Social Media Platforms Every Business Should Consider Using
One band-wagon you don’t want to miss jumping onto is social media marketing for your business. Utilizing social media is a painless and inexpensive way to get your business out there and increase awareness of your brand. If you are feeling intimidated by the plethora of platforms out there, here is a guide to the 10 best social media platforms to get started with.
Pinterest is an ideal platform because Pinterest users are already looking for something specific to purchase. If someone is turning to Pinterest, they have an idea of what they want, but simply need suggestions of brands or options that will suit them. Pinterest is also a fun way to offer instructional content on how to use your product. Showing interesting and creative uses for your product increases its desirability and raises awareness about its versatility. Additionally, Pinterest offers direct help and ideas as you navigate using Pinterest as a marketing tool.
Twitter is an adaptable and prolific marketing tool. There are hundreds of millions of active users on Twitter each month, and it can be used in a variety of ways. Setting up a Twitter account is simple. A more important consideration is how to maximize on your profile name and background images. Some experts recommend using your business for your profile name but personalizing the image. Twitter is a great place to humanize your business, learn more about your clients, and interact with them on a variety of topics. Twitter’s fast-paced conversational style is different from other more formal platforms, which means that you should share multiple tweets a day. Even though tweets are informal messages, pictures, or GIFs, they can be highly effective at expanding your outreach, so choose wisely.
YouTube
YouTube has a staggering reach of users that figures in the billions. When a potential customer is researching your product, they are likely to turn to YouTube for further information, tutorials, or reviews. In this way, you can promote your products to billions of people worldwide. Be open to communication from your followers and be ready to give them whatever they are asking for. You can determine this by closely monitoring the comments section after each post. You can increase your outreach on YouTube by incentivizing following your account, asking for specific feedback, and producing interesting or entertaining content.
Facebook is a user-friendly platform where beginners can easily get started and find success. Facebook is popular with businesses because it is highly customizable. It is simple to create an attractive and descriptive profile page, and easy to update posts regularly. Facebook utilizes an algorithm that connects your business with the people who are most likely to be interested. In that way, Facebook does the connecting for you. The most valuable part you play is to create significant content that will target specific groups. You can use text, create links to other content, share stories, post an attractive image, or create a video. The best technique is to mix it up, choosing a different type of post to share every day.
Instagram is a widely popular platform that utilizes pictures and videos to connect people all over the world. Creating a Facebook profile is a necessary prerequisite for starting an Instagram account. Once you have your Instagram account, you can begin posting. Instagram is highly effective at increasing brand awareness and expanding visibility, but to successfully promote your business you need to post at least daily. One of the best tools that Instagram provides for businesses is the Shop tab located on the Instagram home screen. This function allows people to purchase items directly through the app. Most Instagram users have made purchases on the site, which makes Instagram one of the more directly profitable social media platforms. Instagram is a popular platform for partnering with influencers, which can be a way to increase your brand awareness exponentially.
Google My Business
With the largest number of views per month, Google My Business is a must-have for any business today. When you list your business with GMB, you will be connecting anyone who searches you on Google Search or Google Maps with your business profile. GMB provides your contact information, plus a list of products or services along with reviews and directions. This is a free service provided by Google, and it has the potential to turn every search in which your business is called into a customer.
WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp is a free international tool that you can use to organize customer contacts, create a business page, and market your products. WhatsApp is gaining traction in the United States, and it is hugely popular in other parts of the world. With WhatsApp, you can call and message international clients for free. You can also utilize automated responses on the texting function. With the cataloguing function, you can create an attractive list of your products, complete with color pictures of each one. Customers can then scroll through the virtual catalogue to easily make their selections.
TikTok For Business
TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media apps, with hundreds of millions of users every day. There are a variety of ways that you can make money or market your brand on TikTok. One way is to team up with influencers who will promote your product to their hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers. You can also advertise on TikTok, where targeting algorithms allow you to reach the right audience for your business. You can create hashtag challenges to spark interest, and develop commercials and other content that could potentially go viral. TikTok is a great way to reach a younger audience and develop loyal customers for years to come.
Snapchat
Snapchat is still alive and well, especially among millennials. Using Snapchat for marketing and brand awareness is one of the best ways to personalize your business. People don’t want to deal with sterile and faceless companies. They want to see the human side of who you are, what you create, and what you stand for. Snapchat is a great way to publish creative, original, funny, cute, and touching content within a few seconds. When you incorporate people into the personal side of your business, they begin to feel like you are a part of their family. Consider issuing Snapchat challenges, offering prizes, and allowing glimpses into exclusive events. You can also create ads with the step-by-step guide that Snapchat provides.
Medium
After you have created accounts and started marketing with some of the more interactive social media sites, it is time to engage with a more advanced audience through Medium. Medium is a way to publish your original content on a platform with a broader outreach. Since you are already publishing great content on your website, all you have to do is republish it on Medium and that content will reach a new audience. Medium can help you fine-tune your content, by offering reports and feedback on what was successful and what wasn’t. If you are consistently publishing quality content on your website and other platforms, spread the word on Medium.
You don’t need to get lost in the vast sea of social media platforms. These ten apps are a great starting point. It may feel like you are entering a strange new world at first, but with time and experience you will be texting, tweeting, and posting with the best of them.
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