Every business needs a presence on social media. But with the constant change of the social media landscape, it can be unclear which options are best for business.
Whether you want to expand your presence or establish yourself on the web from scratch, here’s a breakdown of the top social media options to help make your choice easier.
Facebook is the largest social network platform in the world. Over one billion people use it, that’s a seventh of the world’s population. It’s no wonder that successful businesses have active Facebook pages.
With so many users, Facebook connects businesses with potential customers and clients from all over the world. But self promotion, even of a business, isn’t always easy. Push too hard and it can be off-putting. The best promotion of your product is in accordance with consumer or client concerns.
For instance, the identify theft prevention company, LifeLock, connects with a variety of customers by using their Facebook page to address a variety of identify theft concerns, such as security for small businesses, teen activity online, and how fake IDs can lead to identity theft. When your business develops a Facebook strategy, have a brainstorm about all the different links your products or services have with real customer needs.
Instagram has over 100 million daily users. This Facebook owned, image based social media platform, provides users with an exploratory place for those who are more visually inclined.
Businesses can use their own accounts to stay connected with loyal patrons and use Instagram ads to extend your reach to tell stories about clients, customers, products, and services. Ninety-seven percent of businesses that use Instagram ads see a healthy influx of business and interest from potential customers.
Related: How One Online Florist Generated $335k in Revenue Exclusively From Social Media
YouTube
YouTube has long been a valuable platform for informational videos. YouTube recently implemented a new avenue for businesses to cash in on customer interest with pay per view and paid subscription channels.
For established YouTube channels, this is a home run in terms of turning interested viewers into paying customers. While YouTube will still take a large portion of the advertisement revenue generated by the channels, each channel is awarded a cut of all paid subscriptions in accordance with how much time viewers spend on their videos.
While this is beneficial for established channels, those who don’t have loyal followers won’t find this option useful. If your business is new to YouTube, create a free channel. The paid channel option isn’t worth opting for until you have a dedicated client base.
Twitter is like a online bulletin board that is constantly updated with information specifically tailored by each user. People use Twitter as a place to connect with things they care about, whether it’s a sports team across the Atlantic, or the local bookstore down the street.
The best way businesses can use Twitter for self-promotion is similar to how you do on Facebook–in accordance with complementary products, services, and customer needs.
While Twitter can feel like a constant self promotion platform, those regular people who use Twitter every day are part of a community and your business should interact with that community as well.
This helps to show that your business is interested and involved with more than just profit. Businesses can also reach a larger audience with Twitter Ads. Ads are promoted on Twitter users’ feeds and can promote your account, a specific tweet, or even an informative video.