The Enemy, Social Media Fragmentation

social media fragmentation

photo credit: erix!

Fragmentation, whether it’s traditional media fragmentation or social media fragmentation, it is marketing enemy #1 for the small business owner.  For the small business owner fragmentation means more for less.  More work , more money, and reach less people.

I have addressed social media fragmentation a few times but with the recent surge of Pinterest I couldn’t help but ask the question.  Where are the people coming from?  Are these individuals who are new to social media or are they disenchanted or missing something with Facebook etc. and looking for another alternative?

I have seen some figures that are reporting a 400% increase in Pinterest web hits in December, but  with as much activity as I’ve seen from my Facebook friends and my posts lately on Pinterest it’s easy to tell it’s gaining plenty of momentum.

I do believe that poor programming in radio and TV led people searching out new ways to be entertained and created social media.  While Facebook is the 800 pound gorilla and will continue to be so, it will find out it can’t be everything to everyone and so we will see plenty of niche social media platforms that addresses certain entertainment value that people will be drawn to, after all it is just about being entertained.

Solving Your Social Media Fragmentation Problem

As business owners we make decisions on where to spend our time, allocate our budget and what battles to take up.  Social Media fragmentation is no different, and there is no one answer to social media fragmentation, as all businesses are different and have different needs.  So look at your social media fragmentation dilemma and try to simplify it this way.

  • Facebook:  Still the family reunion, mainstream platform, best for having living room conversations, more about the continued relationships with your current customers and getting them to buy more frequently.
  • Twitter:   A link building machine that can drive massive traffic to your website.  A great way to communicate and begin relationships with individuals who ARE NOT your current customers.  If your business is more regional or national than local, if you sell on-line, hard not to invest the time or money here.
  • Linkedin:   A Chamber of Commerce conversation that should be relegated more towards the personal resume and achievement than your business.
  • Google+:    Early adapters, geeks, IT people, individuals looking for the latest and greatest gadgets and toys.  SEO is going to play a larger role in the success of any business today.  A buzz word for 2012 is certainly going to be ‘findability’ and with Google + possibly becoming a factor in search engine results it’s worth a look from the ‘lost and found’ aspect alone.
  • Pinterest:   Have a visual business where a picture can say a thousand words?  Pinterest is that platform.  With a great demographic to boot.  The individuals that I see spending time in Pinterest are some of the most difficult-to-reach individuals as well as the most coveted.

Summary on Social Media Fragmentation:

Some of these platforms take more time than others.  Should you spend a bit of time each week in these?  For most, the answer is yes.  Weigh out what platform you should spend a little more time in.  Even with social media fragmentation you can make your time and money work for you.

 

About the Author:

Mike Frey

Before co-founding Paradux Media Group, Mike spent more than 15 years in the world of marketing and advertising. While working with hundreds of locally owned businesses, he developed an appreciation for minimizing clients’ dollars while maximizing tangible results for those clients.

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5 Comments

  1. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis on February 14, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    I am new to internet marketing and don’t have much knowledge about social media. But it is taking too much time for my site to get a rank in search engine. Well its a wonderful information, thanks for sharing.

  2. George on February 17, 2012 at 5:17 am

    Thanks for the great overview on handling social media fragmentation. With all those social networks, it’s easy to get distracted. But with a good understanding about each individual networks, I think one can find the best place for social interaction for furthering business interests.

  3. Nick on February 20, 2012 at 1:11 am

    thanks for sharing a nice post telling us the problem faced by the social media and giving us the knowledge

    • Mike Frey on February 20, 2012 at 12:57 pm

      You’re welcome and Thank you very much for stopping by Nick.

  4. Paradux Media Group on November 1, 2012 at 10:12 pm

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