Whether you’re starting a new business or own a big multinational company, getting your products and services seen by more prospects should always be part of your business plans. After all, more customers mean more revenue for your business.
In that regard, there’s no better way to reach the public than using social media.
Social media is a sure way to connect with new customers and establish a brand’s online presence, especially for small businesses.
With billions of users worldwide, social media has become a crucial part of any business owners’ digital marketing strategy. The best social media platforms for business increase product awareness and establish a direct link between you and your customers.
Choosing the right social media platform for your business is an essential step towards growing your business. However, picking a social media platform that fits your target demographic, provides you with the best tools for content marketing, and has an active user base isn’t always easy.
So, if you want to find the best social media platforms for marketing your business and learn how they fit into social media strategy, read on.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
How Social Media Can Benefit Your Business
Which Social Media Platforms Are Right for Your Business
Choosing the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business
Final Thoughts: Best Social Media Platforms for Business in 2021
How Social Media Can Benefit Your Business
Social media is a great way to engage with your customers, and it also helps you understand what people think about your business. Knowing what your audience wants is crucial when choosing the right social media platform for your business.
Besides that, social media can help you:
Save Money
Social media is a cost-effective way to market your business. That is because signing for and creating a profile for most social media platforms is free. Paid advertising in social media is also relatively affordable.
Boost Inbound Traffic
Without social media, your business is limited to your loyal customer’s circle. Promoting your business on various social platforms enables new customers to reach your business organically.
Increase Brand Awareness
More than 55% of the world’s population is on social media. Therefore, it’s an excellent place to meet potential customers and increase your brand’s visibility.
Having people interact with and share your content will significantly improve your brand recognition.
Gain Market Insight
There’s no better way to get direct customer feedback than social media. Users don’t usually hesitate to say what they like and dislike about products and services, whether via comments or messaging.
Moreover, social media lets you monitor activity on user profiles to learn about their opinions and interests.
That way, you can know for sure the kind of social media content your target demographic likes. Whether they enjoy case studies and infographics or follow specific influencers and hashtags, you’ll know.
Which Social Media Platforms Are Right for Your Business
- TikTok
- YouTube
Big companies have largely shifted their focus to social media because it’s a great marketing tool for their businesses. However, not every social media platform will work for your business.
As a result, you could end up wasting your time and money if you fail to choose the right social media platform for your business.
Before you launch your next social media marketing campaign, here are some points you need to consider about some of the well-known social media platforms.
1. LinkedIn
Among all the social media platforms, LinkedIn is the most professional network. Previously, Linkedin was exclusively about recruiting and professional networking. At the time, it was just an excellent place to post jobs and do general employee networking.
But now, Linkedin is also an excellent resource to share long posts with like-minded people. Linking the posts back to your website is a sure way to drive traffic to your website and get more leads.
Whenever possible, encourage your clients to leave a recommendation on your LinkedIn profile to boost the credibility of your brand.
2. TikTok
With more than 1.1 billion active monthly users, TikTok is the newest trend in social media. While it’s more popular with the younger generation, it’s among the many different platforms worth looking into.
The social channel consists of user recorded videos that are between 15 and 60 seconds. Although it was initially a video creation app, it has now evolved into a marketing haven.
For small businesses looking to grow their business on this platform, the content should lean more towards comedy and entertainment — engaging, video-based content with these qualities go a long way.
The key is ensuring your post’s content resonates with what the younger Gen Z (and, to an extent, Millennials) audience wants to see.
3.Instagram
If you are wondering whether you can find a significant number of your clients on Instagram, the answer is a resounding yes. Statistics in 2021 show that Instagram has well over a billion monthly active users globally.
Instagram is a popular platform for businesses that focus more on creating content using stunning photos, unique designs, and selfie-style live videos that talk directly to their followers.
You can easily showcase your business’ new products and services through posts and Instagram stories, making the social media platform an excellent tool for lead generation.
If you’re running an e-commerce store, Instagram is worth considering when choosing the right social media platform for your business.
It has a helpful check-out feature that empowers your clients to view products and complete their purchases without leaving their accounts.
4. Pinterest
With over 300 million monthly active users, Pinterest is a popular social bookmarking tool containing creative inspiration for DIY projects, interior design, and vacation ideas.
Undoubtedly, Pinterest is an excellent platform if you’re in the business of travel, decor, fashion, lifestyle, and DIY. Pinterest users typically share that type of content because it’s appealing and easy to spread.
In addition, the majority of Pinterest users are female. So, if this is your primary target audience, you should consider making Pinterest a part of your marketing strategy.
5. Facebook
Facebook boasts over 2.5 billion active users globally and is the world’s largest social media website. The social media platform allows you to gather customers in one place where you can share crucial information.
You should start by creating a fan page where you can chat and interact with customers.
You can also use Facebook ads or join groups. While Facebook groups aren’t meant for advertising, interactive content and conversation starters are great if you want to capture the user’s attention.
6. YouTube
YouTube, also known as the second most popular search engine after Google, is the number one place to share informational and entertaining videos.
To avail of this excellent video sharing platform, you can create high-quality video tutorials, educational clips, or reviews about your products to back up the text-based content on your website or blog.
With more than two billion active monthly subscribers globally, YouTube videos are a powerful tool that can help you reach a significant segment of your audience.
Choosing the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business
With hundreds of social media channels to pick from, it’s easy for marketers to wonder what social media platforms are best suited for a business.
With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you with choosing the right social media platform for your business:
Understand the Nature of Your Business
The brand personality, products, and services you’re dealing with should influence the platform you pick.
If your business is highly visual, like interior design or DIY crafts, you should use visual content platforms like Pinterest.
In contrast, LinkedIn should be your first choice if you are in the B2B business space.
Outline Your Goals
If you have identified your target audience, define the reason you want to be on social media. Some brands use social media to entertain, drive sales, boost brand recognition, or even offer customer service.
For example, direct communication platforms like Facebook or Twitter are great if you intend to use them for customer support. Therefore, you should use them if that’s your goal. Let your objectives and needs help you determine the best social media for business.
Understand All Possible Platforms
Following the previous tip, it’s worth noting that each social network for business has a unique personality. Knowing how each platform works will help you when choosing the right social media platform for your business.
For instance, you might want to choose YouTube for long informational video content, while Instagram is suitable for short videos and stunning images.
Define Your Audience
You want to determine how active your target audience is on the channel you want to pick. For instance, while they may have an account on Facebook, your audience might be more active on Instagram, and that’s where you need to be.
Borrow From Your Competitors
Yes, it is bad taste to copy competitors, but that doesn’t mean you can’t check what they’re up to.
Not only will it help you make informed choices, but it also will give you insight into what works and what doesn’t.
Market and competitor research is crucial when choosing the right social media platform for your business.
Final Thoughts: Best Social Media Platforms for Business in 2021
By now, you should have an idea of what to look for when choosing the right social media platform for your business. Remember, you must take time to determine which platforms are most suitable and helpful to your business.
Before choosing the right social media platform for your business, ensure you know your target audience, outline your goals, and understand the available platforms.
The best social media platforms for business will help you market your brand and reach new customers.
Besides what we shared on our list, are there other tips or channels that have worked for your business?
Let us know by dropping a comment in the section below or tweeting @Bluehost.
