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What Social Media Platforms are Best for My Business?
In this article, we want to cover which social media platforms are best for your business. And we want to do it in a different way.
Contrary to popular belief, the goal of social media marketing is not to beat the competition in terms of likes, shares, or views. Of course, high stats in those areas can get you far—but they shouldn’t be the end goal. Instead, you want to:
- Spread awareness of your brand.
- Engage with past, present, and future customers.
- Improve your research and development strategies.
- Sell more products and/or services.
So how can you achieve these goals on social media? And where should you start? In 2022, there are well over a hundred different platforms to choose from. So let’s talk about the options.
Know What Content You Need To Create
You may know that certain social media platforms work better for certain business types. But how do you know which community is best for your business? We think it helps to decide which types of social media content you want to create. Let’s get into it.
Video
Forgive us for starting big. We know that if you’re new to social media, video creation may not be where you want to start. But hear us out.
According to Oberlo, the number of internet users who watch videos online has surpassed 240 million people. That number is from 2020 and the trend has only grown from there. If you were able to attract even a sliver of that market, your social media efforts would be well worth the time.
Video marketing is effective for many reasons. Videos humanize your business. Plus, they are simple and easy to digest. If your product, service, or knowledge base is hard to break down in an easy-to-understand way, a video may be preferable to a blog post or infographic.
Of course, any business would do well to implement a video marketing strategy. But it’s especially powerful for those who work in Saas, finance, and e-commerce. And as for the platforms that work well for video, here are a few we recommend:
Before we move on, let’s talk specifically about your video content. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- An About-Us Video
Whether it’s a tour of your facilities, a client testimonial, or an employee interview, about-us videos allow you to differentiate yourself from the competition.
- An Educational Video
Ready to establish your business as an industry expert? Use video marketing to address the pain points of your clientele. After all, if the information you’re giving away is helpful, one can only assume there is more to be gained by paying for your expertise. Tutorials, explainers, and industry updates all fall under the umbrella of educational videos.
- A Web Series
Creating a web series is a big undertaking, so we wouldn’t recommend it to the faint of heart. But after you’ve found some success in the world of video marketing, this is the next natural step.
Need an example? Check out Denny’s Always Open series on Youtube. The videos are short, funny, and easy to consume. And they’ve been massively effective in communicating Denny’s brand to a broader audience.
Live Streaming
Take your social media strategy to the next level with live streaming. This form of content has all the benefits of video, plus it allows your viewers to interact with you in real-time. That may be why 28% of marketers are investing more in live streaming.
The industries that thrive in the world of live streaming are entertainment, fashion, fitness, and travel. Although, anyone with a webcam can take a shot at it. Just be sure you have a profile on at least one of these platforms:
To live stream effectively, start by creating a schedule and communicating that schedule to your followers. If viewers don’t know when to expect you, they may not be around when you go live.
You should also think about your long-term strategy before going live. What kinds of questions will your viewers be asking? And how can you best address their needs in a small window of time? More importantly, what do you want your viewers to do after the stream ends? Concluding with a call to action can help you capitalize on the attention your video receives.
Contrary to popular belief, the goal of social media marketing is not to beat the competition in terms of likes, shares, or views.
Written Content
When you think of social media content, posts, tweets, and status updates are probably what come to mind. But just because written content is the OG of social media, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. In fact, because social media is dense with these kinds of updates, it can often feel as though you’re screaming into the void.
That said, if you’re willing to work for it, you can craft a written content strategy that catches the attention of your followers and keeps them engaged. To get there, you need to be willing to do a little thing called research.
Decide what kind of audience you are targeting. The content that appeals to a 65-year-old retiree is not usually the content that appeals to an 18-year-old high school graduate. Once you’ve targeted a demographic, spend some time researching that target group.
Ask yourself, what kinds of challenges are these people facing? And how can you address that challenge in an interesting way?
It’s equally important that you speak in a language your followers will understand. If industry jargon is likely to go over their heads, simplify it. Remember that the average American’s reading level is between 7th and 8th grade. Keep your content clear, concise, and easy to understand.
Real quick, let’s go over the platforms that work well for written content:
Really, most platforms allow you to post written content. These are just a few of the most popular. And as for the industries that do well with written content, those include news outlets, thought leaders, nutritional guides, IT companies, and more.
Images
We’ve all done it: mindlessly scrolled through a sea of content. And what’s the show-stopper most like to catch our attention? An image. Whether it’s a selfie, a food pic, or a panorama, images are what make us pause. In fact, images get a 37% higher level of engagement in comparison to text.
So if you find that your written content is lacking in engagement, it may be time to up your image game. The good news is, it’s easier than ever to get good at photography. The average iPhone is enough to get you started.
So, what kinds of businesses do great with posting images? There’s the fashion, travel, food, and interior design industries for starters. And because we know you’re wondering, here are the social media platforms that work best for images:
If you’re wondering what kinds of images you should be posting, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
User-Generated Content
Put simply, UGC images are pictures of your customers enjoying your products and/or services. This kind of content comes across as highly authentic and helps to build trust in your brand. Just be sure to get permission from the original poster before resharing.
Product Images
Get creative and post some visually-appealing images of your products. Show the item in use or atop a seasonal background. Just be careful not to overdo it. If your social media account becomes overly promotional, you run the risk of losing followers.
Testimonial/Quote Images
Do you have a list of product reviews that you’re just dyinggg to share? Don’t throw those golden nuggets into a dense blog post or status update. Share them front and center in a quote-oriented image. You can use Colorcinch’s all-in-one creative platform or Canva’s “Quote Poster,” to whip up something beautiful.
Keep Up With the Ever-Shifting Social Scene
Before we go, we want to address the elephant in the room: Social media is constantly changing. In the last year alone, Twitter posted 10 different “Release Notes,” or updates to their platform.
Knowing our luck, some of the information in this article will be outdated by the time it makes its way to your computer screen. (We’re exaggerating . . . kind of.)
The point is, how do you stay up to date? Here are a few recommendations from our team to yours:
- Set up a Google alert for each platform you use
- Search #facebook or #instagram on Twitter every now and again
- Listen to a popular SM podcast, like The Social Media Marketing Podcast, to stay up to date with the industry
- Hire a social media manager to do all the background work for you
Having fun with social media? Let us know! And be sure to read our other social media articles for more expert advice.
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