The power of digital marketing and social media platform is probably not a new subject to you or to most people around the world today. In fact, there are 7 social media platforms your business needs to be on some of them.
Statistics show that over 40% of the world’s population is currently on at least one social media network.
What this means is that the people you need to connect with can be reached very easily through social media. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should go open a profile on every social media website out there.
Learn how to make your social media profile stand here
Actually, it is typically recommended that you open no more than three to four social media profiles. But this doesn’t mean you should just go for the top 3 social media sites you can think of. Instead, your choice of social media site should be a strategic decision that you make with proper consideration of whether each one is a suitable fit for your business.
For example, some businesses do better on LinkedIn, whereas some others do better on Pinterest. How can you evaluate which one is best for you? That’s what we’re going to help you figure out in this article. Here are the top 7 social media platforms and how you can use each one:
1. Facebook
Facebook is probably the first place most people start when it comes to social media for business. However, you have to know that there have been a few changes to how Facebook works. Firstly, Facebook is ideal for all types of businesses but Facebook pages are no longer getting massive organic reach. This is so because the company prefers to promote its paid advertising system.
Still, Facebook pages are indexable by search engines, so even if you don’t intend on using Facebook ads to promote your business page, it could still show up in Google search results which is important.
This is what gives Facebook the first spot on the top 7 social media platforms your business should be on.
2. Instagram
When picking out the best social media platforms for your business, there are two main things you should consider. Firstly, the type of content that does well on that platform, and secondly, the demographic profile of the average user of that platform.
If you’re running an online store with physical products, you definitely want to be on Instagram. This is Instagram is great for videos and photos and other images but not text.
Further, Instagram is really popular with younger people, and over half its user base worldwide is below the age of 34. So if your products or services are targeted towards people in this age group, then you should use Instagram to reach them. For instance, if you’re selling sportswear for young athletes, Instagram is a good platform to focus on.
3. Pinterest
For people with businesses that operate in a visual industry or have a strong focus on women, Pinterest is the social media platform of choice. There are two main reasons why this is so. Firstly, Pinterest is a visually oriented platform, which means you can only post images but not text. Secondly, 81% of Pinterest’s 175 million users are women. Also, 87% of all Pinterest users have reportedly purchased something at least once from Pinterest.
4. Snapchat
Snapchat is a lot like Instagram in terms of the main audience it appeals to, and the fact that it is visually oriented. On Snapchat, people generally communicate by sending photos and short, temporary videos.
However, Snapchat has a story feature, similar to Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp, that allows you to upload a photo or video for 24 hours before it gets deleted.
Another similarity is the fact that Snapchat is really great if your primary target is the younger demographic group, under 34, as 71% of Snapchat’s 300 million-plus users fall within this category.
5. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is probably the most popular professionally-oriented social media website for now. Unlike most other social media websites, people on LinkedIn tend to be more business-ready. Consequently, If you offer professional services or operate in the b2b industry, then you’re going to love the results you can get from LinkedIn.
6. YouTube
YouTube is almost entirely video-based and that makes it different from every other social media platform on this list. While some other platforms like Facebook and Instagram do have a strong video component, when it comes to video, YouTube is the clear industry leader. Being on YouTube allows you to create and publish how-to videos (which are a really popular content type), or any other engaging content your company wishes to share.
YouTube has over a billion users, which means it’s suitable for almost every niche you could think about. In addition to this, since YouTube is owned by Google you can expect a well-optimized YouTube Channel to perform really well in Google search results.
Video marketing gaining more and more popularity, and being the second largest search engine makes YouTube almost a must-be on the top 7 social media platforms for every business.
7. Twitter
If your business has a reasonably sized following, then you should definitely use Twitter. Although Twitter isn’t generally the place where you go to promote content, you can do that if you want. The main benefit of using Twitter, however, lies in its ability to let you jump in on conversations using hashtags.
What this means is that if your prospective clients are having a discussion about your products of your competitor’s products, you’ll be able to get involved in the conversation and perhaps direct it in your direction.
