The social media world seems to grow exponentially every day making it difficult to keep up with. What is each site about? How can you successfully use each platform to build and grow your business? You asked questions and we have answers. Today, we are reviewing the Top Five Social Media sites for business, and how they can benefit you.
1. Facebook
Facebook is based in Menlo Park, CA, and is no doubt the powerhouse of all social media platforms in today’s world. Founded in 2004, Facebook has 2.7 billion (yes, billion), active monthly users, as of the second quarter of 2020. When the entire world’s population is 7.5 billion, this means a significant portion of your customer base has a Facebook page or presence. This makes it a tremendous site for building and maintaining your business and business community. Studies have shown that on average, users spend approximately 58 minutes per day on the site. Facebook has been shaping the social media landscape since its launch and is continually evolving to meet the user’s needs.
2. Twitter
Twitter calls San Francisco, CA home and was founded in 2006. Currently, Twitter has 400 million active monthly users. In general, most people use the mobile app as opposed to the desktop version. This makes it a real-time information network connecting users to the latest stories, ideas, opinions, and news. Twitter tends to attract a younger demographic. 38% of Twitter users are between the ages of 18 and 29. 26% are between 30 to 49 years of age. Twitter is great to get your message out quickly. Additionally, 85% of small and medium business users state that they use Twitter to provide immediate customer service.
3. LinkedIn
Like the other powerhouses, LinkedIn is based in California. Its headquarters is in Mountain View. LinkedIn is a little older than Facebook having been founded in 2003. They boast an impressive 310 million active monthly users. Primarily, LinkedIn is a place for career and business professionals to connect. It is great for freelancers as well as a site to find potential partners and build your customer base. It does not lean itself toward immediacy like Twitter. But there is a “solidness” to LinkedIn that engenders a certain amount of professionalism, respect, and credibility.
4. Instagram
Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012, and its headquarters are also based in Menlo Park, CA. It launched in 2010. With the boost from Facebook, the platform has 1 billion active monthly users. Instagram is an entirely visual platform, and its sole purpose is to enable users to share images or videos. Similar to Twitter, there is an immediacy to Instagram. Many people prefer the mobile app as opposed to desktop. Over 80% of the users browse on their mobile devices. Of note, you can view Instagram as a webpage, but you can only post photos from your mobile device. It is a great platform to show what your products and services are. As they say, “a picture tells a thousand words.”
5. Pinterest
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Pinterest was founded in 2010 and has 322 million active monthly users. Over 80% of Pinterest users are female. If your product and/or service is geared toward females, this is a great platform to take advantage of. More males are starting to sign up for Pinterest. But as of the third quarter of 2020, there is still a predominantly large female demographic. Pinterest attracts DIYers and creative people who are looking for inspiration and ideas for their interests and hobbies. One of the greatest attributes of Pinterest is that you can link your “Pin” back to your website which reduces the number of steps from discovery to conversion into leads or sales.
Now that you know more about these social media sites for business, you can adapt your own social media strategies.
If you want to learn more about marketing your business on social media, subscribe to our newsletter! That way you can ensure you never miss one of our articles.
Want to turn your marketing over to the experts instead? At The Social Expansion Project, we can help you develop a solid strategy for growing your audience on all of these social media sites. We can also assist you in building your presence with timely and compelling posts on a regular basis. Learn more about our affordable marketing packages and blogging services or schedule a free no-pressure consultation today!