Which Social Platforms Are Right For Your Business?
Not all social media platforms are created equal. Learn how to identify which ones will help you get ahead.
Every social media platform is unique. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram all have certain advantages that may be leveraged to serve different purposes and reach different demographics. The right channels for your business will depend on your industry and the type of message you want to communicate to your clients. MSW Interactive Designs, LLC is here to help you identify which platforms may be the most advantageous for your business.
Facebook
Facebook is still the king of social media. No matter what your industry is, Facebook provides an immensely powerful marketing tool that we encourage you to take advantage of. While Facebook provides valuable opportunities for educating your clients and positioning yourself as the expert in your field, the main purpose of Facebook is to connect with your clients by showing them the true personality of your business.
Did a team member bring their dog or child into the office for a day? Did you host a team-building exercise on a ropes course? Did you celebrate someone's birthday? Posting pictures of these types of behind-the-scenes moments is a powerful way to build valuable rapport with your clients.
YouTube
If Facebook is the king, YouTube is the prince. YouTube is quickly becoming one of the most widely used social platforms in the world. This platform gets over 30 million visitors each day, and 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute (source: FortuneLords). You can use videos in multiple different ways, such as creating how-to's, answering common questions, announcing new products, touring your facilities, interviewing team members, and displaying testimonial from your best customers. See our previous blog post about marketing your business with videos.
Twitter
Twitter serves as an effective and powerful tool to ask questions, generate feedback, announce important updates, and share breaking news. Because Twitter limits every tweet to 140 characters or less (which includes any URLs you wish to share), it does not offer an opportunity to delve deeply into product/service descriptions or long-term relationship building. However, it provides the perfect avenue for communicating short, concise messages and for communicating with your clients in real-time.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the hub of business social networking. It is ideal for building business-to-business relationships. It allows you to get in front of and communicate with other business professionals, both locally and nationally. If your company targets businesses or business owners in any capacity, maintaining a LinkedIn presence will likely be enormously beneficial for you.
Google Plus
We're going to level with you - hardly anyone is on Google+. If you're looking to build and strengthen customer relationships (which is, of course, a primary purpose of social media), Google Plus won't be of much help. However, Google+ plays a vital role in the other primary purpose of social media: boosting search engine rankings. By generating multiple (and consistent) social signals that point back to your site, you can positively influence your website's search engine rankings. Since Google+ is Google's own social media platform, we suspect that these social signals carry a significant amount of weight.
Pinterest
Pinterest is an ideal content-sharing platform because users can pin videos, blogs, images, infographics, and other pieces of content to their pinboards, enabling them to access them easily later on. Unlike other platforms, whose posts typically circulate in news feeds for only a few days, Pinterest posts have a long "shelf life" - sometimes up to a few weeks or more.
Though some men maintain a presence on Pinterest, this platform reaches a primarily female demographic. Because of its highly visual nature, Pinterest is best for visually oriented industries such as real estate, fashion, fitness, weddings, travel, interior decorating, beauty, health and wellness, etc. You can link every pin back to your website or blog, making it easy for visitors to contact you, visit your online store, or learn more about your business.
Instagram
Instagram is another very visual platform. While this platform also attracts more women than men, its demographics are much more evenly balanced than Pinterest. There is no doubt that Instagram can be a great way to reach more potential clients, but it does have a certain primary drawback - there is no way to link your Instagram posts to your website, blog, or other social platforms. Instagram can be a great way to build and showcase your brand, but incorporating it into your cohesive social media campaign requires a little creativity.
Choose Carefully!
Social media is all about building customer relationships. Consistency is a big part of establishing and maintaining the credibility and trust required to foster strong relationships. Rather than rushing to open accounts with every social media platform, we recommend that you pick and choose the platforms you know you will be able to actively maintain. Since maintaining these channels requires a great deal of time, you may want to consider hiring an employee or social media marketing agency to assist you with the process.
MSW Can Help With Your Social Media Marketing Campaign
Our internet marketing company has been helping companies maintain active presences on social media for the past six years. Social media as a marketing tool has evolved a great deal since its initial introduction, and we have made a point to always stay abreast of the latest changes. If you would like assistance developing a social media marketing campaign for your business, we would be happy to speak with you. We can help you identify which platforms will be most beneficial for your business, and can assist you in maintaining an active presence on each of these channels. Visit our website or call us at 573-552-8403 to get started!
~ Post by Bailey Puppel, Internet Marketing Specialist
www.MSWInteractiveDesigns.com
Phone: 877-211-5492
Every social media platform is unique. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram all have certain advantages that may be leveraged to serve different purposes and reach different demographics. The right channels for your business will depend on your industry and the type of message you want to communicate to your clients. MSW Interactive Designs, LLC is here to help you identify which platforms may be the most advantageous for your business.
Facebook is still the king of social media. No matter what your industry is, Facebook provides an immensely powerful marketing tool that we encourage you to take advantage of. While Facebook provides valuable opportunities for educating your clients and positioning yourself as the expert in your field, the main purpose of Facebook is to connect with your clients by showing them the true personality of your business.
Did a team member bring their dog or child into the office for a day? Did you host a team-building exercise on a ropes course? Did you celebrate someone's birthday? Posting pictures of these types of behind-the-scenes moments is a powerful way to build valuable rapport with your clients.
YouTube
If Facebook is the king, YouTube is the prince. YouTube is quickly becoming one of the most widely used social platforms in the world. This platform gets over 30 million visitors each day, and 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute (source: FortuneLords). You can use videos in multiple different ways, such as creating how-to's, answering common questions, announcing new products, touring your facilities, interviewing team members, and displaying testimonial from your best customers. See our previous blog post about marketing your business with videos.
Twitter serves as an effective and powerful tool to ask questions, generate feedback, announce important updates, and share breaking news. Because Twitter limits every tweet to 140 characters or less (which includes any URLs you wish to share), it does not offer an opportunity to delve deeply into product/service descriptions or long-term relationship building. However, it provides the perfect avenue for communicating short, concise messages and for communicating with your clients in real-time.
LinkedIn is the hub of business social networking. It is ideal for building business-to-business relationships. It allows you to get in front of and communicate with other business professionals, both locally and nationally. If your company targets businesses or business owners in any capacity, maintaining a LinkedIn presence will likely be enormously beneficial for you.
Google Plus
We're going to level with you - hardly anyone is on Google+. If you're looking to build and strengthen customer relationships (which is, of course, a primary purpose of social media), Google Plus won't be of much help. However, Google+ plays a vital role in the other primary purpose of social media: boosting search engine rankings. By generating multiple (and consistent) social signals that point back to your site, you can positively influence your website's search engine rankings. Since Google+ is Google's own social media platform, we suspect that these social signals carry a significant amount of weight.
Pinterest is an ideal content-sharing platform because users can pin videos, blogs, images, infographics, and other pieces of content to their pinboards, enabling them to access them easily later on. Unlike other platforms, whose posts typically circulate in news feeds for only a few days, Pinterest posts have a long "shelf life" - sometimes up to a few weeks or more.
Though some men maintain a presence on Pinterest, this platform reaches a primarily female demographic. Because of its highly visual nature, Pinterest is best for visually oriented industries such as real estate, fashion, fitness, weddings, travel, interior decorating, beauty, health and wellness, etc. You can link every pin back to your website or blog, making it easy for visitors to contact you, visit your online store, or learn more about your business.
Instagram is another very visual platform. While this platform also attracts more women than men, its demographics are much more evenly balanced than Pinterest. There is no doubt that Instagram can be a great way to reach more potential clients, but it does have a certain primary drawback - there is no way to link your Instagram posts to your website, blog, or other social platforms. Instagram can be a great way to build and showcase your brand, but incorporating it into your cohesive social media campaign requires a little creativity.
Choose Carefully!
Social media is all about building customer relationships. Consistency is a big part of establishing and maintaining the credibility and trust required to foster strong relationships. Rather than rushing to open accounts with every social media platform, we recommend that you pick and choose the platforms you know you will be able to actively maintain. Since maintaining these channels requires a great deal of time, you may want to consider hiring an employee or social media marketing agency to assist you with the process.
MSW Can Help With Your Social Media Marketing Campaign
Our internet marketing company has been helping companies maintain active presences on social media for the past six years. Social media as a marketing tool has evolved a great deal since its initial introduction, and we have made a point to always stay abreast of the latest changes. If you would like assistance developing a social media marketing campaign for your business, we would be happy to speak with you. We can help you identify which platforms will be most beneficial for your business, and can assist you in maintaining an active presence on each of these channels. Visit our website or call us at 573-552-8403 to get started!
~ Post by Bailey Puppel, Internet Marketing Specialist
Phone: 877-211-5492
Info@MSWInteractiveDesigns.com
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