Do you remember MySpace? Spending hours making sure your page looked just right and represented your interests with the perfect song and design? Well like many other formats in the digital world, Myspace didn’t last.
If you visit MySpace today, you will notice the site gives priority to musicians and encourages them to upload songs and videos for fans to share on their own profiles. During their relaunch MySpace even hired an in-house editorial team to write up music news and reviews. The new homepage is organized in a big, photo-forward grid.
How to choose the right social network to invest in?
With so many sites meeting the same or worse fate (Friendster, Orkut, Yahoo! Buzz, and the list goes on) how do you know what social media network you should invest in? Check out this chart to get an idea of active monthly users for some of the biggest social media sites out there:
Tim Grahl at Out:Think has a short and simple list of three of the big questions to ask when choosing a social network.
- Does it make sense for my content?
- Do potential fans spend time there? (demographics)
- Does it make sense for me?
It is important to really understand your product and the demographic you are trying to reach. You should not choose a network just because it has the most active users. The amount of users can be a factor, but there are many factors to look at when making the decision. Small businesses may not be able to handle a consistent presence on four or more networks, so it’s helpful to step back, assess, and choose your best bets. Study the numbers, check for your audience, and ask yourself the important questions.
One thing I think almost everyone can agree on is this: Though different social media sites come and go, social media in itself isn’t going away anytime soon. A successful business needs to use social media to engage with people and reach potential customers/clients.
Please feel free to contact us at Lead Dog Digital with any questions. Our goal is to help local businesses successfully use social media to create a presence that draws customers in.
