Social media is one of the best platforms today for marketing and business branding as it offers a direct connection with your target audience.
Investing in social media is something businesses can no longer ignore, especially since its direct impact is visible through lead generation, targeted traffic and revenue – all of which are quantifiable. Moreover, with most businesses looking at ways to maximize their marketing ROI, it is also the most cost-effective if the content creation and profile management is done in-house.
Here is a quick guide that lists the top social networking sites along with the advantages, so you can make an informed choice to get the most out of social media marketing for your business.
Social media networks for business
With 1.23 billion users, of which 945 million accesses Facebook via their mobile phones, Facebook is the #1 network where brands connect and engage with their audience and share content. This is the most active network online and brands on Facebook interact with their fans via status updates, promotions, special deals and contests, in addition to targeted ad campaigns.
650 million users and 58 million new tweets per day makes Twitter the next most active social network, enabling brands to participate in and initiate conversations with both users and other brands. A majority of Twitter users access the social network via their mobile phones and the 140 character updates promote clear and short messages. Twitter allows keyword-based search to track conversations, which on its own can offer valuable insights.
Google+
Google+ has about 550 million active users and distinguishes between company pages and individual profiles. This social network is great for building brands, community building, engaging with your audience and improving search engine rankings.
LinkedIn is the network for businesses to connect with potential employees and vice versa. LinkedIn has about 280 million users and is also a hub for professional networking. It is the leading network for focused social media marketing.
70 million active users make Pinterest a social network where users share and re-share visual content, inspiration and ideas. This social network is ideal for brands in fashion, DIY, food, travel and design and anything visual-driven. Online businesses benefit from Pinterest as the potential for spontaneous online shopping is high.
Instagram is owned by Facebook and has 150 million users with a young user demographic. Ideal for visuals-driven businesses in the lifestyle, food and fashion industry enabling them share visual content in image and video format.
YouTube
With 900 000 000 unique visits every month, Google-owned YouTube is great for brands that have video content, share demonstrations and their expertise on specific topics.
With all the different options available, one challenge that many businesses face is the lack of resources and manpower to devote to effectively managing their social media presence in order to show return on investment.
The key to success is to select the most relevant social networks that will work for your business. There is no one size fits all strategy. What matters is statistics, audience insights and the knowledge of how you can leverage each network to reach your business goals.