When it comes to choosing which social media platforms you will use, select those that offer the best potential for reaching your target audience and broadcast the type of media that you decided is best suited for your company. Most people and companies can’t be amazing on every platform; that takes a huge amount time and resources, unless you have a Virtual Assistant. Instead of posting with minimal effort to a lot of places, be sure to post effectively to specific platforms!
How do you decide which platforms are best for your needs? Here are some brief overview’s of the most commonly used platforms used by businesses.
Pinterest is used as a content-sharing service that allows members to pin or post photos, videos, and other images to their pinboards.
Pinterest is ideal for businesses that like to use visual imagery as a main feature or selling point. If you focus on wedding planning, fashion, foods, travel destinations or interior decorating, you can display and share your products and services through photos or videos.
On Pinterest you can comment on people’s boards, share images and click links to the webpages from which the images came. You can also like what you see, or “pin it.” Each board is linked to the pinner’s profile page so people can see the person, business or brand behind the photos or videos.
LinkedIn is in short a networking site. It is a way of growing connections in the business world and utilizing them as necessary.
It’s great for reaching out to people and getting into their Rolodex, so that when they need your services, there you are. It also includes groups and discussions where you can discuss your interests, show that you’re transparent, solicit advice, ask questions and answer questions, letting your expertise impress others. Service providers are more prevalent than manufacturers or retailers. It is a great place to add a resume and advertise specific skills.
YouTube
YouTube is becoming a very powerful tool. It is a great place to share homemade or company-made videos. It is watched worldwide, and people post videos with hopes of going viral.
The key to using YouTube effectively is to feature your product or service in an unforgettable way, and holds the opportunity that millions of people may watch your video. No one will watch a boring video.
YouTube is used to capitalize on our innate love of visuals. It’s a good idea to watch a number of YouTube videos and see which ones generated hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of hits. Videos that show people how to do something, demonstrate your product or service, or introduce a new or unusual (visual) product will help you benefit from YouTube.
Twitter is an ongoing conversation that, like text messaging, has become widely popular. Twitter is used for “in the moment” type posts.
It is a great tool for businesses that want to reach out to people now and are ready for people to reply and are ready to reply themselves. If you have breaking news, updates, questions for your followers, or if you want opinions now or even need to announce a recall, Twitter is the best way to reach out to people. It is best for businesses that have things to say often and that like to reach people directly.
Instagram is made for sharing photos and videos from a smartphone.
Everyone who creates an Instagram account has a profile and a news feed.
When you post a photo or video it will be displayed on your profile. Other users who follow you will see your posts in their own feed. Also you will see posts from other users whom you follow.
Instagram is basically visual sharing by mobile device. Just like other social networks, you can interact with other users on Instagram by following them, being followed by them, commenting, liking, tagging and private messaging.
The downside for businesses using Instagram is that it is only for mobile devices and you cannot schedule posts from many sites. Hootsuite business accounts just recently began allowing the scheduling of images to Instagram. This is a first for Instagram users to be able to schedule their posts.
Facebook is one of the most powerful social platforms in the world. The size of Facebook alone is a benefit for many business, because you can assume most people are on it.
With Facebook you can choose what to look at and what to share. Facebook is about a long-term commitment and building relationships. But also you are able to reply quickly and directly to people’s comments or questions.
Almost any business can benefit from having a Facebook page. The goal of using Facebook for business is to let customers get to know the people behind your logo. Facebook allows you to publically build a specific brand for your company. It also allows you to give more specific relationships by creating open or closed groups to share ideas and information. It also allows you to create and share events to help your business gain business and followers. Most recently advertisement has come to facebook. This allows you to directly pinpoint your desired audience, drawing more attention to your page and/or events.
It’s hard to be on all platforms, so choose the three that best meet your needs and monitor — or hire someone to monitor — them closely. Social media only works if you stay involved and are available to actively post new products, answer questions or respond to comments. If you are looking to organize your Social Media or need help managing weekly posts please contact us via email info@projectsmadesimplellc.com or by calling us at 503-395-8420.
