Facebook vs. Twitter for Ecommerce

There is a debate raging about Facebook versus Twitter, when it comes to business application. While you often come across entrepreneurs who have utilized both, they have a general preference for one or the other. This causes them to focus most of their energies on one of their accounts, while barely using the other. It is rare to come across an ecommerce website, except for the giants, that seems to be focusing on both: Facebook and Twitter.

When it comes down to it, I would say that Twitter is better for certain types of marketing strategies. You can search mentions more easily, see what people are saying about you in real time, and quickly connect with loyal customers.

But if you want a well-rounded business presence, especially when it comes to generating profits and creating social media storefronts, you have to go with Facebook. Unlike Twitter, Facebook has adapted itself for business use.

Mark Zuckerburg has been very vocal about his belief that the next big thing will be social media commerce. So Facebook was redesigned to accommodate professional users seeking to get involved with that platform. Even the Facebook "Timeline" appears to have been constructed more with professional accounts in mind, than the personal ones. This gives Facebook a leg up over Twitter for business use.

But how do you use Facebook effectively for ecommerce? With it being in the early stages of development, and businesses only just starting to get on board, you might feel it is a waste of time. That it has to be fleshed out, before it is useful enough to try for yourself.

The problem with ecommerce professionals who say, "It is not yet fully developed. I will wait a bit more" is that they will wait forever. Half a decade ago, if you were not actively pursuing social communication, you could be forgiven, but that is no longer the case.

So, when it comes to the Facebook vs. Twitter debate, here are some thoughts:

• Actively Pursue Both Facebook and Twitter
  Both of these platforms have numbers in their favor. With active users approaching the billion mark for Facebook as well as Twitter, can you really ignore either?
  
  
• Pursue One With Full Vigor, While Maintaining a Presence in the Other
  If you are unable to follow my earlier advice of actively pursuing both, I understand. After all, not having a presence might be better than doing a shoddy job with your presence. If you want to choose one, here are some thoughts:
  
  • If you want to primarily take a branding-oriented approach, Facebook might be better.
  
  
  • If you want to create a buzz, Twitter might be better.
  
  
  • If using drawings, photographs, and videos is necessary for your social strategy, then Facebook might be the way to go.
  
  
  • If you would like to make a large number of quick connections with your audience, then Twitter might be better. But if you want to create elaborate communications that are well-crafted, and accompanied by rich media, Facebook is the better option.
  
  
  Naturally, none of these are hard and fast rules. In addition to these guidelines, you will have to use your judgment, and specific campaign objectives, before choosing your social platform.
  
  
• Do Not Simply Automate Your Social Media Campaigns
  A brainwave that strikes some ecommerce businesses that just do not have the bandwidth to maintain a social presence, is to automate the process. So they rely on scheduled Tweets and Facebook updates. In addition they use their RSS feeds for auto-publishing on Twitter and Facebook. The leads to a ghastly outcome. It tells the reader that you just do not value them enough to even type in 140 characters!