Last time we talked about some basic tips for managing the social media profile for your business. There we talked a little bit about customizing your content to each platform. To do a quick recap, there are many social media platforms and each one has it’s on style. We mentioned a few examples of social media platforms amongst 20 other different platforms you can use. Now, the real challenge is choosing the right platform as a marketing tool for your business. To make things easier, we’ve cut down to 7 platforms for you to choose from.

FACEBOOK

‍Facebook has become the biggest social media platform.  It has over 2 billion active users a  month; more than 60 million businesses with Facebook Pages; and more than 6 million advertisers/ marketers promoting their business and brand on Facebook using Facebook Ads.  Being said, we would say it is a safe bet to jump on the Facebook train for your brand! 

Facebook is quite easy to get started with, it goes with all different types of content formats such as text, images, videos, live video and stories.  Though, one thing you should keep in mind is that Facebook has a new algorithm in 2021 which is made out of four main ranking signals.  With it’s new updates, it has made it tougher for businesses and brands to be seen.  But don’t worry because there’s always ways around it!  To learn more about how the Facebook algorithm works and ways to work around it check out https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-algorithm/

INSTAGRAM

Needless to say, Instagram has been one of the fastest growing social media platforms.  Whether it’s an exotic scenery, or a delicious plate of pasta, or even promoting your brand - we’re always asking ourselves, “Is this instagramable” or “What should I post on my instagram today”.   Instagram has been growing over the years and has continued to expand and widen its features and functions. 

There’s no doubt that Instagram is quite addictive nowadays.  It’s evergreen contents from posts, to stories, to videos, to live videos, reels and many more gives you countless opportunities to promote your brand.  

Still contemplating whether Instagram is for your business?  We’ve got a few statistics to share with you!

1 billon+ monthly active users on Instagram 
30 minutes per day (on average) a user spends on Instagram
200 million users visit at least one business profile daily
81% of people have used Instagram to research about a product or service
130 million users tap on shopping posts every month 

Head over to https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/ to check out more instagram statistics.  

TWITTER

Twitter can get tricky when it comes to winning your audience’s attention, especially when there are over 500 million tweets a day.  Twitter is definitely a brand builder as it provides access to millions of users and as long as you view these users as potential customers and market to them accordingly, your business will stand a great chance of exposure!

Twitter is a platform where you can engage with customers and get to know your audience around the world.  Instead of continuously promoting and advertising your brand, Twitter helps you build a relationship and connection with your customers and audience.   When it comes to raising brand awareness, engaging and interacting with your customers is also very important!  You want to establish a Twitter presence because it shows that you want to interact with your customers, and eventually your customers can act as your brand ambassadors.

LINKEDIN

LinkedIn is a social network where professionals can connect, share, interact and learn.  People tend to get confused as to what Linkedin is used for.  To break it down to simple terms for you, it is a platform for business owners to market their brand and to build relationships; for anybody who is looking for career opportunities and growth, and to connect with other professionals who share, interact and also to learn using LinkedIn.  

A few questions that may help you decide whether LinkedIn is the right platform for your business is:

• Does your audience use LinkedIn?
• Do you want to build relationships with individuals within your audience circle?
• Do  you want to be viewed as a leader or the go-to person in your industry?
• Are you looking to hire individuals to grow your team?
• Are you prepared to engage with other business owners’ content other than your own?
  

The key to Linkedin is to build your presence.  And the more active you are by keeping your profile up to date, consistent with posting and sharing industry relevant topics, the faster you can build your presence and reach your target audience. 

YOUTUBE

Did you know Youtube is the second most popular search engine in the world?  Well, it shouldn't be a surprise since Google owns Youtube.  Having said that, SEO practices are pretty much the same as Google. 

There are over 4 billions videos watched everyday, which means Youtube should definitely be one of the platforms you should consider.  Though, the challenging part of Youtube is that there is an infinite amount of videos uploaded everyday - about 300 hours of video every minute - therefore it is easy to get lost in the world of Youtube.

To ensure your video is watched by your target audience, you need to be strategic with the keywords you use and make it easy for your target audience to find your brand.  An easy tip would be putting yourself in your audience's shoes -- what questions would they ask? (eg. How to make chicken pot pie?)  -- and incorporating it into your title or description of your video. 

TIKTOK

Now, Tik Tok works a little differently compared to other social media platforms.  If you’re new to this, it can be a bit difficult for you to use as a marketing tool.  But it is definitely worthwhile for you to take a look and figure out how it can be used to market your brand.  

Before we get into how you can use Tik Tok as a marketing tool, let’s do a quick intro on Tik Tok.   Tik Tok is a video sharing platform where users share short videos up to 15 seconds long, on any topic.  In addition, the videos can be combined up to 60 seconds and they can also be edited with different effects and background music.  When it comes to engagement, Tik Tok has been shown to have the highest social media engagement rates per post. 

To jump on the Tik Tok wagon, you need to download the app and get the feel of it.  We promise you, within two weeks you will be able to get the hang of it and understand it better.  

The key here is to create interesting and exciting content for your target audience.  If you’re able to master that, your videos are more likely to be watched and viewers will engage with you -- which will result in the algorithm putting your content in front of more viewers.  Finding interesting content for Tik Tok  works the same way as coming up with ideas for a Blog post.  The main question is “What will interest your target audience?” and always, put yourself in their shoes!

PINTEREST

A social media platform that has proven unexpectedly effective as a marketing tool is Pinterest.  There are about 1 million businesses who are currently using Pinterst to reach their customers.  

What is Pinterest?  Pinterest is a social media platform that allows you to explore, share, and pin (save) visual contents that inspires, interests or entertains you.  In Pinterest, you are able to create multiple boards, each board can be a different category of your content.  

Similar approach to all social media platforms, before you get started, always have a strategy that is aligned with your objectives and goals.  Here are some quick tips you can use if you’re interested in using Pinterest as a marketing tool for your business:

1. Create boards with specific Keywords
2. Use Vertical Images (Pinterest uses vertical images)
3. Link each pin (post) to your Website
4. Share your Pinterst boards on other social media platforms
   

Last but not least, start getting your board pinteresting!

...And that’s a wrap for the top 7 social media platforms, share your top 3 from the list with us and you may be looking for a treat next!