What Social Media Network is Right for Your Company?

Are you struggling with whether your company should be on social media? Are you afraid that you are missing opportunities, so you’ve create a company account on every social media platform out there? This article will hopefully shed some light on the best social media platform for your company. This article will explain the top social media platforms and the benefits each one has to offer.

 

Facebook

Facebook might be considered the most popular social outlet for businesses. It is easy to set up and easy to manage. The versatile use of images, links, and advertisement makes this ideal for retailers, sports, restaurants, and entertainment companies. Almost every industry will benefit from having a Facebook Fan page.

Facebook is also really personal. You can easily communicate and make contact with your customers, share useful company information, and promote your products and services.  You can also provide all your company information, hours, and gather reviews on Facebook. I would suggest that if you are trying to become more “social,” starting with Facebook is going to be a great stepping stone.

Twitter

There are over 900 million Twitter users. How many of those users are your customers? The Twitter community is very active in communicating about companies and products. It is wise to create for your business a twitter account so you can interact with those customers. More than likely, if a customer is unhappy about your company, they will let you know on twitter.  Twitter is really simple to use and manage after you get the hang of it. It is also a really quick way to communicate.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a great professional network. This platform is great for B2B companies, and businesses that provide solutions for specific industries. Retail stores might not receive much benefit from LinkedIn. However, I have noticed a trend of large retailers using LinkedIn as a resource to post job openings. LinkedIn’s advertising allows you to target specific company sizes and positions. An example of beneficial networking from LinkedIn would be for a company that does catering to network with wedding planners in their area.

Pinterest

Pinterest is great for turning leads into sales. With other social media outlets, it is more difficult to get your products in front of consumers and then to get them to follow that link to your actual store. This is even truer with adjusted algorithms of Facebook.  Pinterest users are browsing with the intentions of an action. That action can be a wide variety of things such as, getting married, going on vacation, looking for a new outfit, or what to cook for dinner.  Pinterest is also great because it can be completely integrated with your site; consumers can “pin” your products directly to their boards. If your business is retail or ecommerce, Pinterest makes a lot of sense for you, even more so if your product is targeted toward women.

YouTube

Video streaming is extremely popular in today’s social environment. This is a great tool for almost any industry. You can use YouTube to post tutorials, examples, tips, funny moments caught on camera, etc. Be sure to keep your videos short and relevant. No one is going to watch a 20 minute video on your page, unless you’re a wedding videographer and it is their wedding. An added bonus to YouTube is the possibility of your relevant videos showing up in Google search results. Additionally, YouTube now allows you to customize your page and link it directly to your Google+ account, which brings me to my next social network.

Google+

Google+ is a must for one simple reason; it carries weight in terms of local Search Engine Optimization. You can share news articles, updates, pictures, and everything else you can on other social media sites. Your Google+ posting schedule should be very similar to your Facebook posting schedule. Any information you feel your customers or employees will benefit from should be shared here.  There is also a popularity ranking on Google+. +1 is a way for people to like and recommend your company. This action can also be done on posts in the same way we “Like” Facebook statuses. It is good practice to join and interact in Circles to build up your followers.

There are many other social networks out there that might be right for your company. Do the research and be sure you have the time to invest in it. It is better to not have an account than having an account that is completely bare. Use these suggested networks to get you started in becoming more social.