Social Media for businesses in Medicine Hat is starting to take shape now with more and more businesses jumping online and using social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. What’s impressive is that businesses are actually starting to get a handle on how to use these platforms effectively, building relationships with their followers instead of flogging products and sales.

But with all of the social media platforms available, many businesses are still wondering “what’s the most effective and offers the best return on investment”. We’re going to tell you why, generally speaking, Twitter can give you the best return on your time investment when it comes to using the tool for business.

1. News.  No matter what the topic, all news breaks on Twitter first. The pool of people openly sharing is much larger than your closed Facebook community. There’s an opportunity to get involved in this conversation much quicker. The feed is a faster pace, so things get picked up, retweeted and retweeted some more probably before ten people have managed to type out an update on their Facebook Page. Conversation creates leads, and get involved in the conversation quicker than other platforms means you have an opportunity to generate leads quicker and more effectively.

2. Pure Networking. Facebook is great for connecting with people you already know – whether it’s friends, families, colleagues etc. But Twitter is awesome for networking with people who you didn’t know before, but who share similar interests to you. It’s easier to meet new people who you find interesting or funny or who you can relate to. And since more is shared on Twitter (eg. You can easily tweet ten times a day from Twitter with no reaction, but do that on Facebook and you’ll suffer a backlash from friends) you get to know them better and develop a closer relationship. Even if you don’t ever meet these people in person, it’s a great way to create a new social network of people, rather than just digitally socializing with the same network of people you already knew.

3. Search. Twitter provides a tremendous search opportunity to help you get involved in what’s happening right now. Search Twitter for keywords related to your area of expertise and see what comes up. Generally people on Twitter also expect random strangers to comment on discussions, so this provides a fantastic opportunity to get involved in conversation you can provide value on. Try doing that on Facebook and you’ll be shunned away quickly.