With so many different social media platforms today, it’s important to decide which ones you want to utilize most heavily. Of course, in order to select the most appropriate ones, it’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages to each one. Every platform has something that is unique to it, giving you the chance to reach a different variety of people through each one.
- Facebook – If you have a business, you should have a Facebook. Seriously. Facebook has become that important. Now that everyone and their cousin has a Facebook, you have an incredible opportunity to reach a multitude of people with ease if you use it efficiently. The goal of using Facebook is exposure; getting as many people as possible to like or share your page and posts. For best results, you typically want to post on Facebook once or twice every day. This will allow you to remain relevant to those who have liked your page and now follow you. It will also give people more opportunities to share your content with all of their friends.
- Twitter – Again, everyone can benefit from Twitter. With Twitter’s staple brevity and ease of interacting with anyone and everyone, you would be hurting yourself not to have one. Twitter is one of the easiest ways to build a relationship with your customers. You’re able to see what is being said about you and quickly respond to it. Because of this, you want to be sure you’re posting on Twitter several times a day. The beauty here is you can post anything from industry related links to quick thoughts throughout the day. Simply be sure to keep it relevant and personable. You’ll quickly find the benefits of regular Twitter use.
- Instagram – Those who are dealing with a lot of visuals, such as a company involved in food, fashion or lifestyle should most definitely have an Instagram. Graphics are an important element in online marketing and Instagram gives you the opportunity to feed off of this. Instagram can be used to inspire your audiences and attract new leads. One post a day is appropriate for this platform.
- LinkedIn – Those who are in business, particularly B2B, or those looking for new jobs and networks can greatly benefit from LinkedIn. Here, you can utilize your 2nd and 3rd degree connections to request new introductions. This truly is the “it’s all about who you know” social media platform. It’s a great way to get connected and to establish yourself as a credible source.
- Google+ – Companies who are already connected on many other social media platforms will benefit from Google+. Bloggers and B2B companies will also find great use in this channel. The use of keywords and hashtags have great value within Google+ so understanding how to utilize those tools to their fullest potential will increase its usefulness for your brand. It should be noted that Google+ is also a more professional and formal website, so keep that in mind when posting. One or two posts a day is appropriate here.