Which Social Networks Should I Be On? Part 1: The Basics

Social Media Landscape: Image via FredCavazza.net

“There are just so many out there. As a small green business owner, which ones should I be on?” I heard this question asked by a 50-something female entrepreneur at Opportunity Green’s social media panel. The “social media expert” (my least favorite phrase in the industry) told her “Well, all of them.” Hmmmm…I don’t think so buddy.

Small green business owners and enviro NGOs have precious little time to f@$k around with every new social media platform on the world(super)wide web. So, where to begin?

In order of importance…

1 Facebook

Panda Terrorists on Facebook

If you want to promote your small green business or organization through social media, Facebook is the number one place to be (unless you’re in Russia, then you want to use Vkontakte).

Put privacy settings on all those personal photos, revamp your Info and Notes to only include things you feel comfortable with the world seeing, then expand your network to include all the people who support (or would likely support) what you are promoting.

Once you’ve done those three things, start your Facebook Fan Page (not a Group or Profile!) Be aware that Fan Pages, like RAN or Mashable, now have to be verified with proof that you are actually affiliated with the brand. The new Community Pages are for niche topics rather thans brands or public figures, like We Love Indonesia’s Rainforests, Not Being Stabbed Repeatedly, Terrorists have two eyes, Pandas have two eyes. Coincidence? I think not., etc. Many of these sorts of topics that began as Fan Pages are being converted without permission of the Page administrator by Facebook. Bummer for you, panda haters.

Once you have your Page up, post 3 times a day (no more or people will start unliking the page. FYI: Photos tend to have more Likes and Comments than anything else, followed by video, articles and notes.

2 Twitter

Use Twitter On Your Smart Phone

Stop asking the question “should I get on Twitter” and just do it. Like many new things in life, you won’t get it at first, but if you just dive in and stick with it, you’ll get the hang of it…and may even become addicted.

Make your user name as short as possible while still clearly conveying your brand. For instance, Guayaki Yerba Maté could be @Guayaki or (if that username was already taken) @GuayakiMate, but should not be @GYM or @GMate. Make sense?

If you have a smart phone, make sure to get a Twitter app of some sort. I recommend Hootsuite, Tweetdeck and Tweetie, in that order.

Make Lists of people you want to follow, so you can filter the noise of following thousands, like Green Web Geeks and Best Green Businesses.

3 Flickr

Aysia Wright of Greenloop: Photo by Pete Springer

Do you take juicy photos of your events, products, and staff? If not, get started asap and post them to your Flickr account! You MUST tag and title them well. No one needs a dump of every lame flurescent-lit photo ever taken posted on Flickr. Only post the good ones and tag them with things people will be looking for on the web. This photo could have “eco fashion,” “sustainable,” “Greenloop,” “boutique,” “dress,” “Anna Cohen,” “Vy & Elle,” and even the less obvious tags like “red hair,” “jeans,” and “Portland.”

4 YouTube

Ok, this is beyond some folks, but only if they let it be. These days a Flip Cam or a newer iPhone can be your sweet and simple entry into the YouTube community. Get innovative, like the folks who make blenders at Blendtec. What on earth can a blender company do to get attention on YouTube? What could be less sexy? Well, they sure figured it out…by blending things people are interested in, like the iPhone. Intrigued? Of course you are! Use Blendtec’s creative approach as your inspiration for your solar company or Slow Food non-profit.

5 LinkedIn

Not so much for growing brand awareness to a mass audience, LinkedIn remains relevant for business and non-profits alike. For connecting with similar organizations, soliciting feedback from industry experts, screening potential employees and finding relevant vendors, LinkedIn is an incredible tool. Use it.

Bonus: Just in Case You Were Wondering About MySpace…

MehSpace.com

The lights are on but no one’s home over at MySpace these days. One page I manage has 10,545 friends and when you look at the Online Friends, what do you think the number is? You guessed it- 0. It makes me think there must be something wrong with the Online Friends function on the backend, which is actually just as bad as there being 0 out of 10,545 users online right now. So I can now say (now that one of my very best friends no longer works there), MySpace has become MehSpace.

Was this post useful? Let me know in the Comments section!

Look out for Which Social Networks Should I Be On? Part 2: Beyond The Basics coming soon(ish).