The world of social media is constantly evolving and its important for your business to stay on top of emerging social networks that can help you promote your products and services.
While it seems like there are new social media sites popping up every day, two new websites in particular seem to have captivated the masses as of late: Google + and Pinterest.
What on earth is Google +?
Google + (pronounced Google Plus) is a new social network created by the search engine giant Google. It is similar in many ways to Facebook — users can create profiles, connect to friends, share photos, etc. — but has a few additional features such as video chat and the ability to sort your friends into groups with whom you can share specific links, photos, status updates, etc.
Not even a year old, Google + has gained a lot of media attention and as of the end of 2011 was averaging around 50 million visitors a month. They recently added Business Pages and we highly recommend creating one (Go to http://google.com/+/business to sign up). It’s very similar to a Facebook page, except the Google search tools allow you to find other users with similar interests much easier than Facebook.
You should also add a Google + link to your website (we can do this for you, just give us a call!) so your clients can connect with you on the site. Once you’re signed up, you’ll see lots of “+1” icons on Google search results. You can click them to “+1” a link that you like (it’s just like clicking the “Like” button in Facebook).
As with all the social media sites, the best way to figure them out is just to jump out and start exploring! Make sure you look up the OldCity.com Google + page and follow us!
What the heck is a Pinterest?
Have you ever had a bulletin board where you posted your favorite magazine clippings, photos and other items? Pinterest (pinterest.com) is like a digital version of that bulletin board networked together with the bulletin boards of all your friends and family. You can see what’s on their boards, copy things you like to your boards, and organize them into different categories (food, crafts, sports, humor, etc.).
For a business, Pinterest is an excellent way to promote your products, pictures and website features to other people. But the key to success on Pinterest is having items with visual interest. You can pin items from all over the internet, but it’s the image that shows up on a person’s board. Clicking on the image takes you to the website where it came from, but the image is what grabs users’ attention.
So if you’re posting a recipe, for example, it’s the picture of the food that people will see and click on to get the recipe itself. Therefore you should use an excellent shot of your dish that will entice people to click through for more information.
To join Pinterest you have to request an invitation, which is usually sent out within a few days so that you can access the site and start pinning away! Follow other users to see what they pin to their bulletin boards and encourage them to follow you back!
The Demographics of Google + and Pinterest
Our final note on these two new social networks is this: Know your target market. If you don’t have the time to jump on every popular social network (and really, who does?) pick your network based on which ones your customer base is using the most.
Google + is most popular with males, ages 18 to 35 while Pinterest is most popular with females of the same age group. If your client base is mostly younger males, getting on Google + would be a higher priority than Pinterest and vice versa if your customers are mostly female.
By the same token, if your clients are mostly age 60 and up, social networks might not be the best place to spend your marketing time. Instead, we can help you with print brochures and other advertisements that might work better for your clients.