Which Social Media Channel is a Fit for Your Business?
I am often asked what social media channels are the best fit for their business. The answer I always give is, it depends. It depends on what type of business you have and what your business goals are. Once you know what you are trying to do with social media you can decide which channel meets your needs.
I have created a nice, handy dandy infographic below for you to refer to when deciding which social media platform you think you should use. This infographic only covers the top six channels that we support at Social Media Zen. There are many more to choose from (for instance YELP or YouTube) depending on the your type of business and we can help you decide if one of these channels would be great to add to your marketing mix.
Here is a summary of each of the social media channels covered in the infographic:
Facebook is a great place for you to make your business at home. This is by far the biggest social media channel, with an estimate of 1.11 billion people using the site each month. Facebook has 665 million active users each day, and generates up to 645 million local business page views per week. Facebook has proved that its popularity among users is here to stay. Your company page is where your customers can go to leave a message, or browse through business products and photos. Facebook apps are also great tools you can use to add:
- coupons
- reviews
- events
- social media integration
- email capture
- take reservations
With so many TARGETED potential customers, creating a business page is a must. Remember to update your page on a daily basis with current and engaging content. Facebook does need a considerable amount of human resources but if you do it right your business will reap the benefits.
This social media channel has an estimated 215 million active users. Twitter is meant not so much for friends and family but for people you actually want to communicate with. You may think the 140 character count (or the amount of words you can tweet) is limited, but when used correctly, it is a very effective channel for your business. Twitter has proved its worth in recent years as a platform for breaking news. Using the hashtag feature to keep up with and be part of the latest trends and news worthy events. Twitter is also a great way to engage with your customers. If you have an unsatisfied customer you will hear them on Twitter, and this is your chance to excel at customer service. If you have succeeded in gaining some popularity with your twitter account you will know how viral twitter can be. Because the lifecycle of a Tweet is much shorter then most social media platforms you need to monitor and respond to tweets quickly. Having the resources to manage that for you can help you excel on this channel.
Instagram is a photo-sharing program. Instagram is great for showcasing products and services, pictures of staff and developments within your business. Using this social media channel for campaigns is also a great strategy. With over 300 million active monthly users posting over 70 million photos per day Instagram users are proving their love for this platform. It’s true that Instagram is popular in the U.S. According to eMarketer, by 2019 the Instagram audience will reach 111.6 million Americans, representing 55.8 percent of social networkers, more than one-third of the population and over four in 10 internet users. If you are a global business you are in luck because 70% or users come from outside of the United States. With 85% of top brands throwing their weight behind Instagram, you should consider adding Instagram to your social media plan.
Pinterest is not the right fit for all brands, but if your business has pin-teresting visual content then this social media channel may right for you. With an estimated 100 million active users on Pinterest, your business can reap the benefits of introducing your products on this channel. Businesses that produce quality visual content on Pinterest have a distinct advantage. Because of the highly visual nature of the site, quality images have a greater chance of being shared and re-shared and re-shared further – to thousands of people. An image pinned by a highly-followed Pinterest member has the potential to reach millions of viewers.
If your business is image heavy – say, a photography studio, travel destination, retail shop or an ecommerce site – then Pinterest for makes sense for your business. Even if your business doesn’t make or sell pretty things you shouldn’t overlook the appeal of a good “how-to checklist”, a step-by-step guide, or a great infographic. When paired with an interesting image, these pins can get a lot of engagement too. Once someone pins the image, the web address associated with that pin can serve to draw in new customers and drive traffic to your website (don’t forget that!).
Take note: About 80% of users on Pinterest are women between the ages of 25-45. If this the right target audience for your business then Pinterest is a good fit for you!
Linkedin is the largest social media network for business people and professionals but most small business owners still don’t have it on their marketing radar. Business owners are now realizing the value of this site and the opportunities to build relationships and sales leads. There are over 230 million LinkedIn users and 2.7 million business pages already on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is more serious in nature compared to Facebook and Twitter so approach this social media channel more seriously and assume that the users will want serious, professional and informative information. One of the most powerful features of Linkedin is “Linkedin Groups” which provide a place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests to start and participate in a discussion within a Group. You can share content, find answers, post and view jobs, make business contacts, and establish yourself as industry experts. Groups can have a hundred to thousands of members, so the exposure is nothing to sneeze at.
Google+
The jury may still be out on the value of Google+ for personal users, but for small businesses, Google+ can’t be ignored. Google+ isn’t just another social network a small business can use to boost its online presence, but it’s also the ultimate resource to maximize visibility on Google search pages.
Google+ has 359 million active users a month – far from the ghost town it is popularly believed to be. Many see Google+ as a combination of Twitter and Facebook, but its new features makes it a marketing paradise. The Hangouts, +1s and hashtags , if used properly, can result in a fantastic page popularity. Like Twitter and Facebook, this page needs to be updated; you need to be interactive with not only your own users, but other business pages as well. Remember: Everything you post on you Google Plus for Business page is immediately indexed by Google.The content you post to your page can rank in search results even if your website doesn’t. This is huge for companies and professionals, because the websites that appear on the first page of Google, and especially in the first few positions, get 54.8% of all clicks from users (Optify).These search ranking benefits makes Google+ an important social media site to consider for your business.
Use this infographic as a quick reference to see if which social media channel is a fit for your business:
Don’t see a social media channel here that you would like more information on? Let us know in the comments! If you have special expertise on a particular social media channel that you would like to share with our readers let us know! We would love to interview you and feature you in a future blog post.
You’re spending more time on your social media and less time on your business. OK, you are making time for social media—but in doing so, you’re not spending time managing your business. If social media is preventing you from handling your other business functions, it might be time to bring in a social media manager. 
You don’t know where to start. Social media trends change constantly. If you can’t find the time to read social media articles and news stories, you may want to hire a social media pro. Social media managers keep their finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world and they adjust their strategy.
Speaking of strategy, do you have one? Just posting Facebook every day without a strategy is a waste of time. A social media professional can help get you back on track by developing a custom strategy for your business. 
You aren’t measuring your success. How do you know if what you are doing is a success if you aren’t creating and analyzing reports? It’s vital that you have someone create and analyze social media reports—otherwise, how do you know if what you’re doing is effective? 
You don’t have the time to update in real-time. Some small business owners find time each week to schedule future posts—but often you may also need to react to posts or share urgent news. Do you have the time for that? 
It’s just not fun any more. Are you having fun yet? Maybe you’ve poured hours and hours every week into making your social media channels success and instead you find yourself unable to keep up with it all. If you worked that hard and all you have to show for it is a tiny following and no engagement -you need help. Yes, it’s okay to ask for help, really, and it’s probably the smartest move you can make for your company. 
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