HIWTSI So-Me: The Best Social Media Platforms for Your Business!
Today, I want to tell you all about the best social media platforms for your business!In this article, I’m going to briefly break down the Top 6 So-Me (Social Media) platforms and why they’re beneficial to influencers and business owners. And if you don’t understand everything I’m saying, fear not! In the coming weeks, I’m going to be explaining the Big Three in even more depth and answering some of the internet’s most searched questions.In a time where Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WoMM) is one of the most influential factors that customers consider when making a purchasing decision, it is SO important to establish relationships with your client base. And the best way to do that? Social media.Let’s get started!
Ah, yes. My favorite platform. I’m sure it’s no surprise that Instagram is my bread and butter. As a photographer, I love the visual-based nature of this platform. As a social media consultant, I love that Instagram is the most used So-Me platform in the US and, possibly, the world.I’m not even kidding.If you’re looking to start branding your business on social media, Instagram is definitely a great place to start. You can interact with your followers, comment on their photos, send direct messages, and post polls and quizzes on your stories to get real-time feedback on products or questions.Now, Instagram is also a very multi-faceted platform and you want to make sure you’re using it the best you can, so check back in for a full breakdown of everything you need to know to get started on Instagram.
I’ll be honest, I was surprised that Facebook was ranked the second best social media platform for your business when it’s the first place I check to see if a business is online. For this reason, I like to tell people that Facebook and Instagram are equally important.Especially considering that you need a Facebook Business Page in order to have an Instagram Business account.Like I said, I was surprised.Most people know what Facebook is by now, but many don’t know that it has SO MANY helpful tools for growing your business, from the features to the analytics. My next article will go more in-depth on this, but for now just trust me when I say you need one.
LinkedIn is the one of the best social media platforms for B2B (Business to Business) marketing and promotion. And I’ll be honest with you, it’s so overlooked.Facebook and Instagram are great ways for business owners to connect with customers, but LinkedIn is the place to connect to other business owners and really establish yourself as a professional. Now, that’s not to say that visuals don’t matter on this platform. They definitely do. You want to make sure your profile picture and cover photo reflect your company and that any articles you’re posting have an appropriate visual component attached (more eye-catching); however, the over aesthetic isn’t as important as it is on Facebook or Instagram.On LinkedIn, it’s all about the quality of your content. LinkedIn is also a great place to promote other people in your industry or adjacent industries. More on all of this soon!
YouTube
Is YouTube a great social media platform? Yes. Absolutely.Should you be on it if you can’t edit video content? Nope.Hear me out.YouTube IS video. Yes, you have a caption, but the content people are paying the most attention to is the video. If your video is sub-standard or you're not comfortable speaking on-camera, what do you think that’s going to say about you as a professional?You’re trying to establish yourself as an authority in your industry, but your videos are screaming “novice.”If you or someone you know is great at editing videos, then absolutely go for it! However, when you’re posting video content on a video-based platform, it needs to stand out from the crowd. For this reason, I typically encourage my clients to begin sharing video-based content on Facebook and Instagram and, if it proves to be popular, then expand your presence to YouTube!
Twitter may not be as popular anymore as it once was but, make no mistake, it’s still one of the best social media platforms for your business. In fact, when I look at which platforms most closely mimic in-person networking, Twitter and LinkedIn are the two that stand out.Now, as we’ve already discussed, LinkedIn is a great B2B platform. Twitter, on the other hand, allows you to communicate directly with your clients and customers.Perhaps the biggest drawback to this platform is the pesky 140 character limit. This means that tweets and company messages need to be short, sweet, and to the point. However, Twitter is also a great way to share content that other customers or businesses are creating, whether it’s a tweet or a website/article link.The ease of use that Twitter offers definitely makes up for the enforced brevity of your messages.
TikTok?
This is a great platform for posting short video content. It’s basically Vine’s little brother. However, I put a question mark in this header because, right now, it’s not worth the time investment. There is a TON of controversy around TikTok right now because, while it’s definitely an amazing marketing tool, it’s also potentially looking at a (completely unjust) nationwide ban. Some companies are trying to buy out TikTok so it’ll be a U.S.-based company, while other platforms like Instagram has started rolling out their own version of TikTok with Instagram Reels.Regardless, if you’re thinking about hopping on a short-form video platform, hold off for a few more weeks. Are you a small business owner looking for help with your social media? Get it touch here!