Social media for startups
So, to avoid sounding bossy and wasting your time with hackneyed aphorisms phone numbers philippines better suited for an anonymous Twitter account your aunt follows, what we’re going to offer today is a rundown of the best social media platforms for startups, including some basic demographic information, some potential benefits of creating an outlet presence for your startup , and a quick example of a company that has that channel down pat. The idea is to get you thinking about your own needs and how each channel might help you, your goals, your buyer personas, and your startup’s marketing efforts .
LinkedIn: The champion of B2B networks
At the top of the B2B segment of social media is LinkedIn. If you are a B2B service provider, or even if you just need to network in the early days to get the word out, this is the place to be. Some general statistics:
590 million monthly active users
70% of users are outside the US
The main age cohort is 30 to 49 years old.
Most of them are university graduates and earn more than 75,000 a year.
The potential benefits are endless. As the world’s largest B2B network, it’s easy to find the right person within the right company to approach. Whether you’re looking for a logistics partner or a chain of stores to stock your widget, chances are there’s someone in the right department at the right company on this platform. Start following them, leave comments on their posts, participate in their conversations, and when the time comes, make your pitch.
Who nailed it? Dell. Dell makes great use of LinkedIn's ability to include product ads on company pages to keep its followers up to date with its latest offerings. They also make great use of strategic surveys and other offers to gather contact information, then use it to make exclusive offers available only to their LinkedIn audience. Another aspect of their page that Dell uses to fantastic effect is social proof, in the form of reviews from other sites that scroll through a widget in the sidebar.
Twitter: Social Support
Another social platform with a strong international presence is Twitter. With the increase in the character count to 280, double the initial limit, more and more companies are expanding their presence on the channel, as it is much easier to convey their messages. In figures:
330 million monthly active users
Almost 80% outside the US
The main demographic is 18 to 29 years old
Fairly balanced distribution between education and income levels
Twitter is proving that it excels at customer service. Businesses can use the platform to respond to customer feedback, address complaints, and offer solutions on the same platform where their audience expresses their concerns. Here’s a suggestion: if you plan to follow this trend and create a customer service account, keep it separate from your main corporate account to avoid confusion. Keep the @ABCco account for general updates, etc., and use @ABCsupport for these interactions.
Who uses Twitter? Wachovia. We love this example because it defies expectations. A bank? Twittering, right? Absolutely. They use their feed to share financial advice, update customers on company happenings, and respond to the most difficult concerns and complaints quickly and professionally. And by using a public forum, they show that they value transparency and want to make sure everyone knows that their priority is their customers.