Fifty seems like a big number! However, when we found this resource we felt it brought to light the true size of the potential free market that exists for companies (or individuals) that want to market themselves properly online.
The resource explains why each and every one of the 50 social media sites it lists have value for commercial purposes - and it does so in an effective and summarised way that lets you easily identify those that you should concentrate on.
A couple of pointers though - bear in mind that some of the sites, Mixx for example, have a significant country bias to the USA. In many cases the majority of their users will be 95% American. That's not a bad thing if you're in the USA or if you're aiming for that market, but you should think carefully about the time and effort you spend on building profiles that might not reap reward in the way others could.
Before anyone says that is bad advice because the internet is global and any PR is good PR, well we don't necessarily disagree. The point is that you have to balance effort against potential gain. Just be wary of it and look for signs of single country bias that could bring little traffic or commercial gain.
FOCUS - The 50 Social Sites Your Company Needs a Profile OnIf you want to get down to the nitty-gritty of it, and you're from the UK, here are the sites we believe give the most reward in the least time:
Twitter - undoubtedly king right now. Google loves Twitter and there are no signs of that stopping in the near future. Whjilst commercial use remains free you should make sure you get in there before it changes.
Facebook - once darling, still the true god of Social Media. Facebook is under pressure from Twitter and it is fighting back.
Digg - some will question this, but Digg remains hugely popular with search engines and if you publish a news item or article that attracts attention it will deliver visitors to your site in volumes that nothing else can.
If you think you know of a resource that doesn’t get the publicity it deserves and should be mentioned in here, drop us a line. We’re always keen to receive feedback and publish the articles that people most want to read.
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