There seem to be new social sites popping up every day and disappearing just as fast, but there are a few who’ve managed to stick around and make a name for themselves. As they’ve grown, they’ve begun to offer more tools and services to business profiles. These tools can be fundamental to sustaining and growing your brand. For now, we’re going to take a look at some social platforms giants and what each one has to offer.
What kind of social sites are out there?
There are a few hard-hitters out there that most businesses seem to be on. These include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. Now, don’t panic, we are not saying you need to be on all or even half of these platforms.
It’s truly dependent on your business and what type of content or information of value you have and want to share. Here is a brief breakdown of who these sites are and how you can use them for business.
Facebook – The largest and most diverse social platform with almost two billion users. Ads and Insights allow for businesses to reach larger audiences and track progress.
Instagram – 700 million people use this strictly visual platform. Ads and sponsored posts available for business promotion. (Keep in mind that the FTC is beginning to require influencers and endorsers to disclose which content is paid for in their posts.)
YouTube – Over one billion people make YouTube the leading video sharing platform in the world. Video is an extremely effective form of media because it requires less of the audience but is proven to generate more shares, likes, and comments. Since being purchased by Google, you can link your account and use more management tools, like keeping track of your top viewers.
LinkedIn – Chiefly a business and professional service with 467 million users, this site is constantly circulating industry trends, company news, business tips, and job opportunities. LinkedIn makes it easy to connect with other professionals in similar fields or branch out to explore other options.
Twitter – 328 million people use this platform around the world. It’s really great for quick updates on your business or breaking news because the limited character count forces messages to be direct and to the point. Trending hashtags also allow for content to be seen by a wider audience in a shorter amount of time than many other platforms.
Pinterest – Not just a platform for recipes and crafts anymore, over 150 million people utilize this site. Quality images are required on this site to gain followers and boost pins (pins are the equivalent of posts.) Use Pinterest if you know you’re going to be posting creative content.
These six platforms can be fundamental to increasing traffic to your website and an overall larger audience for your brand. All of these sites allow ad content, though most require it be disclosed as such. Stay tuned for a future blog on which platforms may be best for your business.
Sources:
https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/03/30/top-10-social-networks-how-many-users-are-on-each.aspx
