I’ve brought the point of being able to connect with people in different ways through social media throughout this blog. But I wanted to take a specific post to explain how to do this effectively.

Now, I know there are  a million social platforms out there – I’m going to give insight into what I use: this blog, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. With that in mind, here we go:

Twitter: I once used Twitter as a conversational tool by participating in TweetChats and so on. But I have learned that Twitter is not the channel for conversation. In fact, because of how quick tweets show on a timeline, whatever conversation you have can easily get lost in the shuffle. Now, instead of chatting, I’m announcing. Twitter has become a press room for my brand. I just post whatever else I do on the Internet there with a link, so people can go and see it. That is the best use I have found for Twitter.

Facebook: Facebook has a special, personal feel to it. It’s like the neighborhood bar where you go and chat with your buddies. It’s also a place where you can go and help people who have problems you can solve. You can be open, and talk candidly with your target audience about what affects them, and see if your services can help them out.

LinkedIn: If Facebook is the local bar, LinkedIn is the conference room. That’s where you put on the business suit and start building professional relationships. Talk about industry problems. Bring forth solutions. And share your points of view with other professionals. You can become a trustworthy entity if you play your card right on LinkedIn.

My Blog: This space right here is where all my thoughts are printed. It is MY space, and it is run under MY rules. I write what I feel, in the way I feel most comfortable. If every social media channel was to collapse, this place would still stand. It will be the home for my thoughts And it will always be.

Are you on board with the way I use social media? Do you disagree? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Take two businesses from the same industry, and put them on social media.

On one hand, you have one of these businesses building a huge audience using funny lines and idiotic YouTube content – sorry, I don’t know what else to call it. And you have the other business, with about a couple of hundred followers interested in what they’re doing.

Now, logic would say the business with the largest audience would make the most money. Well, chances are logic is wrong.

The business building its audience on fun and games is just bringing in people who have time to waste. They are not interested in investing in what you offer. They’re just looking for something funny on the Internet, and they’re providing it.

Unless you’re in the entertainment industry, this will not translate to revenue.

The other business, which has a more concentrated audience, is building its social media community using service-oriented content, which shows the people who are interested in buying your product. Those who watch what you offer are looking, needing, or desiring your service, and they will spend the money when asked for it.

The lesson to learn is that when it comes to social media, the quality of your audience is more important than its size.