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Which social media sites should you be using

By karin, on July 12th, 2010

We all realize that we have to have a presence on social media platforms in order to be successful online. Who does not have an account on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube these days? If you don’t you are not where your customers are.

The problem is that there are literally thousands of social networking sites these days and you cannot possibly be expected to keep up with all of them. Because there are so many it is not easy to find what you are looking for. This is probably the reason that at least 80% of all internet marketers never look past the top social networking sites.

They forget that if the members of these smaller sites are all part of your niche, every member is part of your target group and you have reached a place where you can effectively position yourself as an expert in your niche.

Being part of a social networking community in your niche can be extremely rewarding. It gives you an easy opportunity to find out what it is your niche wants. This puts you in a very strong position. If you are able to fill their want with a product, you will find a lot of eager buyers.

Here are a few examples of social networking sites I am talking about. I have chosen the health industry as my example niche:

DIETTV.COM – rethink weight loss. Build a free personalized program and stick to it with the help of experts and friends.

EXTRAPOUNDS.COM is an independent weight loss social community. They strive to increase the success rate of weight loss and weight maintenance. Its goal is to help promote self awareness and increased self esteem for those who are trying to loose weight.

FITNESSJOURNAL.COM offers a complete exercise log for people who wish to improve their fitness level, athletes who are looking to set a new personal record, and people who just want to lose a few pounds.

These are just a few examples. I could go on and on. But I am sure you can see the power of these networks if you are in the health business. Which one do you think is more beneficial for you diettv.com or Facebook? If you have diet products you are selling, chances are diettv.com is where you should be.

Fortunately, you don’t have to choose. You can be on as many as you think will benefit your business. Thanks to social media there is no cost involved in participating. The issue is how to best spend your time. You may conclude that these smaller sites are a much better place to spend your time.

Since the members of these smaller social media sites are all targeted towards your niche, you don’t have to wast your time on people finding you. You are right there, in the center of your target group. All you have to do is set up a good profile and be an active member of the community.

As always let me know what you think. Do you see the opportunity the way I do? Or do you believe that, given the limited amount of time we all have, you are better off with the top 3?

If you are active on a niche social media site, share it with us in the comments so others can benefit from it also. If you would like to find a niche social media site, but have not had luck finding one, let me know and I will see if I can help you get started.

social media, social media training   ,  
  • SocialBeeOnline

    Karin:

    Thank you for this extremely timely post. People do sometimes forget, or perhaps some don’t know, about niche social sites. I believe they can be very, very valuable and well worth the time, depending upon your overall marketing plan. This is exactly why I sit down with each of my clients to design an overall social marketing strategy, then we can easily determine where to focus the bulk of the social marketing time.

    Live with passion and purpose,
    Vanessa

    • http://bookmarksandvotes.com social bookmarking

      Hey Vanessa,
      Your point is very valid. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Everything takes time. That is why I wrote this post actually. If you can find a good niche social media site, you may have found a very easy way to find highly targeted leads, without spending a lot of time and/or money.

      Thanks for sharing your experiences. It is much appreciated.

      Karin.

  • http://socialnetworkvoter.com SocialBeeOnline

    Karin:Thank you for this extremely timely post. People do sometimes forget, or perhaps some don't know, about niche social sites. I believe they can be very, very valuable and well worth the time, depending upon your overall marketing plan. This is exactly why I sit down with each of my clients to design an overall social marketing strategy, then we can easily determine where to focus the bulk of the social marketing time.Live with passion and purpose,Vanessa

  • Sue Collier

    Hey Karin,

    Thanks for this great post! I had never thought beyond the obvious social media platforms, so this is a very interesting idea! I will certainly be looking into niche social media sites now, thanks for bringing this to my attention.

    Sue

    • http://controlemotionsafterabreakup.com social bookmarking

      Hi Sue,
      Thanks for visiting my blog. Glad you liked my post. Niche social media sites are a great way to find targeted leads.
      Karin.

  • Sue Collier

    Hey Karin,Thanks for this great post! I had never thought beyond the obvious social media platforms, so this is a very interesting idea! I will certainly be looking into niche social media sites now, thanks for bringing this to my attention.Sue

  • social bookmarking

    Hi Sue,Thanks for visiting my blog. Glad you liked my post. Niche social media sites are a great way to find targeted leads.Karin.

  • http://socialtrafficmastermind.com social bookmarking

    Hey Vanessa, Your point is very valid. Don't spread yourself too thin. Everything takes time. That is why I wrote this post actually. If you can find a good niche social media site, you may have found a very easy way to find highly targeted leads, without spending a lot of time and/or money. Thanks for sharing your experiences. It is much appreciated.Karin.

  • Eiji Morishita

    Hey Karin,

    Great post! Niche social networking site is fantastic.

    I’m curious how I would find them. Is there a social networking site directory?

    Thanks Karin, you always have awesome content to share.

    To Your Genius,

    Eiji

  • Eiji Morishita

    Hey Karin,Great post! Niche social networking site is fantastic.I'm curious how I would find them. Is there a social networking site directory?Thanks Karin, you always have awesome content to share.To Your Genius,Eiji

  • Laura Paulson

    Hi Karin,

    I absolutely agree with you not to overlook the niche sites. I believe it’s also important not to spread yourself too thin by going for volume. What’s the point of joining a bunch of sites if you’re not going to have time to participate?!. So start with a few, explore and over time you’ll find the sites that offer the most benefit (not only of targeting your niche market but also your own learning and development). I believe the niche sites are great for this. Thanks, Laura

  • http://socialnetworkvoter.com Laura Paulson

    Hi Karin,I absolutely agree with you not to overlook the niche sites. I believe it’s also important not to spread yourself too thin by going for volume. What’s the point of joining a bunch of sites if you’re not going to have time to participate?!. So start with a few, explore and over time you’ll find the sites that offer the most benefit (not only of targeting your niche market but also your own learning and development). I believe the niche sites are great for this. Thanks, Laura

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for sharing this post…I am active with Facebook only, do not understand Twitter and not making videos at this time.
    I will keep tabs with what you are doing and learn more.

  • rebeccar

    Thanks for sharing this post…I am active with Facebook only, do not understand Twitter and not making videos at this time.I will keep tabs with what you are doing and learn more.

  • Val Wilcox

    Karin,
    Some very good points abut looking outside the big social media sites to connect with like-minded people. I have overlooked these before now.
    I appreciate the info!
    Val :)

  • http://controlemotionsafterabreakup.com Val Wilcox

    Karin,Some very good points abut looking outside the big social media sites to connect with like-minded people. I have overlooked these before now.I appreciate the info!Val :)

  • Teresa Ivory

    News to me! I didn’t even know the concept existed. I assumed that most people used forums for niche communities. If you find a list of niche social media sites, I’d love to see it posted.

  • Teresa Ivory

    News to me! I didn't even know the concept existed. I assumed that most people used forums for niche communities. If you find a list of niche social media sites, I'd love to see it posted.

  • http://controlemotionsafterabreakup.com Rob Franta

    There are so many sites out there it is insane…LOL Almost every day I get an email from some new site and someone wanting me to join the new group. I do feel bad, time is not on my side so I rarely go outside the big 4. But you are 100% correct our customers are all over the internet.

    Rob

  • Rob Franta

    There are so many sites out there it is insane…LOL Almost every day I get an email from some new site and someone wanting me to join the new group. I do feel bad, time is not on my side so I rarely go outside the big 4. But you are 100% correct our customers are all over the internet. Rob

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