If you are new to the social media marketing game, there is no lying in saying it can be a bit tricky to figure out where exactly to start. But a great starting point that I always go through with my clients is understanding which social media channels would be most beneficial for your business and brand…so let’s break them down!
You have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin, Tik Tok, Pinterest and Reddit (I know, there’s a lot). The main channels that are widely used by the majority of businesses are Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, with some branching out to Linkedin, too. These channels are well fit for most businesses, you don’t have to be within a certain industry for them to work well, they’re pretty universal.
The likes of Tik Tok, Pinterest and Reddit however are best fit for more creative, conversational businesses. They can also require a little more time, but it most definitely can pay off as they have a HUGE number of users meaning a very vast audience to reach.
But today, we are just going to go through the main platforms, we will touch on the likes of Tik Tok, Reddit and Pinterest soon (stay tuned).
Now, Facebook is the GOAT when it comes to using social media for a business. They were one of the first social media platforms to bring out business pages for its users to like and engage with, and is widely used by MANY businesses!
A key reason for this is due to the fact every man and his nan is on Facebook with an impressive 2.912 billion users (yes, BILLION!). Its user base is completely diverse too, from teens to OAPs, this makes it really easy to target your primary audience as no doubt they’ll be on good old FaceyB.
Another key reason for its popularity with businesses is that it’s a very easy way to communicate with your consumers. Due to it being such a profound, widely used, platform, if your consumers have a question or problem, a large majority of them will turn to Facebook Messenger to drop you a message. No faffing around with emailing or picking up the phone to call you, it is a very quick, to the point, way of them communicating with you.
The only thing with this is due to it being such an easy way of getting in touch with you, they expect a response just as fast! So be prepared to be on top of your messages to keep your consumers happy, and maintain a positive connotation of your brand and business.
Twitter, soon to be owned by the controversial Elon Musk, is a very unique social media platform and to date, there isn’t another one like it. With 396.5 million users, it isn’t many as Facebook, but it is still an incredibly active and popular platform.
Every second, there are roughly around 6,000 tweets sent around the globe. Just think about that…pretty impressive if you ask me! It is a very fast-paced platform, with the average user sending out an average of 4-5 tweets a day, you’ll find a vast amount of users are actively online at one given time rather than sporadically like Facebook and Instagram.
One of the most unique features of Twitter is its trending topics and hashtags. This is very valuable to a business when doing research on what’s hot right now to link your content to remain relevant and gain impressions, as well as receive customer insight into what your consumers are actively saying.
Another benefit of Twitter is due to its very limited character count (280 limit), your messaging can be short, snappy and straight to the point…which is just how we like it! So you don’t have to worry so much about writing lengthy copy, as this just isn’t the platform for it.
Just like Facebook, this is also a platform very highly used to maintain a great relationship with your audience. And again, due to it being such an easy way of contacting businesses and brands, as well as a very fast-paced platform, many users will expect quick responses. Some big brands even have a separate account dedicated to solely responding to customer enquiries, which is pretty handy!
Now, time for my favourite platform for a business…Instagram! That’s not just because I like to look at pretty pictures and creative (well, it is a little bit), but it is a fantastic platform to advertise your business’s services or products.
We are in the age where Instagram influencers growing bigger by the day, and showing off what you’ve had for your tea by posting it on the gram is a must, It’s these reasons alone why it is a great platform! Instagram is so incredibly influential, and can hugely contribute to a user’s decision-making process when it comes to using services or buying products.
Don’t know where to go for brunch with the girls? Instagram.
Want to see how good a barber’s skills are before booking an appointment? Instagram.
It is a great way to have access to important information when making investments…I touch on this more in my blog about why you need social media to validate your business here.
But due to it being so widely used with 600 million monthly users (with 150 million of those using IG stories every single day), you’re missing out on the opportunity to showcase how incredible you are to a vast audience. There is no other platform like it.
Now, the platforms I have mentioned above are very B2C focused, which is why Linkedin is a game changer being the only B2B platform out there (other than Facebook Workplace, but it isn’t very popular). If you don’t have a personal Linkedin account, you should definitely create one! It can be a great advantage to be connected with so many like-minded individuals within your industry which can lead to some incredible business opportunities if you play your cards right.
But with regards to setting up a business page on Linkedin, it can be incredibly useful for many reasons. Recruitment, supplier recommendations, and business collaborations are a few key ones to mention, but it is also a great way to keep a very close eye on your competitors.
Most businesses will use Linkedin to make business announcements, and this is great information for you to have access to when it comes to your contenders. Use this information to your advantage and evaluate what you could be doing to be one step ahead of your competitors to become the better-known name within your industry.
It is also a great stage to announce your achievements, as it will only shine a positive light to potential consumers or partners. Show off your hard work!
To conclude…
Long story short, each platform is very different and all have their own niches which can benefit your business and brand. But, the question is which ones do you feel are the best fit for you? It isn’t necessary to be on every single platform if it doesn’t add value, don’t create more work for yourself when it isn’t necessary!
If you want to start your social media journey strong, or feel as though it is time to up your game to become a prevalent name within your industry, I would be more than happy to help!
You can check my services here. Social media is incredibly powerful when used right, let’s grow your business together!
Get in touch here, I can’t wait to hear from you!
