Imagine Your Reality

One of the questions I ask new clients is who their audience is on social media sites. I think this is one of the most crucial questions that can be asked, because not knowing who your audience is can really hurt your efforts on these sites. With social networking sites alone, there are literally over a hundred sites available, with more growing. When you add in other elements of social media such as a blog, radio show, or video channel, this question becomes more crucial.

Determining who your audience is can also help you find which social networking sites you need to be on. In general, I’ve found that businesses focus on the big three: Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter without really considering if those sites are appropriate for their needs, or if there are other sites that might be better. And for some industries there are specific social networking sites that are niched specifically to them.

Lawyers can join a site such as avvo, which is a social network specifically focused on the legal industry. Lawyers can be reviewed on the site, but it can be an excellent way for them to interact with potential clients.

Real estate agents and brokers may find Active Rain, a social networking site for residential and commercial real estate to be useful for some of their social media activities, and for educational purposes.

For any specific industry you may belong to, it can be useful to do a search for words related to that industry that help you find social networking sites that are specific to your industry. Joining a niche social networking site can help you get in front of a specific audience or provide resources that can help you grow your business. Additionally it can raise your credibility in your industry, because it shows others that you’re involved in your selected industry on more than just the popular social media sites.