Where Do You Belong in Social Media: Dissecting Mashable’s Social Media Map

Earlier this month, Mashable has unleashed the “Social Media Leaders of 2012” infographic, which serves as a cheat sheet based on the platform’s organizational structure and social reach. But where exactly, in which network, in what platform, does your business actually belong?

Still the King: Facebook

Still reigning the social media world with 850 million subscribers, 3,000 employees, and revenue of 3.7 billion, Facebook remains to be the best choice when it comes to making your brand visible to online audiences.

It’s not just because it covers almost of the online audience today; Facebook provides you with almost all the tools you need to get started: you have the page that you can customize, the place where you can add your photos, videos and content, access to potential fans, and advertising platform where you can launch ads to promote your brand over the network.

Facebook remains to be the most practical platform for you to jumpstart your social media objectives, and yes, everything else comes next.

Social Information: Twitter

While Facebook is available on mobile, Twitter meanwhile has conquered the aspect of real-time social information. With tweets consisting of 160-characters and less, Twitter provides the quick and convenient way of spreading the news to the world. You can also hook up with famous personalities by following them on Twitter, thus allowing you to create social connections right on the dot.

Tip: If you’re still very new to social media, creating accounts on both Twitter and Facebook could be your perfect combo. You’re not only visible online-you also get to access and promote updates on real time.

Rooting on Location: Foursquare

Foursquare is seen to be the best friend of location-based businesses. As compared to Facebook and Twitter, this social media platform not only broadcasts your place in the real world; it also assists in check-ins and local deals. Rather than asking Facebook or Twitter as to where to find good deals in restos, hotels, or even events, people turn to Foursquare instead.

Mind you however, Foursquare only has 15 million users across the globe, and dwelling in this platform alone may provide your brand with only limited exposure.

Social Inspirations: Pinterest

It only started in 2010 but now it has over 10 million subscribers from around the world. What made Pinterest click is that it offered a board not only for social discoveries, but for social inspirations, things you can’t always do with the likes of Facebook or Twitter.

Pinterest gives more life to your brand because it provides your target audience with a board to pin their own discoveries and goals that you, as a business, could fulfill. You also get to penetrate into their wants and needs as customers and you can use this information to further improve your products, services and interactions in the long run.

Professional Connections: LinkedIn

LinkedIn is viewed to be serious, conservative and point blank. Since its inception in 2003, LinkedIn has already raked in over 522 million in revenue and an audience share of 150 million subscribers. If you happen to be more of a B2B company than a B2C enterprise, then it would be more beneficial for you to hook up with LinkedIn users as compared to Facebook or Twitter.

This is practically because you are dealing more with key influencers and decision makers in the industry you’re thriving in. By building professional connections, it would be much easier for you to conduct business, especially when you become active in group discussions and exchange of ideas and opinions with other names in the industry. This would also be your opportunity to gain recognition by these people, as they value your substance as a business the same way they do with your trade.

Social media is a big messy world of its own, it’s normal if you don’t easily find your place right away. But as a brand that wants to conquer an online target audience, you have to know where to best set foot even before you introduce your name and business to the social media environment-this way you can earn sufficient exposure at the right avenues, and find the right customers by the end of the day.

So, where do you belong now?