It seems like a new social media app pops up every day. Which sites are the best? Which ones aren’t as important? Do you need to be on every platform?
This depends on your current customer base, who you’d like to reach and how much time you’d like to spend reaching them. You may think YouTube is just for funny cat videos, but your home improvement company could benefit by posting quick and easy videos that answer DIY questions or help customers learn when to hire a professional. Posting to these sites lend to your credibility whether you realize it or not! Here are 5 of the most popular sites (in our opinion) but your 5 may differ. (Contact us to learn which sites are ideal for YOU!)
1. Facebook – I love Facebook and I’m not ashamed to admit it! Content is king. Events, photos, videos, text, hashtags… not to mention the great return on investment for advertising.
2. Instagram – All of a sudden, Instagram was everywhere! It’s easy to use and a necessity when marketing to a younger audience. Hashtags, filters, short videos and posting often are your best ways to make the most of this app. Content isn’t as key – it’s more important to use great photos that carry their own messaging – include captions to entice the viewer to learn more with a call to action – “Interested? Visit our website – link in bio.”
3. Twitter – 140 characters. As an example of what 140 characters looks like – “Tweets are quick messages with 140 characters or less. Use links, photos and hashtags. Tweet often but keep it short and tweet! Oops, sweet!” Great for linking to your page. Twitter is my favorite place to praise a company, but it’s also the best place to vent about a bad experience! It’s public, so companies respond much faster than traditional methods (customer service calls, emails, support forums, etc.) Check out this article about tweeting airline complaints!
4. Snapchat – There’s a chance your business won’t need to use Snapchat… but there’s a chance that in the future, you’ll want to jump on board! While this isn’t something you may need, you should still know about it! “Snaps” are extremely short videos and photos that appear in real-time, and then completely disappear. Some companies use Snapchat to announce flash sales, send fun greetings during holidays, share exclusive videos about new products and more.
5. Pinterest – This is another tool that many businesses wouldn’t necessarily consider. However, it can be really useful! Realtors – share your home listings! Restaurants – share photos of your yummiest treats and make people drool over your food. Print companies – share pictures of projects that you’ve created and help people see that you know your stuff!
While I wouldn’t technically consider YouTube a “social platform” – I think that if you’re posting videos, they should be on YouTube. It gives you a link that you can share, add to websites and Google loves YouTube, so it will help your online presence. Periscope is also a great way to live stream an event to your audience!
Remember these quick notes: being involved on social media is primarily free which means that even if you spend minimal time and energy… it’s free. I believe that it costs more to stay off of social media because you’re missing people – and regardless of what business you’re in, you need people! People talking, posting, sharing and buying/visiting. The conversations about your business are already happening – are you involved?
You should be! Contact us today to learn more! Enjoy this graphic we found online that helps sum up our points using… donuts!
Mainspring Communications 