Finding a presence outside the better-known social media outlets is not easy. It takes research, and we’ll call it, social “know-how.” As stated in my previous column, popular outlets often seduce businesses. Instead of researching where their specific audience is and what outlets would be beneficial to them, they often rush to join the most obvious social media outlets.

It is very important for businesses in the construction products industry to realize that it is possible to have a successful social media presence outside “the Big Three.”

Photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social bookmarking sites produce high numbers of qualified referral traffic to your website. In our experience, this traffic has had a lower bounce rate than Facebook and often Twitter as well. Meaning, the people who come to your site from the following third party sites spend more time on your website, pushing them further through the sales funnel by taking a more active interest in your products and services.

Flickr is a photo-sharing site and a fantastic resource for brands in the construction products industry. It allows you to showcase your materials while also creating authority on your website. This authority is created through backlinking, which are the incoming links to a website from a third party site. Authority is a crucial component in organic search ranking.

When you upload a project album, or even a single photo to Flickr, each image should be given a title, description and relevant tags/keywords. Within the description be sure to include links back to your website. Make it easy for users to find more information without having to go back through search. It also creates a call-to-action, which is an actionable instruction for readers to follow, i.e. “Click here for more information.”

In addition, each image can be added to a feature called, “Maps” which generates a virtual map based on the geographic location of each image uploaded.

Tip One: Choose your keywords wisely. Think about how you would want clients and potential prospects to come across your content.

Tip Two: Choose an appropriate link for your description. Don’t simply dump someone at your homepage. Take them to a custom landing page that gives them more information about you before entering your site.

The use of video-sharing sites has grown exponentially over the past eight years. With easier access to videos on mobile devices than say PDFs, a reader is often more likely to view a video regarding a certain subject than reading dense text.

For instance, if you have a company that fabricates a given material, instead of producing only downloadable PDF versions of your manuals, try creating a short video on how to complete the fabrication process. While videos are not as easy to produce, they showcase innovation and thought leadership, as many companies in this industry do not have the resources to produce videos.

Tip One: If you are in a seemingly “boring” industry (meaning that a video of an employee routing your material is not likely to go viral) it is important to focus on how you can be useful to your audience.

Tip Two: Videos are searchable so make sure they contain a keyword-rich description, title and links back to an appropriate portion of your website.

Tip Three: Make sure to link your social networks to your video-sharing outlet. It will be important in maintaining a unified presence online. It also increases your chances of gaining qualified followers on your various networks.

Suggested Sites: YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr

Social bookmarking sites are news sites with user-uploaded content that is categorized based on specific subject and tags. It is a series of websites that allow Internet users to aggregate interesting content in the form of news bulletins. These sites are known for their ability to create referral traffic and extend the reach of your online content.

Tip One: Add all keywords associated with your content, even if they vary slightly.
Example: Interior design, design, interiors

Tip Two: Create a compelling title. Your subject title is your first impression and should grab a reader’s attention. If your content tells a reader how to complete a certain task, include the words “how” and “to.” Do not be ambiguous.

Suggested Sites: Stumble Upon, Reddit, Delicious, and Digg

I would not recommend completely avoiding popular outlets. Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest are fantastic resources for nearly every brand. They have hundreds of millions of active users and have proven business potential. My suggestion is to try different social media outlets as well. Experiment with at least one social bookmarking, one video-sharing and one photo-sharing site for your brand. Social media is not one size fits all. Customization is a key element in social success. Remember that regardless, of which outlets you choose, be useful to your audience by giving them a reason to follow your brand online.