Social media networks are vital tools for companies looking to promote their businesses online. Most of these platforms are free to use and their paid advertising features can expand the reach of businesses. But just because you have access to all of these networks, should you be on every single one?
How does a business choose and devote their time and resources to those social media outlets that will be mostly beneficial to them? If you do your homework you can save hours, cash, and eliminate unnecessary tasks by focusing on the platforms that will give you the best direct ROI.
We’ve profiled a few of the biggest social media platforms to help you see which will be best for your business. Which one is right for you?
Twitter is meant for short updates, to which you can add images, videos, links, and polls. It’s easy to interact with other users all around the world. The platform has 328 million monthly active users worldwide and supports over 40 languages, which means it’s a great way to market your business because of its wide reach.
You can also use it as an effective channel for customer service. Your customers can use Twitter to share their concerns and praises for your brand, and you can reply right back for everyone to see.
If you want to announce something that you want to spread quickly, then this is the way to go. Others can easily retweet and share your content. Your target audience should range between 18-49 years old, because those are the ages we usually see on this platform. Experts, however, are predicting the eventual decline of Twitter, so if you’re using this platform alone don’t forget to innovate on your strategies.
Tips and tricks for Twitter
- Focus on social customer service: Make it easier for your customers to contact you. Some brands even have a separate Twitter handle specifically for customer service.
- Use videos and GIFS to promote your products: If you are releasing a new product, catch the attention of your customers with creative videos and GIFS.
- Increase engagement with Twitter Chat: You can host a weekly chat or do a collaborative chat with an influencer. Or invite experts to respond to as many questions from your followers as they can.
- Buy Followers to boost your social proof: Did you know that you can quickly improve your rep on Twitter by purchasing Followers and other social signals? Just be sure to go with a reputable provider who can offer high-quality Followers.
One of the best brands on Twitter to learn from is DiGiorno Pizza. They are also known to be one of the funniest brands to follow. Even back during 2013, when NBC showed the Sound of Music LIVE, DiGiorno Pizza tweeted a Sound of Music-related tweet that caught tons of attention. It was hilarious but it was also a great example of how you can talk about your product without hard selling it.
DOUGH a crust an unbaked crust
RAY, a guy that likes pizza
ME a pizza liked by a guy named ray
FAH no idea what fah is
SO so
LA a city
T tee— DiGiorno (@DiGiorno) December 6, 2013
Instagram is the most visual social media platform, based entirely on photo and video posts. With over 600 million users, it’s no doubt that Instagram has great reach.
It also has unique filters and video editing options which cater mostly to the artistic niche. If your brand is focused on beautiful images and videos this can be your main brand building tool.
However, with their latest algorithm change, you can no longer view content in chronological order. This gives less control to companies as they don’t know how the consumers will be exposed to their content. Feelings about this change have been mixed, but overall it doesn’t seem to be the end of the world.
Instagram is becoming one of the most popular social media tools with the younger folks, with a primary user base of people 18-29 years old. You can communicate with them effectively by writing good captions explaining your image, and taking advantage of the multi-photo and Instagram Stories features.
Tips and tricks for Instagram
- Always relate your posts to your brand: If your business has nothing to do with a topic, don’t post about it. It will ruin your branding and will confuse your followers. Make sure your photos are relevant to your company.
- Reply to your followers: When your followers take the time to comment, make it a point to reply back. Interacting with them shows that you care about them and you listen to them. This is a great way to create loyal fans.
- Run contests and giveaways: Contests allow your customers to market your brand by encouraging them share stuff about you on their personal social media accounts.
One of the best brands to follow and learn from on Instagram is Califia Farms. Most of their posts feature their containers creatively displayed either as the main subject of the photo or as an accessory. Overall, their whole Instagram account exudes the healthy lifestyle persona of their brand, matching it perfectly.
If your business is mostly focused on females, Pinterest might be your best choice. Astoundingly, it has managed to capture 45% of all women online, so if you want to sell to women you should probably have a presence here.
Just like Instagram, this social media network is mostly visual. If your business is in home decor, art, fashion, DIY, beauty, photography, exercise, or food, you can benefit well from this platform.
It allows users to save and display content they like by “pinning” it on their digital bulletin boards. They can then organize it by category. For example, a foodie can create a food board dedicated to pinning recipes.
Pinterest has a buy button which aids businesses, letting customers make purchases with a click of a button. They also have a feature called Rich Pins, where brands can add special information like product details, recipe information, and location details.
Compared to Twitter and Instagram, however, Pinterest is more of a niche network so it may not work for every business. That’s not to say that if your business doesn’t fall into the categories mentioned above you’ll automatically fail on Pinterest, but it is an especially good marketing tool for those niches and similar ones.
Tips and tricks for Pinterest
- Add a Pinterest Board widget to your business website: When visitors come to your website, they’ll know you are active on Pinterest and it may lead them to your Pinterest Boards.
- Add the “Pin It” button to your website: This will allow Pinterest users, followers and non-followers alike, to pin your content to their digital bulletin boards directly from your website. This makes it easier to share your site content.
- Create gift guides: You can turn pinboards into custom-themed gift guides. You can include your own products as well as other brands, so it doesn’t look like a big sell out.
The Container Store, for example, is serious about their Pinterest account. They create custom content for the many boards they curate, and organize them efficiently into different categories. Their boards are wonderful examples of how to use Pinterest effectively, and you can learn a lot from them.
Image credit: Pinterest
Choose Just One or Choose All
Staying ahead in the social media game can be difficult but it will reap big rewards for your business. Figuring out where your company fits and investing in the right two to three platforms will yield the best results compared to trying to capitalize on every single platform.
It’s important to take some time and carefully choose the social platform that works best for your business so you don’t waste time and effort. Save more time and maximize your reach by using the appropriate social media tools along with their respective platforms. And remember that you can buy Followers for your accounts to improve your social proof, boosting your reputation and credibility online.
If you want to create a successful social media strategy for your business, you should take a close look at how each of the platforms work, the kind of markets they reach, and how your business can plan to use it.
Image credit: Giphy