The Next Google of Social Media December 2, 2009
What is the Next Big Site for Social Media?
A lot of businesses are just starting to figure out how to use the top three social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) to market their businesses to new customers. However, there are some businesses that are already starting to think ahead. We all know that no social media site lasts forever. MySpace was huge for awhile and then it faltered and we will see today’s Big 3 falter as well. When it does, which new major site will emerge? And is there a way to get in on the ground floor of using such a site in order to get ahead of the game with social media marketing today?
The truth is that most businesses should probably focus their efforts on their use of the top 3 social media sites today. They each have their own benefits and can be used by businesses in a variety of different ways. Facebook is great for creating groups and pages that your customers can follow. Twitter is great for keeping the social chatter going with your customers on a daily basis. And LinkedIn is best for professional social networking that links you with the businesses that you collaborate with in order to keep your business strong. Getting a good grasp on these three sites is your best move right now.
However, it’s undeniable that eventually these sites will fade from favor and therefore that you should keep an eye out for what’s to come. There is no way to tell right now which specific sites will blow up in the near future. It may not even be a site that exists today. Instead, you should be following the trends that are happening with social networking sites so that you can spot the sites that are likely to become popular as time goes on. Those trends include advances in mobile social networking, video-based social networking, combining social networking with chat functions (which is done to some extent on Facebook and Twitter but isn’t a major component of either site) and creating sites that easily separate your professional and personal updates from one another through the same account.
Sites that become popular in the future will likely include those characteristics. In the meantime, getting a good grasp on how to use today’s social networking sites will allow you to more easily understand the changes that will take place. For example, any social media site that blows up in the next few years is probably going to have a real-time update component to it. If you understand how to use this because of Twitter then you’ll understand how to get off on a running start when the next big site leaps up on the scene. So, keep an eye out for what’s to come but get really good at using what’s already here!
