At this point it’s clear that social media is a valuable tool for businesses as well as individuals. . As new social media outlets arise and companies find new and creative ways to engage their audience in conversation, it becomes a question of where to best converse with your fans and where to invest your time. That is exactly the question that we at PMI have asked ourselves and the answer is different for every business.
We have decided that our social media reach will primarily be on four of the major sites: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and this very blog. We have chosen these four platforms for very specific reasons, each having a slightly different use and benefit to us.
Facebook currently has 800 million users worldwide and that number is projected to surpass 1 billion sometime around August of this year. With that many people using the service it makes sense to have a presence to reach the largest audience. Our page has been active for several years but we are improving it with custom tabs that will welcome fans, feature our facilities, link to our blog and connect to other company highlights. We are now posting regularly, featuring content about PMI, Pittsburgh, Market Square, our office dogs, and many other subjects. Stop on over and “like us” to join the conversation!
Twitter may seem like a “status” feature from Facebook in an isolated place, but it is so much more. Because of the immediacy of Twitter, it is used as a way of communicating in real-time. This means that when PMI shares a link, followers can easily retweet that message, respond to that tweet, or tweet back sparking a conversation. Twitter is a valuable communication tool and we will continually update our feed. Follow us @PMItv for updates and to tweet to us what’s on your mind!
Google+ is the newest player in the game. The service has only been available for about six months and, though it was originally touted as a rival to Facebook, it has not taken over as large a market share as Google hoped. However, Google+ does have some real advantages that make it a valuable part of the Social Media landscape. The primary benefit is the connectivity with the rest of Google and the boosting of our SEO (Search Engine Optimization ). Beyond that we are finding that Google+ has great potential as a tool for day-to-day business. Multiple people can edit Google docs at the same time, the user interface is cleaner, there are no ads on profiles, and the photo galleries are prettier than the other sites. In addition Google+ is developing an innovative video conferencing feature called “Hangouts”, which allows up to 10 people to video-chat live on the web. This entire platform and its features are being actively developed and have some exciting uses, which we are continuing to explore. Add us to your circle to check out this emerging network.
Our last social media outlet is the one you are reading right now–our blog, “Elements of Production.” The blog has been around for a while, but we are revamping it with a new layout coming very soon. What is most exciting is our new posting schedule. Not only will we be posting weekly but the entire company is getting involved in the authorship of these posts. We have divided PMI into 13 different groups who will post at regular intervals. This will allow everyone at PMI to share stories of their work, their passions and their lives…they are after all, the people and stories that make up the PMI family and we want to share our family with the world!
We are excited about our more amplified social media presence at PMI and the developments in this burgeoning field. If you have questions about our use of social media or want to know how you can use Social Media to uniquely feature your business, give us a call, send an email, follow us on Facebook, Tweet to us, add us to your Google + circles, or leave a comment on the blog– and talk to our social media team!
See you online!
-PMI’s Social Media Team
