When it comes to choosing a social media platform for your brand, some perform better than others. This is, of course, completely dependent on your brand’s specific needs, wants, and expectations. Are you looking for a place to tell visual stories? Would you like to market to a wider audience? Or are you trying to take advantage of long form video? These are all questions to consider when choosing your platform(s).
There are pros and cons to each of the many social outlets available. So we’ve compiled a list of the most popular websites and their advantages, depending on your business.
Does your brand rely heavily on visuals? If you have excellent photos and short videos and a good story to tell, Instagram may be the place for you. Instagram is a great place to grow your following organically. It’s also prime for customer service, as you can speak directly with clients. This allows you to establish a great connection with your consumers.
Finally, if you want to share behind the scenes details with your audience, ask them to participate in polls, or share user generated content, Instagram Stories or are the way to go. Or if you like to engage with your followers in real time, you can hope on Instagram Live. Instagram also offers IGTV, which allows for longer form video sharing. Though, you’ll want to keep videos under 10 minutes as the format is best suited for shorter content.
Nearly 2.5 billion people use Facebook every month. The social media site is a massive platform, perfect for building a loyal customer base. Facebook is especially useful if you have an advertising budget and can afford some of its more advanced features. The demographic targeting on their Ads Manager is unparalleled. They also have a whole page dedicated to Facebook for Business, which guides users about the ins and outs of marketing with them.
Another advantage of Facebook for businesses, is that customers can leave reviews. Hopefully this will be a good thing for your brand! Having reviews available on Facebook adds credibility and transparency to your business, which is an understated, yet powerful tool.
LinkedIn is a powerful tool if you engage in business to business, are a thought leader, or have business opinions and news you wish to share.
Are you an entrepreneur trying to network? LinkedIn is a great marketing tool that will connect you with all the right people in order for your business to grow. Having a presence on Linkedin gives your brand a sense of credibility. It’s also a great place to list your achievements and awards you, or your business, have received.
- YouTube
YouTube is an awesome platform if you’re looking to take advantage of long form video content. We suggest making digestible videos, anywhere from five to 15 minutes in length. Whether your brand likes to share interviews, educational content, or tell visual stories, YouTube is a great place to get started. You can also pick up extra revenue by placing ads onto your content.
Everyday Twitter has a whopping 145 million users! The microblogging website is an awesome place to stay updated with the wants/needs of your followers as well as the latest business trends in your industry. It’s also a great place to debut new products. According to WebFx, 52 percent of Twitter users say they’ve bought an item that they first saw on twitter.
Twitter is a good platform to use if you want to interact with your consumers, keep your followers updated on new business advancements, and track your competition. It’s 240 character limit forces you to keep the information you wish to share, short and concise.
- TikTok
TikTok is a platform that is currently in its infancy, which is great because the market is not yet saturated. For those that want to grow quickly, TikTok can be a lucrative space. It’s not first adopter territory, but brands can really make waves here and the 60 second videos, when done right, give the followers a real personal view of you and your brand. The app is built to be addictive, which is great for brands that use it!
If you have a younger demographic you’re marketing to, TikTok may be the place for you. According to the Globalwebindex, 41 percent of users are between the ages of 16 and 24.
