Social Media Platform Overview
While just about everyone has heard of the largest social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, there are many others worth a mention to. This chapter takes a look at the world’s most popular social media platforms and how they can help small businesses with their social marketing campaigns.
One of the most important thing that will help you figure out during the retreat is which platforms are best for you. Very few businesses have the resources to do well on every platform at the same time – generally it’s better to focus your efffort on 1-3 platforms rather than spread yourself thin.
With 1.28 billion active user accounts in March, 2014, Facebook is by far the largest social media platform in the world providing both paid and free marketing opportunities for businesses small and large.
- Facebook business pages offer a platform for businesses to provide regular updates, build up subscribers and engage audiences directly.
- Facebook Ads provides a pay-per-click (PPC) advertising system which businesses can use to provide targeted ads to relevant audiences.
- Your target audience can share your content on their own Facebook accounts and increase awareness by ‘Liking’ certain posts.
Step-by-step guide on how to set up a facebook page
The social networking and microblogging platform Twitter has 200 million active accounts, and it is particularly popular for businesses, entrepreneurs and celebrities to provide short, regular updates.
- Twitter users can post short ‘Tweets’ with a 140-character limit, making the platform compatible with SMS as well.
- Create a Twitter page specifically for your business and use it to attract followers and reach out to your target audience.
- Twitter Promoted Tweets provides businesses with a paid advertising platform helping them to reach out to a wider audience.
Step by-step guide to creating a twitter business page
Google+
Google+ has 540 million active accounts, making it the second-largest social media site in the world. Most importantly, Google+ integrates with Google’s other important services for both businesses and individuals.
- Your Google+ profile is directly connected with your listing on Google Places, a tool for local businesses to show up on maps and local searches.
- Google+ offers a professionally orientated platform for businesses, allowing them to carry out direct relationships with things like live video conferencing.
- Google+ integrates with other important Google services, such as Google Authorship, Google Places and of course, the world’s largest search engine.
Set up a Google My Busines Account
LinkedIn has 277 million users, and unlike Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, it is specifically aimed towards a professional market consisting of both individuals and businesses.
- Creating a Company Page with LinkedIn provides you with a platform to showcase your business and connect with potential customers and leads.
- LinkedIn is the number one social media resource for professional connections, such as those in business-to-business (B2B) marketing.
- Search for employees and valuable business leads by browsing through professional profiles on LinkedIn.
Setup a personal LinkedIn Account
Thanks to its unique, visual approach towards social media, Pinterest already has well over 70 million active users and counting. Both individuals and businesses can use Pinterest for sharing visual bookmarks known as ‘Pins.’
- Pinterest is most suitable for businesses which rely heavily on visual media, such as those in the fashion, photography, design and jewelry industries.
- Pinterest offers business accounts including useful additional features such as the ability to promote Pins and analyze results.
- You can link your Pinterest business profile with other social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.
Guide to creating a business Pinterest Account
Another primarily image- and video-based social media website, Instagram has more than 150 million active monthly users making it one of the most popular services of its kind.
- Being visually orientated, Instagram is ideal for businesses in the fashion, food, travel, design and technology industries.
- You can post creative snapshots and other illustrations showcasing your company’s products, host photo contests and integrate promotional codes.
- You can only link to your business’s website through your Instagram bio page, though you can refer to it in post comments to help generate traffic.
Guide to Instagram for Business
YouTube
Though not primarily a social networking website, the world’s third most visited website and the most popular video sharing resource, YouTube also integrates important social features making it too important to ignore.
- YouTube provides a free platform which businesses can use to publish video content such as tutorials, product overviews and more.
- YouTube provides its own paid advertising program, allowing businesses to have their ads appear in other people’s videos.
- YouTube’s social features include video commenting, integration with Google+ and ratings by way of likes and dislikes.
Local Platforms
As a small business with a physical location, it is essential to take a more localized approach when building up your online presence. While most of the world’s largest global companies also have a strong presence in the world of social networking, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be using social media to market a traditional bricks-and-mortar business as well.
The first place to start is to claim your profiles on the most important resources for local listings. It costs nothing to claim your local profiles, and you should have them all up and running within a few days once you have verified that you are the real owner of your business. Some of the most important social resources for claiming your local profiles include the following:
- Google Places.
- Bing Places.
- Foursquare.
- Yelp
- UrbanSpoon
You should also be sure to optimize your other social media platforms for a local audience. For example, you can create a Facebook Page for a local business or place and use Facebook Places, and most other social networks also allow you to specify your location and company address so that people can more easily find you when carrying out local searches.
Dos and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing
While incorporating SMM into your business’s marketing strategy is of utmost importance in today’s increasingly online world, the process is not always an easy one, and many businesses fall victim to some of the common SMM mistakes. The following takes a look at some of the most important dos and don’ts of SMM:
- Do start with a solid plan. Your social media strategy needs to work together with your other online marketing processes, such as search engine and content marketing. You’ll need to start with realistic goals and a thorough knowledge of your target audience.
- Do not be tempted to go overboard by setting up profiles on as many social media platforms as you can. While the largest platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+, can be useful for almost any business, many smaller networks are targeted towards a more specific industry or demographic.
- Do stay committed to your SMM campaign. Social media is all about posting regular updates and engaging your audience on a regular, preferably daily, basis. You need to stay involved for the longer term, and it should become a part of your business’s daily routine.
- Do not use social media as a platform for hard selling. Your social networking profiles are not all about generating sales - they are a stepping stone between your potential customers and them getting to know your business. Sales pitches do not belong in things like Tweets and Facebook posts.
- Do find the right compromise between professionalism and casualness, depending on the particular social network you are using, but regardless of the tone you use, be sure that you always use impeccable spelling and grammar and have something to back up your statements.
- Do not expect an immediate return on your efforts, or in the case of paid advertising, your investment. As is the case with almost any form of online marketing (particularly the free ones), it will take time for your efforts to come to fruition.
- Do listen to your audience. Social media is as much about listening as it is about speaking. As previously stated, social media is all about conversation rather than a platform for sales pitches. Be sure to partake in debates and answer any queries that your audience may have as soon as possible.
- Do provide a regular, interesting and engaging stream of content that provides something of value to your audience. Your social marketing efforts should start with your blog or website and the content you publish on the Internet. SMM provides you with something to show off and share your knowledge.
- Do track your results. Find out which social networks and any paid social advertising programs you have are delivering the most traffic to your website. Always track your results using the wealth of information generated by such activities, and tweak and customize your campaign to keep it on the up.
As the above notes point out, SMM differs immensely to traditional advertising. These days, consumers are far more likely to respond to things like recommendations based on shares and likes on social networks, and getting involved in the discussion is critical for small businesses to stay competitive in a constantly evolving marketplace.
** Snippets taken from Social Media Today.