5 Social Media Resources, OTHER THAN Facebook and Twitter

Another gem from our talented Internet Marketing Strategist, Alex Fernandez, this week we’re covering social media resources other than the obvious – Facebook and Twitter. From websites to tools, these are valuable resources anyone can use. There’s certain to be something covered for everyone…

#1 Involver Applications
Involver is a great resource for the social savvy marketer that wants the freedom to think outside the confines or limitations of social media websites. Their Facebook applications are superb. Yes, this blog entry is about resources OTHER THAN Facebook and Twitter, but I would argue that Involver (and Wildfire, below) completely transform Facebook. You can add an RSS tab, a YouTube video tab, a Twitter tab, or create a completely custom HTML tab – right on your Facebook page.

#2 Wildfire Iframes
Wildfire offers an entire suite of products, that help with promoting your company through social media. My favorite product of theirs, however, is completely separate from their suite. They have a completely free Facbeook app, called Iframes (much like Involver’s static HTML app), which has a feature, called Fan Gate. Fan Gate is a means to generate likes on Facebook. It essentially allows users to “unlock” coupons, exclusive products, downloadable content, etc. by liking you on Facebook. This is possible with Involver too, but not quite as simple.

#3 YouTube
YouTube is the Internet’s largest video website and also the second leading search engine in the world. A presence on this site is vital to any business that wants to be found. Aside from that – people like video. Aside from all things Facebook, online video is the most preferred and consumed form of online content.

#4 LinkedIn
It’s important to have a business presence on LinkedIn. This site is the number one professional social network in the world. New additions like status updates for company pages have made their already-robust website a truly viable channel for companies seeking to connect with business professionals. Another notable feature of LinkedIn is Groups. These can be created any user, and have a wide variety of applications. We use groups to engage communities with our clients, but I’ve seen them used as company intranets for employees, and forums for industry professionals.

#5 Yelp and other User Review websites:
Today’s consumer shares their experience with the entire world, through social media review websites. There are several popular review sites, including Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Places, Yahoo! Local, UrbanSpoon, and the list goes on. Each has somewhat of a different focus. For example, TripAdvisor is travel and tourism focused, where UrbanSpoon has a restaurant focus. It’s important for brands to claim their business on these websites, and respond to all reviews, both positive and negative.