Three Social Networks Your Company Must Build

The channels may be the same, but there are three distinct audiences and contexts you should separate and consider with a unique strategy to engage, influence and mobilize.

1. Employee Network

How is your company leveraging social networks, channels and tools to more effectively communicate with employees? How are you using these tools to improve communications and connectivity with remote offices and teams that need to work more closely together?How are you regularly gathering and using internal feedback without disrupting workflow and productivity?

2. Customer Network

I include prospects in this as well. This is the network where most companies devote their time currently. Avoid the impulse to move prospects too quickly through the funnel, or field aggressive offers that don’t respect the audience or channel’s unique expectation about content, tone and delivery.

3. Product Network

Some of your products may need a social network of their own. Allow fans and detractors alike to share feedback openly, with you and each other. Learn from them and innovate on a daily basis. This is a missing piece of the social strategy for most companies, but done right it’s a great way to get focused insights and two-way communication with customers about specific products and services you offer.

I have more to think about and share on this. If you already have a distinct strategy for these three, I’d love to hear from you (as well as the back-story of how you got it started and how you’re driving & measuring success).

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Matt Heinz is principal at Heinz Marketing, a sales & marketing consulting firm helping businesses increase customers and revenue. Contact Matt at matt@heinzmarketing.com or visit www.heinzmarketing.com.