Social media 101 for your business

It’s so easy nowadays to get distracted by technology and for it to have a negative effect. Recent headlines such as “ Facebook Cambridge Analytics Scandal!” and “Is Google really listening to our conversations?” have had an impact on people’s perception of social media and its use.

But to all the negatives, there are SO many positives and especially for a business.

I take a look at the platforms, why they are so popular with brands, and why you should dedicate your time and budget to this element of the marketing mix. This is your social media 101!

Get your brand in front of a wider audience with social media

Facebook, the biggest social media network, it alone attracts over 2.5 billion monthly active users, making it the largest and most popular social media platform. At the end of last year Facebook had generated nearly $18 billion in revenue with the majority of that coming from advertising. Facebook Advertising allows for detailed and targeted campaigns to meet one of Facebook’s eleven objectives including lead generation and brand awareness.

Instagram now sees over 1 billion monthly active users–a 42.86% increase from 2017 and from those users 90% of them follow a business. Indicating that its users want to hear and see from brands. A platform perfect for visual brands, offering the ability to showcase product and now purchasing through posts and stories. There has been a massive jump in followers, between 9-16% in the first half of 2019, demonstrating that the platform is going from strength to strength.

Twitter had around 330 million active users worldwide in 2019 and even though it’s taken a slight decline in new users, it’s still a vital platform with 79% using it to discover what’s new. It’s a fast pace, real time channel that is used as a discovery tool.

LinkedIn is a completely different platform with the bulk of the audience being professionals and businesses looking to connect and network. It’s the go-to channel for B2B marketers and recruiters with over 660 million registered users and over 300 million active monthly users. It’s the most effective lead generation platform with 227% more leads generated than Facebook.

Pinterest, a visual search engine platform, used to be great for finding and “pinning” recipes, hair styles and home decor but it has now become a top rated platform for brands with a visual angle to their business and looking to inspire consumers. Giving brand’s the ability to create boards, and showcase products and services through video and image content it’s a great way to build audiences and engagement.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash

With over 300 million monthly active users, they are increasingly progressive saving nearly 250 million pins to date,

Social media allows you to connect with people you may not otherwise have the opportunity to reach and communicate with the more traditional marketing activities. With a strategic approach to social media and using it as part of your marketing mix, you can target audiences through engaging and authentic content that aligns with your business plan and objectives.

Digital marketing is constantly changing and evolving and keeping on top can be time-consuming. So, why not let me take care of it for you? I can put together a social media strategy to understand the best social media platforms for your brand and put together a plan of action to utilise those channels. Contact me below to find out more.

Stats from SproutSocial article 55 critical social media statistics to fuel your 2020 strategy