We talk a lot about the “big 5″ social media platforms (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr).  But the conversation universe is a much bigger place, and there are other platforms, channels, and tools that just might make sense for your business too.

Here are 10 of them (thanks to a terrific closing session at the Frederick New Media and Technology Conference on February 24 that featured 10 speakers, three minutes each, talking about 10 less-well-known social tech tools):

1. BuddyPress. Beth Schillaci said that this “social networking in a box” open-source WordPress add-on lets you build a community within your own space (e.g., where you have control and own your data). Suggested uses, said Schillaci, include a safe space for a student community and an in-house (employee) community that you can tuck behind a firewall.
2. Tumblr. Jessica Hibbard called the microblogging site “an elegant solution” for curating content. She said it is an easy way to post content as diverse as video, photos, and chat scripts. Hibbard said business uses include showcasing your thought leadership by creating a central location for industry news (LL Bean does this) or as a way to connect with your community. There’s even an “ask me anything” button.
3. Meetup. Kelly Beach said that you need to give to your community before you can start selling, and a Meetup group is one way to do this. She also pointed out that, with 250,000 meetups monthly, it’s a great way to connect with like-minded people in your community.
4. SlideShare. See my 4 tips for using SlideShare.
5. Quora. Lisa Byrne said that the fledging Q&A site is great way to both be helpful to your community and to ask for help. She said one way to use Quora is to ask questions that will help you deliver a better service or build a better product. (See here for my early take on Quora.)
6. HootSuite. Like TweetDeck, Hootsuite is another popular Twitter client designed to make social media monitoring and engagement easier. Sandy Sponaugle said that Hootsuite supports several multimedia sites and recently rolled out a new analytics tool.
7. 3D Visualization. Darian Robbins talked about using Google Earth to layer information to create a 3D representation about your business. Can you say cool?
8. Open Source E-Commerce Systems. Nick Damoulakis talked about six good e-commerce products. UberCart and WP e-commerce both work with WordPress. His favorite: Magento, which he termed a “mini-Amazon.com” (lots of functionality, but it’s not plug and play).
9. HTML5. Jon-Mikel Bailey said that HTML5 is all about user experience. He said that the code is easier to develop and maintain, and that it gives you lots of options (including chat features and better form management). This is developer geek chic. While the rest of us don’t have to know how to do it, it helps if we know what can be done.
10. Google Instant. Jeannine Morber said that Google is moving increasingly toward valuing relevance in search. She said that the biggest implication is that content is and will continue to be the most important and relevant element of your Web site.

What’s your favorite “outlier” social platform or tool?

Photo by tuppus (Flickr).

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You couldn’t have a GrowSmartBiz* conference in 2010 without talking about social media, innovation, and the role of buzz in your marketing arsenal. And the panel at last Friday’s conference didn’t disappoint, offering good insights and smart tips:

• Jason Falls suggested that the best innovation might be to “simplify our thinking” and go back to having a small business, small town mindset. He pointed out that people don’t do business with Allstate, but with Shirley; they don’t buy a car from Ford or GM, but from Tom. Falls also talked about blogging with purpose, noting that “if your Web site shows up [in search results] and you solve someone’s problem, you [both] win.”
• Praba Murugaiah emphasized the importance of identifying your high-value customers. (Think, for example, of Sprint, which fired 1,000 customers who were using a disproportionately high percentage of the company’s customer service resources.)
• Jeremy Epstein said that businesses need to be more concerned with the implications of various tools (i.e., how might I implement a blogging strategy?) than with the tools themselves. He also noted that, in thinking about how small businesses can cost-effectively get the word out, “viral is the effect, not the cause.” And he offered a terrific tip for small businesses: A flip cam (or your smartphone) can be a great customer relationship tool. His advice: talk to your customers and put the videos up on YouTube. Even if no one else sees them, they will. (And most customers will tell their family, friends, and colleagues.)
• Duncan Alney said that your content strategy must be focused on  what your customers, clients, and prospects think is important (and not just what you think matters). He also had perhaps my favorite line from the conference, noting that social media usage is not age-based but rather reflected in a “mindset generation.”

Were you at GrowSmartBiz? What takeaways would you add?

*Disclosure: Comped admission; but choice to blog and what to write about are all me.

Photo by Shashi Bellamkonda, Social Media Swami, Network Solutions (Flickr).

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©2012 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.

My mom discovered online shoe stores yesterday. And she was really excited by free delivery and return shipping, the confirmation e-mail, and the convenience of searching for her shoes without having to trek from store to store.

There’s a point here, and it’s not about shoes. It’s about customers, and how we find them.

Like many people, my mom has a couple of toes dipped into the online waters. She consumes most of her news online, watches videos on YouTube, reads blogs (at least this blog), and sends the occasional tweet. But she’s rarely purchased anything online–and doesn’t traditionally think “online” when she’s shopping.

Then there’s us–content creators, Twitter aficionados, communicators, and social media pros. We pass around case studies and point to companies that are best practice examples of social business at work. And guess what: my mom has never heard of Zappos (and the company didn’t optimize in her search). The lesson is that we’re going to miss a lot of customers if we rely only on social marketing for our engagement.

Think companies aren’t over-relying on social media? Then check out this post from Online Marketing Blog. It cites a Digital Readiness Report that finds that “18 percent of marketing decision makers have no interest whatsoever in traditional marketing.” [emphasis mine]

Are you over-relying on social media buzz? What change can you make to your marketing mix today to make sure you’re reaching more of your target audience?

Photo by mckaysavage (Flickr).

Have you signed up to receive the Independent Thinking newsletter? Now’s the time! Once a month I’ll send you exclusive, subscriber-only content highlighting interesting articles I’ve found, as well as tips on marketing, social media, and how to grow your business. Sign up today!

©2012 Independent Thinking. All Rights Reserved.