who follow you and re-tweet your messages is a common practice on Twitter, and a great way to initiate conversations.

When to post. Tweet your posts between 10am and 1pm for the highest click rank, especially on days earlier in the week.

LinkedIn Characteristics.

Many think LinkedIn is just a place to keep your professional resume. While that's true, over the years LinkedIn has evolved to become a great B2B tool as well. Think of it as a round table where professionals share their knowledge. Unlike Facebook, people come here to develop a business network. Usually, people that follow your company on LinkedIn, are those that have a relevant interest in what you do.

- Over 147 million users.

- 2 new members join every second.

- 58% of users are men.

LinkedIn for corporate marketing. LinkedIn company pages are simple - a brief description, status updates, a showcase of products and a list of available job openings. You can also connect your blog RSS feed directly into the company page. LinkedIn allows you to share updates, images and video. Unlike Twitter, posts with images or video on LinkedIn have embedded thumbnails. It's important to be selective about what you post - professionals that seek out your page come there for a certain expertise.

Groups and the LinkedIn Answers app are also great places to share your expertise and spark an interest to your profile. LinkedIn is highly ranked by Google, so this is one more way to optimize search results related to your brand.

What to post. If you have any job openings, this is the best place to post it. Otherwise, industry news, and recent blog posts are a good idea. Though most interaction with others will take place in LinkedIn Groups or in the Answers app.

When to post. Early evening, starting at around 5 or 6pm, are best for LinkedIn posts.

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