Which Social Media Tool is Right For You?

You have a business you want to promote. You have heard that social media is the best and most cost effective way to reach a large audience quickly. You've heard that MySpace and Facebook are the biggest social networks out there. So you've created a MySpace account. You've made a Facebook fan page. Now what? 

Your MySpace profile has 300 friends. The only fans on your Facebook fan page are your own family and employees. You put up new bulletin board updates regularly. But you have no idea why, or even if they are reaching anybody. And you fear your friends on Facebook will soon desert you if you keep annoying them with emails advertising your sales.  

Social media only works if you are using the right social media tools. Before you start your next campaign, you need to figure out which tool is right for you. And then we figure out how to build up your audience with that tool. With social media, rather than spreading yourself across all networking sites, pick the right tool, and become a pro and master of that.  

The key to social media is understanding which social media tool is for you. Research, activate, and communicate! Research which tool will reach your target audience. Activate your account, make it interesting, brand it appropriately, and launch it. And then begin communicating! 

So which tool is right for you? Let's look at the three biggest "tools" out there.  

Let's start with MySpace. I'll be honest, unless your business specifically targets music lovers between twelve and thirty years of age, you probably don't need to be on MySpace. The exception to this rule is if you or your business are very hip, cutting edge, and witty. If you are not, and your business is not, avoid MySpace.  

Facebook has the potential of reaching all ages and all demographics. But how? Is a fan page enough? Maybe. If you wisely advertise your fan page on your website, email blasts, etc., you can start to build up more fans. In your next email blast, or Twitter, or even in a note on your blog or site, promise your audience that if they become your fan you will offer them discounts and newsworthy deals before anyone else. Consider running an ad on Facebook, inviting people to become your fan, and introducing them to your business. Import your blog to automatically feed into Facebook so that your fans can read your latest entries. But most importantly, your fan page should be a tool for providing information to your fans, and to make you money. If you aren't using Facebook to drive fans and more importantly new fans to your site, you are wasting your time.  

Twitter, if used right, has the most potential for a business. You can quickly search for individuals with interests related to your business and add them. You can narrow your search by location. And if they don't want to hear from you, they don't have to add you back. Twitter is all about the conversation. If you think you are going to get on Twitter just to post your daily self-promotion, you won't get anywhere. If you join Twitter, and offer advice to users with related interests, engage in conversations, and become valuable to your followers, you will be successful. 

Social media is only as good as the message you send with it. Craft the right message and then figure out which tool will send your message to the right people.  

Erin Ann McBride is the Director of Social Media Strategies for CheapOair.com. When she's not pounding away on her blackberry or laptop, she can be found volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, attending a Real Salt Lake game, or hiking. She entertains herself on Twitter as @erinannie and @cheapoair.