With so many social media platforms out there, constantly changing, how is it possible to keep up with them all? It seems pretty simple for the generation Y crowd to understand these ever-changing mediums, but can be more difficult for those who didn’t grow up using social media. Read these tips on how to keep up and why social media is important.
What’s Your Purpose & What Can It Offer You?
Social media has various uses and levels of importance depending on what you’re seeking as an end result. Facebook has become one of the most popular forms of social media and is used as another way to socialize or keep up with friends and family. Linked In is another medium out there and is used for networking and connecting professionally. Twitter, finally becoming more and more popular, is used to post quick news frequently. These are the 3 most popular forms of social media, however, there are tons of options out there so figuring out their purpose and what you’re seeking to do is the first step in tackling social media.
What Platforms of Social Media Should You Choose?
Again, depending on what you’re seeking, it is best to choose forms of social media that are right for you. For instance, I have a Facebook that I use as a social too to keep up with friends and family, by reading their posts and sharing some of my personal experiences. Linked In has been a great tool to connect with people in my local community, build relationships or network with others in my field of work, and to bring business to my current company. Twitter is a great tool used to express personal thoughts, funny experiences, quotes, and current events. Instagram is one of my favorites, where I can post photos and edit them using different filters available. Google + has been a great way to connect with my Gmail [email] contacts and great for my side business to appear in Google searches. Although I could be using even more social media mediums, these are the main ones that appeal to me.
How Do You Keep Up?
Keeping up with social media can be a challenge because it can be time-consuming and there are so many forms to keep up with. My advice on this is to think about the importance of each one and how it can benefit you. If you’re using it for a business or a way of advertising, think about how to keep your content exciting and fresh to appeal to your users. What do you want to post, when do you want these post to appear, and who is your audience? By tackling these questions, you can figure out a basic social media plan. There are great tools out there that allow you to post one thing on multiple channels and you can even schedule the timing so that it automatically posts for you! One example of this that I use a lot is a tool called Hootsuite.
Social media was is ever-changing and designed as a way to express yourself to various audiences quickly. There are a lot of advantages of social media and what it can do for you personally and professionally IF you use it correctly. If you’re still unsure of the best platforms to choose that will best work for you, there are many webinars and tutorials out there that can lead you in the right direction.
Verigent Blog 
Posted on October 31, 2012
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