Is your social media strategy working, or do you think there’s room for improvement? The fact that you stumbled onto this article suggests the latter. Considering the potential of social media in a profitable marketing campaign, that’s hardly surprising.
The complicated part is that there are so many social media platforms available. Do you forget your Instagram efforts to focus on the new arrival, TikTok? Do you throw in the towel all together?
Ignoring social media at this stage is unwise. In 2020, 3.6 billion people globally used social media. That figure is set to increase to 4.41 billion by the end of 2025. With almost half the world’s population already active on social media, it’s no longer a fad.
It’s not about deciding whether to use social media or not but which platform to use. With dozens of social media platforms to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you?
In this article, we’ll attempt to answer that question. We’ve zeroed in on the top five social media platforms for business and will help you use these effectively.
The Top 5 Social Media Platforms for Businesses
Can any single social media platform provide everything for every business? That’s highly unlikely; each has its set of traits and norms, and companies must select the one that suits their needs.
More importantly, firms should see which platforms their clients are most active on. In narrowing down how many social media player pages to have, companies must consider which are most convenient for their target market.
With 2.74 billion active members, Facebook dominates the social media world. The giant has been the subject of several scandals over the last few years. Most of these relate to the somewhat casual wear that Facebook “protects” users’ privacy.
Did you know that 30% of Facebook users will spend one year and seven months of their lives on Facebook?
Facebook has also garnered a reputation for being for the older generation. Younger social media users tend to prefer networks like Instagram and TiK Tok. That said, almost every business should have a Facebook page.
Facebook listings show up well in search results, and Facebook has the highest number of active users. It’s one of the platforms with the most options for users.
Businesses may:
- create groups and private groups attractive to their target audience
- use the highly targeted advertising features to create effective campaigns that are effective
- allow clients to ask questions and interact with the brand
- provide different levels of support depending on the membership of the page
- influence your target market directly and also those who may be buying for them
Most businesses will see benefits when using Facebook. Paid ads are a simple and relatively affordable way to reach your target market. Alternatively, companies may maintain an active account to drive user engagement with their posts.
Facebook Pixels
Facebook allows you to create pixels for free. You place your pixels on your site, and when someone visits that page, the code springs into action. Depending on what you instructed the code to do, it will display advertising to that user after leaving your site.
You may remind them of products they saw or point them to blog posts or other information that could seal the deal. You might even encourage them to sign up for your newsletter to grow your email database.
YouTube
YouTube takes second place on our list with 2 billion monthly active users. For businesses, it’s an excellent way to engage clients. It’s also a little-known fact that YouTube is considered an authoritative site.
Businesses wishing to improve their SEO can upload videos to YouTube and embed a link on their site. It’s a practical way to give clients advice and improve your SEO. Why wouldn’t you want to be on YouTube?
Businesses can create:
- tutorials
- demonstrations of products
- meet and greet with the customer service team
- videos about their process
- interesting press releases
- drive more interaction
The kicker is that you don’t need fancy recording equipment to create a video. Most modern smartphones are capable of capturing reasonably good video. You can rely on editing software to punch up the results. In some cases, you may even use stock video instead, which provides businesses with a simple, effective way to share visual content.
As long as the content is interesting, reasonably well filmed, and audible, it should be successful. You can do live videos, short clips, or longer videos. If you provide a transcript along with your YouTube video, you can create SEO-friendly content that will attract more viewers. Using a YouTube transcript generator simplifies this process.
This is a great way to test the popularity of the concept. If your YouTube video becomes viral, you’ll have an idea of what results to replicate.
The one caveat is that you should use a clear call-to-action. Visitors like and share the video and subscribe to your channel.
You may monetize your content, although this might not always be ideal. When monetizing your content, you have little control over the adverts displayed. There’s always a chance of an advert from a competitor displaying on your page. The adverts also frustrate users and so are not always the best idea.
With around a billion active users, Instagram is no slouch. As one of the top social media platforms, Instagram distinguished itself by being a primarily visual channel. Users share photos and videos rather than long sections of text. Moreover, the only place you’re allowed to put a link is in your public profile.
As a visual platform, Instagram is best suited to businesses with products that look good on camera. It’s largely accepted that this is a channel for younger audiences, although the popularity of TikTok may change this.
The downside of Instagram is that attracting followers can be difficult. Many people will follow you back if you follow them first, but that’s not necessarily going to bring you, qualified buyers.
Still, the potential is there. If you can create outstanding photographs, there’s a good chance that they’ll go viral. As long as your company’s branding appears somewhere in the picture, users will know that it’s your work.
LinkedIn has 722 million active users, which doesn’t sound impressive compared to Facebook. Don’t be too quick to judge because LinkedIn is one of the top tools for B2B sellers. The users are professionals interested in creating mutually beneficial relationships.
The site is more like a corporate networking event than a fun social media site. If you are a B2C seller, you might not feel that LinkedIn is the right match. Still, we urge you to reconsider this idea.
Even if you’re not actively networking on LinkedIn, other users may check what page you manage on the site. A business without a LinkedIn page may seem a little amateur. Advertising here gives you access to decision-makers within the company. You may also meet new suppliers and potential staff members.
Think of LinkedIn as your best clothes. You won’t go to the beach or clean your house in your best clothes. You’ll only wear the outfit when there’s a special occasion.
LinkedIn is similar in that you’ll only post or reach out for an excellent reason instead of just for likes. You won’t be active on the site like others, but you’ll also experience less competition for attention.
With only 353 million active users, Twitter comes last on the list. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a decline in its popularity. That said, it still arrives as a source of leads. The 140-character limit means that the messages are quick and easy to read.
Twitter can also help businesses improve their SEO. They may, for example, create a list of exciting statistics and publish it on their website or blog. They may then also set up the “Tweet This” feature.
Take full advantage of this feature by finding your very best quotes. Think of things that your target market might like to share. What would make them look good in front of their network? By giving people something quick and easy to share on Twitter, you immediately draw attention to your brand.
Twitter can drive traffic to your website and help build your brand image. You may also use it to determine what your target market is focusing on at the moment.
Final Notes
The names on the list presented above wouldn’t have come as a surprise to most business owners. Many would, however, find it interesting that we ranked YouTube as the second most popular media channel for business.
Now that you understand a little more about the quirks of each, it’s time to do your own research. Find out where your target market spends most of its time online. Doing so will enable you to keep track of what issues are essential to potential leads. This will enable you to create more targeted campaigns and deal with clients’ pain points.
It may be tempting to open up several pages on several sites. In theory, this would give your company maximum exposure. In practice, however, it spreads your resources too thinly across multiple channels.
It’s better to have one or maybe two expertly managed pages than start with the platforms that your clients prefer. Give yourself time to build a solid following before adding other platforms.
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