Social Media and Your Business

Social media platforms have exploded with popularity in recent years, and they’ve become a great way to share and communicate long distance.  More and more people are discovering the benefits that social media can have on a business’s success, so understanding the benefits of social media platforms is becoming increasingly important.  If you’d like to promote your business through social media, there are a few platforms that we consider key to social media marketing.  There are also a number of other platforms that can have numerous benefits for your business as well.

The Essentials

These days, it seems like everybody and their Grandma has a Facebook page.  The fact that so many people are on Facebook is a great reason to use it to your business’s benefit.  You can use it to advertise to targeted audiences, get people talking about your brand, and keep people updated on what’s new with your company, through descriptions or photos.  Facebook is an effective way to show people that you are personable and engaging, so don’t forget to take part in communicating and responding.

Twitter is among the most useful platforms for businesses because it is a way to get messages out to a big audience with little effort.  Basically, you build up a following of people interested in what you have to say, and your business can be exposed rapidly.  When using Twitter, you want to be careful what you write about though, because too much business promotion and too little personal sharing can turn people away from following you.

Linkedin is a social media platform that was specifically made for businesses, so naturally it’s good to invest time into creating a strong Linkedin presence, especially if your sales are business to business.  A Linkedin account is a professional profile that can help build a favorable reputation for you or your business.  It’s also an easy way to find business contacts, because people can search for and contact businesses in your line of work.

Google+ may not be as well-known as other social media sites, but it can make a huge impact on your Google ranking, if you use it well.  When using Google+, it’s important to post quality content that will interest viewers in joining your circle, because the more people you have in your circle, the more benefits you will reap.  Anyone who is in your Google+ circle will be far more likely to find your business’s website on a Google search than if they’re not in your circle.

These four platforms I’ve listed should be the first ones you consider using for your business because they are among the most popular platforms for socializing and for business promotion.  There are articles that can help guide you in using these platforms to your benefit.  If this is all foreign to you, a social media consultant can help you get started.  You might also consider having social media specialists do your platform promoting for you.

Other Sites to Consider

One of my favorite social media sites is Pinterest, a site where people can post images and descriptions of their own content, or can repost images that other people have posted.  If you post images that interest people, chances are that those people will repost your image, and soon it may become viral.  The great thing is that you can post links with your images, so this can bring lots of traffic to your business’s website.

Instagram is another popular platform that’s been used for a number of years, and it’s still growing in popularity.  It’s similar to Pinterest in that you are posting images that will interest viewers, but in addition, you add tags to your images so that when people search for specific images on Instagram, they can come across your image.  This platform is another way to get more links to your business’s website, and to get viewers interested in your brand.

There are lots of different social media platforms floating around the web these days, and the ones that will benefit you most may depend on your customer demographics and the type of business you have.  Regardless, a social media campaign can really boost your business’s success. If you need help getting started, feel free to give us a call.