Over 25 percent of the world’s population is on Facebook. There are one billion YouTubers, 700 million add photos and stories to Instagram and 328 million share 140-character thoughts on Twitter. With all of these social media options, which is the right choice for your business?
No business of any size should reject any social media application and their platforms based on the so-called generational gap. The Baby Boomers invented modern day computers. Their children invented these networks and their grandchildren are downloading apps every day.
Here are a few suggestions for which social media options are right for engaging your customer base on social media.
All businesses must be on Facebook plain and simple. Today’s Facebook is a far cry from the collegiate social networking site it was 10 years ago. Facebook is now a leader in commerce, media, sharing and advertising analytics.
It doesn’t take much for your business to be on Facebook. And once you’re logged on, everything is customizable – from scheduling and publishing posts, adding an about page and choosing which ways you wish to be contacted. Don’t like seeing bad reviews online? Take the reviews off your page.
Sometimes Facebook’s location-based public postings can create a page. This page isn’t ‘for you’ in any way. It’s stating users are frequently checking into your location but there’s no identifiable page from which to link the location. By putting your business on Facebook, you are more effectively handling customer relationship management.
Once you start your own page it’s important to try and become verified. If you have a standalone location, submit your business’ phone number and receive your verification mark. If you only have a mobile phone, claim an existing location-based page to start making edits and re-introduce yourself to the public.
YouTube
YouTube is our go-to time waster. Our relationship to the app hinges on audio/visual synergy, but not every company needs video. Industries without the need for ‘How It’s Made’ or behind-the-scenes sneak peeks don’t need to start shooting and uploading unnecessary videos.
Video works best with artists, advertising and marketing agencies, retail chains, the restaurant industry, architectural rendering and design firms, IT companies and tourist attractions.
Legitimacy reigns supreme for any small, medium or large-scale operation. Because of this, your business, or at least its decision makers, should be on LinkedIn – which grew past 100 million users in 2017.
LinkedIn is one of the few social media options where users want to be noticed without hiding behind anonymous handles. Employees can connect to your page and you can post updates to any other media site.
Twitter is clearly one of the most active social media options, with its constant updates and mega personalities. If your brand, however, doesn’t rely on press releases, blogs or a steady stream of new projects, then Twitter may not be for you. Unlike a Facebook feed which can be maintained with one or two posts per day, the 24-hour news cycle style of Twitter means you have to keep your message on the top of your followers feeds as many as 12 times per day.
Visual app Instagram is perfect for adding visual elements to your brand. But unless you’re a personal trainer or celebrity with endorsements deals, there’s no reason Instagram should be your primary and/or only social media outlet.
Building a brand on Instagram, personal or otherwise, takes a lot of due diligence. It demands a constant stream of photos you must post each and every day to stay relevant to your user follower base.
Pinterest, Tumblr & Snapchat
Reposting sites like Pinterest and Tumblr attract large volumes of blogging users, finding tidbits of the internet to follow and share, often relegated to Do-It-Yourself activities, infographics and animations.
Snapchat is a key app for targeting Generation Z and Generation Y (Millennials), but hardly marketable for anyone older than 40.
