There’s no denying the fact that social media is a powerhouse when it comes to business growth. We all know that social media marketing is necessary for every business that wants to remain relevant and visible in today’s buzzing online world. In fact, according to a recent study, 90% of users on social media prefer to contact retailers directly. So, if you aren’t using social media to its fullest, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
There are thousands of social networks out there to choose from, and it might get a little tricky and overwhelming, that’s why we’re going to touch on the top social media sites to assist the business owners like yourself to decide which platform will be the most profitable for you.
Defining your goal:
First things first, there are numerous benefits of using social media but the most important is to define realistic goals before you move on. Your goals would not only help you determine your social media platform but also assist you with the content you create, the audience you target, and many more. The most common benefit of defining a goal is:
- Identifying new leads and prospects who are similar to your target audience
- Increasing brand recognition and showcasing your business to new people
- Increasing traffic to your site and boosting sales
Pairing your goals, target audience, and content with the right social media platform:
Once you are settled with your goals, you can then take a step up, go through, and compare the different social media platforms to determine which one will best meet your needs.
Facebook:
Facebook is by far the largest and world’s number one platform, with over 2 billion monthly active users. Facebook is considered to be great for lead generation, and its advertising platform can be highly customized to target a very specific audience. Not only that Facebook is an excellent platform for building relationships, giving the human touch to your business, and turning leads into loyal followers and customers.
Instagram:
Instagram comes very close behind Facebook and should be next on the list for your business. Instagram focuses on visual content, utilize it to give your company a unique identity. Visual brands like hotels, restaurants, travel, fashion and apparel brands, food brands, art, and design brands should have a presence on Instagram. These products draw people in by being visually appealing, so it makes perfect sense. This social media platform packs a punch, especially with Millennials and tech-savvy audiences. If your business wants to capture this audience and can create amazing visual content, by all means, you should make this platform a priority.
Twitter:
Twitter is the go-to social media platform if you want to reach out to followers by breaking news, announcements, important messages, and other moment information. Most active users on Twitter are under the age of 50, and the type of content that works best on this platform is an easy, direct, and understandable textual context. While using Twitter as your social media marketing platform, you can connect with your audience and your target customers there. Like Instagram, hashtags are highly and widely used on Twitter, so be sure to use those in Tweets.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals and is said to be an ideal place for B2B businesses. It is a platform that can help you establish your company as a trusted leader in your field, build authenticity for your brand apart from encouraging leads through conversations. Every business should have an active LinkedIn profile with accurate details as not only B2B but also B2C companies can benefit from a LinkedIn page, since you can connect with customers, recruit better candidates and build brand identity and massive awareness on the channel.
Pinterest:
Pinterest is a high visual content social platform. It is a place where users can “Pin” appealing items they find on the web to “boards,” and can refer to the same later in the future. As per a recent survey, it is found that there are far more active women on Pinterest than there are men, so if your business targets females, Pinterest is your platform and worth considering signing up for a profile on and it’s a graphics-heavy content that lends itself to décor, food, art, fashion, wedding, travel, and many more can leverage businesses that produce beautiful and stunning photographs.
Social media is a vital tool for any business that wants to remain relevant and gain exposure online, because not only can it connect you with prospects who are right next door, but it can also help you reach out to people all across the world. So what are you waiting for? Follow these tips and build up your social media presence!