As a marketer or business owner, you do not have infinite resources and time to be all things to all people. You cannot afford to be on all social websites, yet you cannot afford to NOT be on them either. It is more important to select those websites which work for you, your customer wants, and your business goals – then to engage upon them well.
An example would be that a fashion company or a hairdresser should be using Instagram and Pinterest-type sites, to get beautiful pictures out there. Remember to put your logo on them for branding. If you are posting on your own website make sure to use the ‘ALT Text’ correctly.
If you are selling a heap of different products but may not have the funds to rank for them all, think about a mix of ‘pay per click’ over one stream.
If you are a services company such as an accountant think pure SEO and owning one phrase, getting helpful articles out there, and teaching people. Write a blog on your site and share it across all social media and post it out in your newsletter.
If you are in the medical field make sure that you put the writer of the article and their qualifications and any awards they have or any other blogs or websites they may write on.
In this post, I will provide a comprehensive list of the six major social websites with tips about how to best make use of them.
Demographics:
- It’s still the most popular social media website
- Facebook boasts over 1.19 billion users worldwide
- 73 percent of the adult population in the U.S.
- Most evenly distributed demographics of all platforms
As Facebook isn’t the best platform for generation of sales it definitely is the best medium for boosting brand awareness. The reach of your brand’s content upon Facebook alone makes it a must-have.
Businesses that should be on Facebook
All businesses should be. Facebook includes the only social media site you must be on no matter what industry you’re in.
Tips:
- Posts that have an image generate 120 percent more engagement than text.
- Posts briefer than 250 characters get 60 percent more interaction than longer ones
- Thursdays and Fridays get 18 percent better interaction than any other day
- Question posts double the interaction of non-question ones
Demographics:
- In spite of arguably being the 2nd-most recognized channel , Twitter is 4th in use
- 18 percent of the adult population in the U.S.
- The ones who use Twitter use it more consistently than other sites, with 46 percent logging in daily
A good amount of this site for business is that its members have a greater tendency to follow companies there than they do upon any additional channel. Members are upon the website to remain updated on what is going on, which is why musicians and celebrities do so well. As a matter of fact, so many users are there to learn and listen that just 60 percent are actively posting!
Businesses that should be on Twitter
Twitter is recommended to all marketing companies, SaaS companies, sports-associated companies, and all news businesses.
Tip: Since this site’s addition of inline photos, it has become apparent that including an image in a tweet boosts engagement.
Best posting times
There is a spike within the morning commute and a decline from 6 to 7pm, as everybody is eating supper.
Demographics:
- 17 percent of adults on the site are from the U.S.
- Although it is the 5th-most-popular social media channel, it has the 2nd-most devoted members.
- Instagram includes the only channel skewed towards Hispanics and blacks
- 57 percent of members access the website every day, only six points behind Facebook, and 11 percent ahead of Twitter at 3rd-place.
The greatest factor for marketers on Instagram include its age demographics. Though only 17 percent of adults in the U.S. are on the website, 43 percent of mobile users aged 18 to 29 are on the website.
Businesses that should be on Instagram
Image-friendly companies such as designers, technology, architecture, food, fashion, clothes, and restaurants.
Because of its dominance of the 18 to 29 age group, companies with that market also should be on the website.
Tip: User-generated content receives better interaction than content that is generated by companies.
Google+
Demographics:
- Google Plus participants are 67 percent male
- Most are in engineering and technical industries.
- Surprisingly, the average age is 28.
- Though this site boasts over 540 million users, just 300 million are active.
Google+ is perfect for sharing content. Its compatibility with the Google Hangouts function, YouTube, and Communities and Circles all function to make content marketing and brand awareness easy.
Businesses that should be on Google+
Engineering, tech companies, and marketing individuals. The leading brands on Google Plus include Chrome, Mashable, and Android, with Android on top.
That said, this site includes an individual-friendly medium. The Communities function will work well to provide businesses from all industries a place to discover like-minded businesses and individuals. If you are interested in providing information or learning more about your industry, Google+ is the site to do it.
Tip: Since the Hummingbird algorithm was incorporated into SEO, social shares have now become a top priority for businesses online. As a matter of fact, +1’s are amongst the most important factors in deciding SEO – most importantly, than any link-building you have been committing so much time in. Concentrate on boosting social shares via content, interesting images, and social linking and including social share buttons or toolbar upon your website’s pages. This last one may boost content virality by upwards of 700 percent.
Click here to read part 2
Demographics:
- Pinterest has recently surged its way to the number 3 spot as most popular platform on social media
- 21 percent of all adults in the U.S. are using it.
- 84 percent of those are female – making it the 2nd most popular website for this demographic.
It’s ideal for ecommerce companies, as not only is a Pinterest pin worth more than any additional social endorsement, these companies remain influential for a longer time period. This is because users keep scrolling down the search results.
Businesses that should be on Pinterest
Home hardware stores, jewelers, photographers, and fashion. Image-dominated, female-dominated Pinterest facts make it simple for the brands that naturally lend themselves in that direction, and challenging for the ones that don’t.
Tip: Brands that have robust pin integration have an 82 percent higher re-pin/pin ratio than normal. Robust pins include brand pins that have more information than regular pinned photos. The majority of companies wanting to gain sales from Pinterest are going to be most intrigued by product pins that involve more company links, the availability, price, and location to buy the product.
Demographics:
- This site touts itself as a ‘professional social network’
- 38 percent of users that have an income of over $75k are on LinkedIn.
- 79 percent of users are aged 35 and up, making it the oldest medium on the list.
- 27 percent of U.S. employed
- The 3 dominant industries include high tech (14.3 percent), finance (12.4 percent) and manufacturing (10.1 percent). Note also that the legal industry comprises a meager 1.4 percent of users.
But, only 13 percent of users sign in on a daily basis. Individuals use this site to find jobs, check on business partners, and sometimes network – things they’ll do occasionally, instead of on an hourly basis such as users of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Businesses that should be on LinkedIn
All professionals ought to be on LinkedIn, as an individual. It is also recommended that all professional businesses be on LinkedIn, although the effort needed to sustain your presence there is substantially less than additional sites. Periodically check in to make sure your profile is stable – yet concentrate your precious energy and time on the more awareness-increasing and revenue-generating channels.
Tip: Before joining a group, check its statistics. Be certain the demographics fit yours, and the group is active. Otherwise you will be wasting time searching for social endorsements which won’t happen.
Conclusion
There isn’t one solution for everyone. All industries are different and everyone should not be copying everybody else or believing everything they read. However, doing a similar campaign or strategy to a larger practice similar to yours in the exact same industry can be a good start while collecting data.