Social media has become an indispensable marketing tool for every modern business. This comes as no surprise, as these online platforms are powerful tools that can bring in engaged clientele if used right! Small Business Trends reports that 9 out of 10 marketers say social media marketing has increased exposure for their business, with 75% claiming a significant increase in traffic.
As a small business owner, you’re likely familiar with how important it is to prioritize and delegate. This same concept should apply to social media marketing, as focusing on a few quality pages is better than a mediocre presence on all platforms. Here, we’ll help you determine which social media platforms you should be using for your small business. Want to learn more? Check out also these amazing random facts about social media platforms.
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An instantly recognizable platform, and one that is famous all over the world, Facebook is the behemoth of social media. Facebook has a whopping 2.4 billion monthly active user – a figure that’s only expected to grow in the coming years. When using Facebook to promote your business, remember that it is primarily a place where people make personal connections with family and friends. This means that your content shouldn’t be all about hard selling products, but also creating relatable posts that your audience can ‘like’ and ‘share’ with their network.
LinkedIn is likely the most unique platform on this list, and is another one that’s necessary for every business owner. While it looks similar to Facebook, LinkedIn caters specifically to companies and industry leaders. It’s a great place to grow your professional network and even secure sponsors for your business. Contrary to what most people think, you do have to put in work in your profile – and not just in the “About” section. Regularly posting about your company’s progress, new partners or acquisitions, new branches, and more, are all important to drive up viewership and engagement. These posts make LinkedIn profiles more appealing to viewers, who are mostly your fellow business owners and future investors.
Instagram is a popular platform for reaching millennials and Gen Z, especially if you have an aesthetically pleasing feed. It’s especially useful for businesses that have to do with fashion, travel, and even food. The visual platform is a great way to showcase products and even directly sell them to the audience. Burberry’s Instagram feed allows users to hit checkout directly under their posts, making it easier for customers to buy their products. Features like these can encourage your followers to hit ‘add to cart’ faster than any other social media platform.
Our correspondent Shandeep emphasizes the importance of communicating with your viewers, as engaging content encourages them to interact with your brand. This communication is particularly effective on Twitter, where you can directly and instantly interact with your followers. Like Instagram, Twitter caters to a younger crowd, and is quick to jump from one trend to another. This is why it’s important to keep up with the latest hashtags and memes when using this platform. It’s also a great place to inject humor when appropriate, or to post more often than you usually would on other sites. Keep in mind that Twitter is the best platform for live updates, as creating ‘threads’ here makes more sense than posting multiple times on Facebook or Instagram.