Wondering which social networks are the best options for you to reach your crowd? Check out this cool infographic which rates the big networks based on time, quality, and FUN!
I love the added metric of fun. Why? Because no matter how much value we see in a particular marketing tactic, if we hate it, then we end up in a constant struggle to force ourselves to get it done and it’s hard to be consistent. Choose things you enjoy (that also reach your right crowd) to build your social networking plan around so that you look forward to it instead of dreading it.
Just click the image to see a larger (easier to read) version.
What do you think? Do you agree with their “fun-o-meter” ratings? Which networks do you enjoy connecting on the most?
Roberta Budvietas says
Lots here to think about Michelle. Have you heard about SDL/SM2 before?
Michelle Shaeffer says
Was just checking out their services this morning. I’ve been playing with KissMetrics over the last couple of weeks and there’s a ton of value in measuring more and listening for those mentions/conversations.
Flora Morris Brown, Ph.D. says
Michelle,
Thanks for sharing this. Adding that fun-o-meter and looking at the time investment makes for interesting considerations. But when I look at the quality I’m not sure what they’re using as the determinant.
Michelle Shaeffer says
Yeah, I’d be curious on the methodology for quality, too, and which industries or conversions were the focus in determining that. The time investment pretty much mirrors what I’ve seen. Twitter and Facebook are the quickest for me. Pinterest can be quick if I manage not to get lost there. ;)
Joanne says
My favorite social networking sites are Facebook, linkedIn, and Twitter. After looking at this post I learned that there is a neat Answer section on LinkedIn that can add to your credibility.
Michelle Shaeffer says
It’s cool all the things hiding over at LinkedIn, isn’t it? :)
Julie Geigle says
Thanks for this post. I love the visual format and how you can compare each social media network side-by-side. Excellent information. Would love to hear more about sml or kissmetrics. Maybe you could do a blog review on one or both of those?
Michelle Shaeffer says
Great idea, Julie!
KSingh says
Great Cheatsheet. It’s good to sites like FourSquare and Tumbr included. I have come across many cheatsheets but they tend be focused more on Facebook, Twitter and now a days, Pinterest. Would be great to see one soleley dedicated to location based services.
Michelle Shaeffer says
Facebook and Twitter do seem to dominate the social media infographics. I liked the variety in this one, too.
James Ainsworth says
Hello everyone
Thanks for the feedback and comments on the infographic. I put the text and research together for it so I feel I can let you know and elaborate on some of the thinking behind this piece.
Let’s start with the quality ranking, this is based on the active audience figures, supplied by the platforms themselves and based on a day-to-day usage of each of the platforms by myself in a B2B landscape. I can report internally here at SDL on the quality of engagements, leads and conversations we have on each platform, according to the needs of our use of social media as a business. Therefore, I can give an experience based account and put a 1-10 number to each platform on the quality of involvement and rank them accordingly. As a business looking to generate leads, I cannot vouch for the quality of Pinterest in order to bring in further revenue at this stage. I can when it comes to LinkedIn, Twitter and Blogging etc.
When it comes to the fun side of things, again, this is based on personal use of each platform for business purposes over many years and yes, it may be that some people get more fulfilment from blogging than they do sharing pictures on Instagram, I feel the snapshot we provide helps to build up a sense of where the opportunity is in social for users looking to make tangible gains from social in their business.
Time is easy to track in social and you soon know when you are getting sucked in to “time not well spent” compared to quality time.
I trust this adds a further level of explanation to the infographic piece and please do get in touch if I can be of anymore assistance. I particularly appreciate the suggestions for future pieces of content and will look to see what we can do to fulfil these needs.
Overall, I think we paint a picture of opportunity and with the infographic, we introduce the idea of measuring and monitoring social activity use with our recently launched SMB social media monitoring offering, I think we can back up any assertions made in the content and offer support to those looking to get the most out of the various social platforms available .
Best wishes
James Ainsworth
Social Media Manager – SDL Social Intelligence
http://www.sdlsm2.com
Michelle Shaeffer says
Hey James, thanks so much for stopping by to share more about the data behind the infographic. :)
Anton Koekemoer says
Hi Michelle,
Great – Borderline of Awesome info-graphic that you’ve shared. Especially the time investment feature shown In the info-graphic.
Michelle Shaeffer says
I thought so, too. This one packed a lot of interesting data in.
Adalia John says
Great infographic … I’m not surprised that Google+ and LinkedIn are the lowest on the Fun-O-Meter scale. But from my experience, LinkedIn and Facebook are my client attraction magnets. Still figuring the others out.
Thanks Michelle – you share the “bestest” information :-)
Michelle Shaeffer says
Yeah, LinkedIn is more serious than fun, but can definitely deliver traffic if you use it well. :)
Segundo says
lots to think about here, loved the time investment feature shown In the marketing tactic. You’re so right that if we hate something, then we end up in a constant struggle to force ourselves to get it done, if we love something, a plan/idea/new strategy etc thern we breeze through it everytime!!!
Michelle Shaeffer says
That’s been my experience for sure. I end up more productive if I don’t try to push myself into a lot of tactics I don’t enjoy. Much simpler to play on our strengths.