Choosing to invest in social media is a good step for businesses. It is one of the cheapest forms of marketing that you can take advantage of. There are a lot of benefits that your company can enjoy from it.
Why It Is Good for Business
Statistics show that 70% of the American population or around 246 million have social media accounts. While individuals often use those platforms for entertainment, news coverage, and communication purposes, they can also be advantageous for businesses.
Consumers nowadays use the Internet to find and learn more about certain companies, products, and services. What they see online can help them decide whether to make a purchase or not. You can widen the reach of your message and increase your revenue as long as you know how to use social media for business.
Popular Social Media Platforms for Businesses
There are hundreds of social networking sites available. However, it is impossible to maintain accounts in all of them. If you want to know how to use social media for business effectively, you have to be smart and choose only those that are relevant to your business. Figure out where most of your target consumers are, and see to it that your company is visible on those platforms.
To help you get started, here are some of the most popular sites you can check out:
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- Facebook – According to data gathered by Statista, the daily active users of Facebook during the fourth quarter of 2023 reached 2.11 billion. So if your goal is to increase brand awareness and website traffic, or promote lead generation and online conversions, it is a great start. Additionally, the wide user base of Facebook helps your business find its target audience easily. Facebook advertising allows you to target certain demographics, such as by age, gender, interests, employment, and purchasing behavior. With this, you can be sure that your ads and content will reach the newsfeed of the right people.
- Instagram – Since the owners of Facebook and Instagram are the same, you can also access the same user base and advertising platform that Facebook offers on this platform. Aside from that, your company can also enjoy organic benefits. This means you can grow the number of followers you have and expand the reach of your posts without spending money.
- YouTube – While YouTube is known as a video platform for entertainment, this social media site allows you to share business content. Since Google owns this platform, you can get access to the advertising platform of Google when running your company’s YouTube ads. With the proper keywords, you can optimize the search for your business videos. To prevent spending extra money for advertising, include searched keywords in video titles, video descriptions, and a list of keywords in the tool. Doing this will help put your companies’ YouTube videos in higher search rankings.
- Pinterest – Businesses in the creative industry can benefit from Pinterest. While Pinterest has fewer active users than Facebook and Instagram, it helps you reach a specific target audience. It also offers paid advertising to boost the reach of posts and track online conversions for Pinterest ads. If you also know how to use keywords properly, you can grow your reach organically.
- Twitter/X – While Twitter/X is known for real-time updates on current events, it can also be a useful tool for businesses. You can use it to engage with potential customers. Using hashtags search, you can easily find people who are looking for something that your business offers.
- LinkedIn – If your company needs to target consumers based on job descriptions or is following a B2B model, then LinkedIn may be right for you. You can get accurate information about employers and job positions, and find work email addresses that are usually not available on other social networking sites. LinkedIn also has an advertising platform.
Final Thoughts
This list includes only some of the most popular social media platforms that businesses can use to widen their reach. You have to consider the specific needs and circumstances of your company. You may also need to conduct market research to find out the sites that your target consumers visit often.
You should also keep in mind that launching business accounts on these platforms is only one of the first steps you should take. You have to understand how to use social media for business to make sure that you will be able to maximize the benefits that these sites offer.