Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn…What’s the Difference?
While there are many tools available for social media marketing and social networking, there are some sites that rise above the rest because of the sheer numbers of users. These sites are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As direct sales professionals, our business thrives when we network with as many people as possible, so it makes sense for us to focus on those sites that have the highest traffic. And while it may be tempting to view these sites as all pretty much the same thing, they have distinct differences, and as a direct sales professional, it is important to understand this difference.
First, a definition. Social networking tools allow people to communicate with one another online. People can set up profiles about themselves, find others with similar interests, and then build relationships. As a direct sales professional, a great profile can be the key to that successful first impression that leads to a long-term relationship and prospects for your business.
But too often, I see people treating these tools as if they are all the same, and I believe that this is a mistake. Tools such as TweetDeck and ping.fm exacerbate the problem, allowing people to update various tools with the same status update, all at once. While providing the same information across various tools works once in a while, the problem with this approach is that different tools attract different kinds of people which leads to different kinds of relationships. You should consider using these tools differently, especially when you begin your foray into social networking and social media marketing.
For example, Facebook is an EXCELLENT tool for connecting or reconnecting with family and friends, and developing deeper relationships that are further strengthened by face to face meetings. Facebook’s unique ability to suggest friends based on your information makes it easy to connect with people you haven’t spoken with in a long time. And that, along with Facebook Pages, gives you a great platform to make your business more visible. Many direct sales consultants that I work with have reported that Facebook makes it MUCH easier to get a response from potential hostesses, which leads to bookings they weren’t able to nail down before. People just respond much more quickly through Facebook typically, at least these days.
Compare that with Twitter, which is primarily for meeting NEW people. I find that most people that use Twitter are business people. This is a much better tool for finding people interested in joint ventures, business arrangements, and information (preferably free.) You can also use supporting tools such as TweetDeck and Twellow to search people’s bios and conversations, to find potential prospects for your business. The thing you must keep in mind about Twitter is that people here have their own language, with # and @ symbols that confuse the heck out of people that don’t use Twitter. So when people automatically import their Twitter status update into Facebook, they’ve already lost half their audience. And the people that do understand your secret code have already seen that status update in Twitter…they don’t need to see it in Facebook too.
LinkedIn is comprised mainly of professionals supporting one another in business. It’s a great tool for finding potential business builders to join your direct sales team. (I think the Groups feature is the most beneficial for direct sellers.) But if you’re pushing your products here, you’re not likely to find much success, and people that message all their contacts to promote their business will quickly lose contacts on LinkedIn. You’ll have greater success here by interacting in the groups and providing value to others.
By mindfully using status updates and other interactions that fit the social networking tool and the audience that you’re targeting, you’ll experience more success than if you try to use a one size fits all approach. And that’s why it’s so important to clearly understand your social media goals and your targeted niche market before selecting the social networking tools you’ll use.
What do you think? What tools do you use, and how do you use them? What kind of success have you experienced? I would love to hear your thoughts below!
Jennifer Fong helps direct sales companies, direct sales professionals, and other home-based business owners leverage the power of social media to grow their businesses. A former direct sales company CEO and serial entrepreneur, Jennifer is passionate about teaching direct sellers how to use social media tools to enhance their businesses, while remaining true to the basics of a party plan business. She helps business owners put the principles of social media to work in a profitable way, maximizing the return on their social media investment. Visit Jennifer’s Direct Sales & Social Media blog at http://liajen.wordpress.com and subscribe to her newsletter by clicking here.
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