Social media is a great way for businesses of all sizes to engage with their audiences. Sharing content has never been easier or faster than with social media. In fact, sharing content is as simple as posting it on business’ social network accounts. If your content is aligned with your business and interests your audience, then your audience will be more likely to engage with your content.
97% of marketers are currently using social media, but 85% of them aren’t sure what social media tools are best for their businesses.
Let’s take a deeper look into these tools and figure out what’s best for your business:
Are you B2B?
Twitter and LinkedIn are definitely top choices when it comes to B2B social media platforms. They allow businesses to build their brands, make contacts, and build relationships. Businesses are able to introduce their companies and boost traffic back to their websites.
Getting started on Twitter
Your Twitter presence (including your content, account name, bio, tweets, profile image, etc.) should be consistent with your brand. This is how people will identify you, so be sure everything you make public on social media represents your business and its ideals. Also, take time to fill out all of the forms on your account profile as each feature gives more details to help tell your business’ story.
What to post:
- Original written content
- Promotion for blog posts or other materials on your website
- Posts and images that show the human side of your company
Tip: don’t post about your company too much – include a curation of other companies’ or individuals’ content.
Getting started on LinkedIn
Just like Twitter, it is especially important to make sure your company profile is filled out as completely as possible. The ‘About Us’ section is essentially the most important part of your profile, as it is where you will be able to tell the story of your business. When customers and job seekers are looking at your profile, this is where they will go first to learn about your company.
What to post:
- Relevant industry articles
- Webinars, whitepapers, and eBooks
- Latest company news
- Original visuals (infographics, graphic design, photos, etc.)
Are you B2C?
Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are very visual social media platforms, making them extremely beneficial for B2C. These platforms allow businesses to give their companies a public face while fostering community engagement and customer support.
Getting started on Facebook
When creating a Facebook business page, you must choose between six different classifications: (1) local business or place, (2) company, organization, or institution, (3) brand or product, (4) artist, brand, or public figure, (5) entertainment, or (6) cause or community. These classifications will give users a better understanding of your business, brand, or organization.
What to post:
- Photos and videos with captions
- Location check-ins
- Event pages
- Special offers and promotions
Getting started on Instagram
When creating an Instagram account for your business, you have the ability to link to your Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and Tumblr accounts. Instagram offers new opportunities for brands to diversify their content. You want to make sure your content is relevant for your target audience because users must decide to ‘follow’ your company account so that your posts appear in their newsfeeds.
What to post:
- Balance fun photos with pictures from your business
- Videos
- Leverage photo contests on Instagram with Facebook
- Showcase photos of employees
Getting Started on Pinterest
When creating a Pinterest account, make sure you specify that it is a business account and not a personal one. This will allow you to have access to different features, such as analytics, that benefit your business and allow you to track your progress.
What to post:
- Well-categorized boards
- Pins with strong captions to go along with images
Tip: include “Pin It” buttons to your website to make it easier for users to share your content.
Social media platforms are perfect if your business is searching for a new way to engage with its audience. Businesses can create meaningful relationships with their audiences through social media; this is something that is nearly impossible to accomplish through traditional advertising or marketing.
Still not sure if social media is right for you? Here are some of the benefits of using social media:
- Increased exposure
- Increased web traffic
- More loyal fans
- Generate leads
- Grow partnerships
- Improved search rankings
Here at Springboard, we have been successfully launching social media campaigns of all types since 1995. For more information on how we can help you grow your social strategy, contact us.