Nowadays, it is difficult to ignore social networks as part of your marketing strategy. Social networks have in a few years become an unavoidable tool to create a community around a brand, engage and find new customers and complement traffic sources.
Most businesses use social media for promotion because people around the world use social media. With the help of social media, it is much easier for businesses to reach their target audience.
Building a social media presence as a “brand” takes a lot of time and effort. Successful businesses engage with people continually, and communicate highly informative and/or provocative messages to stand out from the crowd. However, it is hard enough to do this on one social platform, let alone two, three, or twenty. Smart small businesses, knowing their internal resources are limited, take on one platform at a time.
1- Facebook
Facebook is the world's largest social network, with more than 1 billion users worldwide. Anyone over the age of 13 can use the site and it currently boasts its oldest user at 107 years old.
Facebook Connect allows websites to interact with Facebook and allows Facebook to be used as a universal login authentication service.
Facebook supports group pages, fan pages and business pages that let businesses use Facebook as a vehicle for social media marketing.
This platform is particularly great for small business that are looking to advertise products or events.
2- Yelp
Yelp is the king of reviews. While it might not be structured like many other social networking sites, Yelp has more than 140 million active users. It is widely trusted and having positive reviews and ratings on the site might actually see you acquire lots of new business.
3- Google+
While it’s no Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, Google+ has its place among the popular social media sites. Its SEO value alone makes it a must-use tool for any small business.
4- Twitter
Twitter’s value lies in its ability for posts to go viral. The platform can be used to post business updates, recent news and more. Hashtags play an important role in building momentum, so relevant hashtags should be used strategically.
5- LinkedIn
Consider this as an online resume. The business’ history can be listed, but also the owner’s core objectives and skills as well as recommendations from customers. In a B2B field, this social media network is essential. Connecting with business professionals in any industry is easiest with LinkedIn, as they can be targeted by industry, job title, etc.
6- Instagram
This platform helps you to eliminate clutter, highlighting your products and services in a very visual way. While it works best with products, Instagram can show business accomplishments such as involvement in charities, travels, parties and so on. The platform can also be used as a push tool to other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
7- Pinterest
This channel should only be used if there are great images to share. Like Instagram, Pinterest is another interesting visual sharing platform. Users “pin” clickable images onto their Pinterest pages that lead back to the original website. With more than 100 million users, its marketing power can’t be ignored.
It’s up to you which among these platforms you choose for your business. However, remember that it is not just the social media site that is important, but the impact it can make for your business.
Sources :
www.lifewire.com
smallbiztrends.com
www.forbes.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
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