It’s no exaggeration to say that social media’s rapid rise revolutionised the way we communicate and consume information. This continued rise and growth has led to a plethora of systems finding their way into our daily pattern as both businesses and consumers, as we share happy moments, brag, complain, contact celebrities, sell, buy and more.
Such an overabundance of platforms can make it difficult for businesses to identify what platforms they want to work with and what will work best with both their identity and available resource. As with all things, businesses should look first to their needs and go from there.
Why not start with Facebook, easily the most popular and widely used social media platform in the world? In terms of simple quantities, it doesn’t get any better than Facebook, with a wide range of demographics making Facebook their no.1 social choice. However, business professionals need to balance the question of why they choose to use it. For consumer-facing companies, Facebook can be a great platform to share their product and invite fans to share experiences, good and bad. However, B2B companies have to consider what benefits can be gained from using Facebook. The platform is first and foremost a fun tool, with games and fun content abound, businesses have to identify whether Facebook users are really going to be on the platform to find their product. Having said that, Facebook’s advertising platform features one of the deepest targeting systems available, which for businesses willing to invest in a click budget is invaluable.
Twitter is certainly the most diverse of all the social media platforms, with benefits to both consumer-facing businesses and B2B enterprises. In theory, Twitter can be the most direct method of communicating with an audience, with users able to target specific users. It’s real time nature, however, also means that it can require the greatest amount of management, particularly if your product or service is susceptible to complaints. Building a relevant audience on Twitter is also a task that requires less financial output than other similar platforms, with more traditional methods of targeted engagement nullifying much of the need for advertising. Having said that, Twitter advertising is an excellent tool in terms of targeting and speedy growth.
As a B2B tool, or a professional platform, it’s hard to beat LinkedIn, which is specifically built for this purpose. Users are actively looking to do business and share their professional life on this platform. There is a phrase in social media marketing called ‘fishing where the fish are’, meaning to identify the most relevant users in the right places. LinkedIn offers the best place for business owners to fish and a personal profile as well as a company page can be of huge benefit for identifying your targets. For consumer-facing businesses looking to sell consumer goods however, it may be worth looking elsewhere.
Instagram’s recent growth has been nothing short of meteoric, now boasting 500 million daily users. Celebrities, brands, individuals all now use Instagram to give people more of a window into their lives than ever before. The introduction of Stories has tapped into the Snapchat market as the platform continues to burrow its way further into our lives. Playing to customer’s visual senses, Instagram’s generous selection of filters can add a real touch of class to products. Previously, I would have said that Instagram holds little to no benefit to B2B enterprises, however my stance has changed. With an extended audience and with Instagram forming the primary platform of many people’s social habits, Instagram could yet play a big role in B2B marketing, particularly if brands should offer their followers a glance into their inner workings.
YouTube
The second biggest search engine (owned by the biggest) is in fact YouTube, and we cannot get enough of watching and sharing videos on this platform. YouTube can have benefit to both B2B and consumer-facing businesses, although the most obvious connection is with the latter. The patterns behind viral videos are frankly bizarre, with videos such as ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ and ‘Leave Britney Alone’ being two of YouTube’s most watched videos. However, there are some rules to creating successful videos on the YouTube platform that can ensure views, see our tips here.
To see how StrategiQ can help with your social media strategy, get in contact today.
