Top Uses of Social Media for Business

Dan Limbach

You've all heard about Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and many other popular social media tools. But do you use it in your work? Here is a list of things social media does well for businesses.

Brand Stewardship – it’s not possible to control the conversation about your brand, but you can participate in the conversation. By being a good listener, responding with understanding, and providing helpful information, a company can build a stronger bond between the customer base and the brand. Knowing you are listening, you care, and you help solve problems goes a long way toward establishing fierce brand loyalty.

Customer Service – real-time customer feedback gives you a chance to provide immediate support if there is a customer concern. And if the issue affects many people, such as a bug in a software program or a dislike of a product package, social media really stands out because it can reach an entire community of followers instantly.

Recruiting – the inherent nature of social media makes it ideal for recruiting employees. It works best if you have a decent following (i.e. Twitter followers, Facebook friends/fans, YouTube subscribers, etc.). Recruiters will often say the best recruits are those not looking for a job. But through social networking, the perfect hire might be intrigued by a job that a friend passed along through social networking.