These days, having a business means you must participate in social media in some capacity. Never before have we seen such a huge emphasis and priority placed on an active and engaging online presence. And it’s so much more than merely creating content that your audience enjoys, although that’s vital to a successful business as well. Consistently using social media is also about drawing in potential customers and working to make sure your work is accessible to a wider and wider audience. But along with the benefits of using social media comes a great deal of work to make sure you’re staying active and producing quality content. Instead of diving in full force and activating accounts across many platforms, we recommend taking a strategic approach and choosing one or two carefully. Remember: you never want to have inactive accounts for your business. Potential customers who stumble across these may assume that you are out of business or have nothing new to say about your industry, which never looks good.

The social media platforms that get the most attention for businesses these days are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. So, which should you choose? If you’re just starting a business or are interested in updating your current model, we wrote this blog specifically for you to help you decide where to invest your time and attention online.

Facebook

Picture this: you’ve just finished building your custom web design for your new business and you’re excited to welcome new visitors to your site. How do you get them there? Your first social media step should be Facebook. If you’re reading this and raising an eyebrow, we get it. Facebook has been around for a long time and there are a lot of users who have graduated to other platforms. But don’t be fooled; Facebook is still by far the best social media platform for businesses. Running ads and getting your work in front of large audiences is incredibly affordable on Facebook and it’s easy to manage from their interface. Even if you’re a little social media shy, Facebook makes it simple to plan out consistent posts, use targeted advertising, and reach potential customers. No matter what else you’re doing on social media, we recommend you have an active Facebook account.

Twitter

With its character restriction, Twitter is a great platform for our society’s ever-reducing attention span. Twitter makes it easy for you keep up with other businesses in your industry and boost your website’s SEO while keeping things short and sweet. If your work focuses on messages about your values, your services, or what you offer potential clients, this is a great platform for you. But keep in mind, while you can share images, videos, gifs, etc., this isn’t the ideal spot for them. If you’re interested in a more visual platform, you’d be better off choosing…

Instagram

Instagram is the leading platform for telling a visual story about your work! It’s also a great way to find out what potential customers do and do not like. The platform’s insights can show you who you’re reaching, how users are interacting with your content, if they are taking actions such as visiting your website or saving your content to view later, and more. It’s a great way to build your brand up and form relationships with your audience.

Pinterest

Another option for a visual platform is Pinterest. This platform is much less interactive than the ones we’ve discussed so far in this post. While you may frequently field questions or comments from potential and current clients on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, people rarely reach out to businesses on Pinterest but instead, use it as a place for inspiration or to learn more about a company. Pinterest is a great way to keep up with trends in your industry and stay relevant with current images of work your company is doing. It’s also a great option for directing customers to your website after being immersed in your visual narrative.

LinkedIn

Depending on your business, LinkedIn may be a great option for you. Ideal for B2B and networking, LinkedIn is an excellent way to maintain a professional presence online amongst your peers. Because LinkedIn is less about a social environment and more about connecting with other businesses and individuals in your network, you know that the content you post is going directly to the right audience. It’s a good way to introduce new products or services and stay in touch with potential customers and peers.

Hopefully, this overview of platforms has been a helpful resource for helping you consider which might suit you best. Unfortunately, running a business is more than getting a beautiful, custom web design and watching customers flock to your page. You need to make sure you’re not only posting regularly, but also fielding questions, comments, and messages from customers promptly so that people know there’s someone on the other side of the content. If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of monitoring these platforms on your own, know you can always contact us to get started with a marketing plan so you never miss a message and content is posted for you on a consistent basis! And keep up with our blog for more tips on managing social media for your business!