Choosing The Right Social Media Platforms For Your Business

When starting a new business, it’s easy to get carried away with the vast array of social media platforms out there. After all, you want to get your message out to as many people as possible. Wrong. All too often, businesses invest millions in maintaining and engaging audiences on every single channel available. Well, what if we told you that you could save money by strategically choosing the best social platform that fits your product or service and achieve a higher ROI? That’s precisely what we’re here to discuss. We’re sharing insights into each social media channel, the pros and the cons, and how to determine if it’s worth the investment.

Facebook

Facebook is the most versatile social media platform attracting users of all ages and all backgrounds. It’s a hodgepodge of grandmothers who want to keep up with their long-distance grandchildren and younger users, connecting with school friends while following the latest and most significant trends.

It’s a viable option for most businesses offering a wide range of products or services. However, knowing more about the platform itself can help you make informed decisions. For instance, if one of your goals is to target millennials, Facebook would be a good start, as most of its users are 23-34 years of age.

Understanding how users interact with Facebook can also help you create a better user experience. For example, since more users access Facebook on their mobile devices, it’s essential to create mobile-friendly content to help potential leads navigate with ease.

PROS:

• Vast Audience: Facebook has one of the largest networks available. Businesses plan to make Facebook their number-one focus for this reason.
• Top-Notch Targeting: When deciding to invest in Facebook ads, you may be surprised at how well you can reach your target audience. You can drill down to specifics such as demographics, interests, and even certain professional data.
• Accessibility to Customers: Customers love checking out new businesses on social because of the low barrier to entry. They don’t have to sign up for an email list or visit a website to view valuable information.  

CONS:

• Pay To Play: Unfortunately, the days are long gone when organic content is likely to go gangbusters on Facebook. Because of its volume, you’ll need to invest in an ad marketing strategy to gain viral traction on social.
• Consistency: It takes time and consistency to grow your network on Facebook. It’s best to stick to a posting schedule while being strategic about your content to keep your business page in good status. Failure to post can result in losing followers and unsatisfactory results.

Instagram

Instagram is a platform for those who are visually inspired. It’s why spending a little extra time on your graphics is a good investment, as that’s what gets people’s attention on this channel. Instagram typically attracts a younger demographic, which makes it an ideal tool for targeting millennial users. Depending on your product or service offering, it could help your business grow.

PROS:

• Show Off Your Creativity: Instagram is a platform where visual engagement is king. This makes it a perfect platform for budding artists, photographers, or any other visually creative business.
• Hashtags: Instagram is still a social media platform where a fine-tuned hashtag strategy can give you a little organic boost while helping you reach new audiences. According to best practices, you can use up to 30 hashtags on this platform.

CONS:

• Less Visibility: With Instagram’s current algorithm, business page posts and ads appear lower in feeds than posts from a user’s family and friends.
• Not Business-Centric: Having a business page on Instagram not only impacts how your content is distributed and how people engage with it, but it also signals to personal users that your page is not exactly like theirs. The tone of Instagram tends to be more casual rather than professional. Professional-looking content can be less popular on Instagram for this very reason.
• Direct Links: One ongoing gripe about Instagram is the constant workarounds to get people off Instagram and onto your website. Thanks to tools like Linxinbio, users can easily access direct links with one click. However, it still doesn’t compare to other social platforms that make closing the deal a lot easier with fewer clicks.

Twitter

Twitter is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms, with over 353+ million users and counting. It’s different than other platforms as it was initially developed as a form of SMS-based communication tool back in 2007. The founder intended to provide short status updates, similar to texts, through the internet (i.e., the reason for character limits). Since then, Twitter has expanded its post character limit while attracting a broader audience, that’s led to its vast popularity today.  

PROS:

• Feedback: Twitter can be a valuable resource for gathering customer feedback.
• Ride The Trend Wave: Twitter is a great way to get noticed, especially if you regularly contribute to a timely trending topic. Using a trending hashtag in your tweet can elevate your reach.

CONS:

• Limitations: Twitter’s 280-character limit is quite restrictive. It can take time to learn how to communicate effectively with brevity.
• Timely: Unless you tweet at the right time when your followers are online, your tweets could be easily missed.
• Formatting: Twitter has its own horizontal graphics requirements, which differ from the 1:1 graphics for Facebook and Instagram. This means more time spent on resizing graphics you plan to post across multiple platforms.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional social media network initially designed for work professionals. It’s a valuable tool for individuals and businesses alike as it offers ideal network opportunities and ways to connect.

PROS:

• News Feeds: LinkedIn organizes and classifies its content in such a way that enables you to associate your accounts and blogs to share experiences and advice on subjects that are relevant to your audience.
• Networking: LinkedIn is by far the best social media tool to connect with potential leads for your business, with over 690 million members from over 200 countries.
• Business Page Improvements: Not too long ago, LinkedIn rolled out a few updates that allow businesses to connect and engage with their employees. You can now add an employee and keep track of work anniversaries.

CONS:

• Spammy: Not all connections are created equal on LinkedIn. Most likely, you’ve received several spammy emails soliciting information. It can take time to weed through these emails to get to those who authentically want to connect.
• Privacy Concerns: Like most social media networks, users have concerns about their data being hacked. LinkedIn does require you to share a lot of sensitive personal and professional information, so it is a valid concern.
• Startup Time: Getting all your information loaded to LinkedIn can be a time-consuming process. Expect to spend a few hours (similar to building your resume) on the platform itself, getting everything the way you want it.

Pinterest

The power of the pin can undoubtedly help you achieve marketing success if you use it strategically. Think of Pinterest as a visual search engine. As a search engine, utilizing keywords can make a huge difference for those looking for your specific product or service. With over 367 million users, optimization is key to success on this particular platform. Again, if you’re a creative or hobby business, a Pinterest presence is a must!

PROS:

• Simplistic Interface: Pinterest is a super easy platform to use, which adds to its broad appeal.
• Passion Focus: What makes Pinterest so engaging is its ability to spark and fuel inspiration for passion projects such as various hobbies and events.
• Community Experience: Pinterest does a phenomenal job creating a visual community experience where it’s easy to share with others.
• Equality: Unlike other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest algorithms treat personal and business pages the same.

CONS:

• Spam Content: Be careful when clicking on that favorite pin you saved. It might link somewhere you might not have expected. Eek! As with most social media platforms, Pinterest has its fair share of spammy content.
• Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing opportunities on Pinterest are a dime a dozen. It’s great for the affiliate as they can generate lucrative revenue. However, it’s a big bummer for businesses as it creates more clutter for the user, allowing your business to get lost in the shuffle.
• Risk of Copycats: Pinterest’s focused nature makes it susceptible to offshoots vying for a more relevant position over your business. Even the Pinterest brand itself has its own copycats claiming a higher position in user feeds.

If you enjoyed this article, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. If you’d like to inquire about my services or work with me, please contact me using this form, and I’ll get back to you momentarily. I look forward to helping you Teal Your Story!

Sincerely,

Anna Teal