Does your company have a social media presence? Do you have to be on every single platform?
Does a Bakery need LinkedIn? Does your IT company need Instagram? Should your roofing company be on Twitter?
There are many questions surrounding business and social media. Many companies go all-or-nothing when it comes to their social media presence. This shouldn’t be the case!
The beauty of social media is its ability to capture the attention of users all over the world, from all walks of life. This can be an intimidating realization, but also a powerful one. Depending on the type of work you are in, and the type of customer you are trying to get your posts in front of, there are certain platforms that you should and shouldn’t focus your attention on.
Let’s break it down:
LinkedIn:
A professional network – great for sharing articles and appropriate events, finding potential hires, and networking in your industry.
With 766 Million users, LinkedIn is not a platform to ignore. If you are in the B2B space, this should be your #1 platform. If you are looking to hire new talent, get the word out about your services, or just position yourself as an industry expert in your field – this is the place to shine!
LinkedIn also has one of the most innovative and detailed search fields on the market. If you know how to use the “Advanced Search” feature, you will not be disappointed.
Facebook:
Your mom’s favourite platform might become your grandma’s as well! In all seriousness, Facebook is still a VERY strong platform for business, and personal social use.
Surprisingly, Facebook even surpasses LinkedIn for the percent of high-income earners using the platform. According to studies, 74% of high-income earners use Facebook (75K or more in annual income).
Facebook is a mixed bag in terms of who you can reach. While it feels like almost everyone has Facebook, the users with the most interaction on the platform are 50+ in age. If your business is targeting a more mature demographic, with more disposable income at their fingertips, consider opening a business page!
Instagram:
Although owned by Facebook, Instagram is a very different platform, with a different target reach.
“Instagram is most popular with younger users: 67% of 18 to 29 year olds use the social media site.” - Hootsuite
Instagram is great if your business has a lot of photos to share. Before and Afters, products, tips, and videos are all great content on Instagram! If you are a B2C business, this could be you’re your social strategies #1 focus.
Instagram is also great for sharing stories. These are images and videos that are displayed for 24hours on the app (from the time of posting).
Twitter:
There was a time where Twitter’s popularity dropped drastically, however, in recent years – we have seen a comeback!
Twitter is a great platform for B2B companies and service providers. Tweets have to be short and pointed, which makes this a great platform for pushing out articles and updates quickly. The turnover rate on Twitter is also very fast – meaning that you can share the same information more than once, in hopes of getting in front of more sets of eyes.
YouTube:
If you have longer videos to share, this is the place to do it! YouTube is a great addition to some social strategies, however – it is not loved by other social algorithms AT ALL.
For example, if you post a video on YouTube, and then share that YouTube link on your Facebook or LinkedIn… you will notice a significant drop in the number of views and exposure.
Social platforms want to keep you on their site – not push you to content on another. This is something to keep in mind when using YouTube.
What’s Left?
SnapChat, TikTok, Pinterest are three other players in the social space. Although these are very fun platforms, for most companies they require having someone in-house with time and experience on the software.
Influencer marketing on TikTok, and geo-location on SnapChat are great ways to ease into the platform if you have a large marketing budget.
However, I would suggest sticking to the main players to begin your social strategy.
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