Think Before You Engage: 100 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Social Media Marketing Campaign

13. How Do I Choose Which Sites to Use?

Lisa Barone, the co-founder and chief branding officer at Outspoken Media, created six questions to ask yourself when deciding which social network is right for you. Each of these questions is discussed in the following sections.

Determine the Strengths of the Site

Whether it's Twitter, DailyBooth, or Flickr, it doesn't matter: Before you decide to allocate resources to a particular site, know why you are joining it. How will being on Twitter help your business? What can you do on this site more efficiently than through a different network? What is your goal of being on this network? Unless you want to get smacked, don't just recite what you read on Mashable or some other social media blog. Actually evaluate the site and decide how its functionality can help your brand's critical success factors. Just because LinkedIn is great for one business does not mean it is going to be a fit for your business. You need to find what is. Social media is about having an opportunity to promote your brand and position it as an industry (or local) leader. Decide what you need and how this site can help you get it. If you can't figure out how this site will help you, find another one.

Determine the Time You Can Afford to Spend on It

When evaluating the time you can spend on a social network site, be realistic. How much time can you realistically spend to maintain ...