There are so many social media platforms today, with more popping up all the time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when deciding which ones to focus on and how to make them work for your business.
The behemoths such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are great for interactive conversations and copy-based messaging. Video platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Vine are effective at showcasing products and services in an engaging and entertaining manner.
Here’s a quick look at a few of the most popular social media platforms:
- Facebook is the main social media platform for Americans as of 2018, with 68 percent of U.S. adults on the site. Roughly three-quarters of Facebook users reported accessing the site on a daily basis, excluding those 65 and older. However, there are some changes in the works for the site. In February of 2018, Facebook scaled back visibility for publishers and brands on the site and prioritized friends and family. Engaging conversations will be shown more on user’s News Feeds than in previous years. So, be sure to Include photos and videos in your posts and reply to customers who comment to make your posts more relevant.
- Twitter. The king of the microblogging services. Twitter is the network of choice for mobile users. It’s also a good place to start and lead conversations, as well as listen and respond to customers talking about your brand. It’s particularly popular with younger, urban dwellers, and, like Instagram, the majority of Twitter users check in daily.
- YouTube. The top video and music sharing site owned by Google is now more popular in terms of viewers than cable TV. In fact, about three-quarters of U.S. adults and 94 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds use the site. YouTube is a good place to build a library of videos about your products and services and also value-added “how-to” videos.
- LinkedIn. The largest professional business networking site continues to grow, but not at the pace of some other platforms, like Instagram and Twitter. It’s among the best places to connect to other business users and establish thought leadership in your field.
- Pinterest. This platform is particularly popular among females. 41 percent of women say they use the site compared to 16 percent of men, according to a recent survey. Pinterest is used a lot by those in the fashion, food, design, travel, and DIY industries. The power of using images to capture attention drives the appeal of this visual scrapbook platform.
- Google+. Use of Google+ has declined in recent years, bringing the once well known rivalry it had with Facebook to a halt. As a result, the platform has been undergoing some changes to increase usage according to this CNBC .
- Tumblr. Another microblogging site, but unlike Twitter, this is focused on image sharing. The better your image content, the more followers you’ll attract.
- Instagram. One of the most popular photo sharing social networks on the mobile Web. According to the Pew Research Center, 60 percent of users visit the site on a daily basis. If your business can be marketed visually, post images to Instagram and use the integrated sharing for Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.
- Yelp. This is the go-to site for customer reviews and ratings on stores, restaurants, and travel-related businesses. Physical businesses rely on Yelp ratings to help drive customers to their locations. Always provide links to your website and blogs and other social sites so users can get more information.
