A Guide to Navigating Social Media Platforms & How to Use Them

(Photo by https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-channels/)

What are the benefits of social media, and how can you use it to further your business? 

These days there are a plethora of social media channels, it is important to understand what each channel offers and why it is important to market your business on their site. If your company isn’t using social media as a business marketing strategy, then you are missing out. With nearly half the world’s population on social media, it is a great tool to reach your customers fast, and inexpensively. First, you must define your business goals before choosing which platform to join. Let’s dive deeper into the many ways in which the top preforming social media sites can help reach your targeted audience and grow your business.

Today, there is only one social network that can be positioned over the other as the top and that is still Facebook. Facebook has become more than a place where friends can stay in touch and share content; it is now a place where businesses can interact with people.

Learning how to use Facebook can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to break into social media and make an impact on consumers, and the fact that it has become a place where businesses can communicate with large audiences of more than 2 billion users is enough to make you wonder who can see your company, don’t you agree?

Now that you know all the above, are you ready to start on this journey? Are you ready to learn the secrets of Facebook? If so, let’s start with the basics: 

How to create a Facebook account for your business.

1. Enter your personal Facebook account (you need to log in your account to create one for your business) then go to pages and click on create.
2. Now you must select the type of page you want to create, select business.
3. Now enter all the information about your business
4. Upload your profile and cover photos.
5. Click edit page info, fill your operating hours, and contact information.
6. Click on create page and create your vanity URL (@Username) this can help people to find your business.

Surely you are wondering if it will cost anything to use Facebook business, right? Well, you are in luck because it is completely free to use. However, if you have a limited budget, you might be able to utilize paid options offered by Facebook, such as sponsored posts and ads.

TikTok only just launched in 2018, and it is one of the hottest apps on the market. It is an app where users can share short videos in a fun and creative way. TikTok is one of the easiest and inexpensive ways to grow your business and build engagement. 

Create fun and authentic content 

TikTok is a great platform to have fun with, and it's a great way to show a different side of your business and show your brand's personality. There are always new trends on TikTok, which really makes it that much easier to create content. Use trends to your advantage and make them work for your business. 

Expand your engagement

Expanding engagement is a great way to get more traction on your profile which means more business! Influencers can have a significant effect on their followers, and it can be very beneficial for businesses. Using influencer marketing can expand your reach! It is also essential to be strategic about who you work with; their personalities/brand should align with your own brand's value.

Consistency is key

Sometimes, gaining a following on TikTok can take a while, but you can get the results you're looking for if done correctly. It only takes one viral video to get your brand out there to millions of people!

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms out there. It is estimated that more than one billion people use Instagram. So, it would make complete sense to create an account and explore everything Instagram has to offer to a business owner. Your first goal of course would be to create an account. If you already have a personal account, there is an option to create a business account. So, you can keep your close friends and family on one and have all your customers on the other.  (Fun TIP: Promote your business account in your personal account!) After you create your business account it is important to understand and define your audience. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Who is my business targeted to? A certain age demographic? A certain gender? This is a very important question to ask.
2. Who is my competitor and what is their customer like?
3. What is my product price range? A customer is always looking for the best price and will most likely shop with you if you offer better pricing.

While you may ask yourself a couple other questions, start off with the ones mentioned above. After targeting your audience, you need to set yourself with some goals. A great way to accomplish your goals is by applying the SMART goal guide. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. By tracking your goals, you will understand and learn what works and what doesn’t work for you and your business. Of course, an important part of Instagram is your content and the time you share your content. It is important to check your analytics to see when customers look at your page and stories. This will help you in deciding the best times to share your product. (TIP: Check out our previous blog posts regarding Instagram stories and the best times to post content) Your content is very important to your customers so invest time in that as well. This means take good product pictures to showcase your product as best as you can and make demonstration videos to show how good your product is. Instagram has many tools to help you create fun and engaging content like Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, IGTV and Instagram Reels. Instagram is just one of the many social media platforms helping business achieve your goals. One thing to always remember is to have fun and engage, engage, and engage with your customers.

Not all platforms are made equally, some will be more effective then others. Is YouTube a good fit for your social media goals? Let’s see..

If YouTube is a platform you want to utilize then there are some things to consider. Making videos and content for YouTube could be quite the task and quite time consuming. You have to be really committed and consistent if this is a route you want to explore. YouTube is a huge platform and has many tools and avenues to explore. Don’t know where to start? No problem here are some basics.

Quick fact: YouTube has over 2 billion monthly active users. Ranging from all ages and backgrounds; your targeted audience is bound to be on YouTube

YouTube is a great platform for marketers. Consider these facts:

• YouTube is the 2^nd most visited site in the world after Google
• YouTube is the 2^nd largest social media platform
• YouTube accounts for 25% of total global mobile traffic
• You can navigate YouTube in a total of 80 different languages (covering 95% of the Internet population) The platform has also launched in over 91 countries
• YouTube is popular among all age groups — 81% of people between ages 15 and 25 use the platform, 71% of people between ages 26 and 35, 67% of people between ages 36 and 45, 66% of people between ages 46 and 55, and 58% of people aged 56 and older.

Here are some tools you can utilize:

YouTube Ads  

• If you are running an ad on YouTube you need to catch the audience’s attention fast, if you have an entertaining ad that is different than the rest you can catch someone attention to take action.
• If you have a small budget, then you need to narrow down the targeted audience to optimize results.
• Ever heard of re-targeting ads? This is one of the most powerful tools, the ads are targeted to people who have already shown interest in your business or products by visiting your website. It then shows your ads to them again to entice them to go back to your website and seal the deal!

Drive traffic to your website through YouTube

• Be consistent, this is a universal tip for most marketing tips. The more consistent your content is then you won’t just build an audience, but you will keep and maintain and audience.
• Link your website in your videos and YouTube profile.
• A call to action, make sure your video calls someone to action towards your website or products.
  

   Remember, social media’s algorithms and technology change all the time, and it is important to keep up with the evolution of each platform. Always look for ways to optimize each site’s tools to leverage your business. We have provided general guidelines for you to follow for each site. Your success rate will vary from site to site, and it’s more of an art than science. When posting, there are some key factors to remember. Be cautious about what you are posting, what you put out can never be taken back. Also, it is just as important to have a good netiquette when engaging with your audience. Users are humans and have feelings; treat them with the same respect and regard you would to a person that is in front of you. Next, when it comes to content posting, remember that consistency is key. Creating a content calendar with Hootesuite or Planonly can help you keep a schedule of posting for all channels. Having a schedule can not only keep you organized but can also help from posting fatigue. Always stay up to date with what’s trending, visit competitors and other inspirational pages to get inspired. 

Hope you found this blog very informative, and we would love to get your feedback, please leave a comment below about what you liked or what more you would like to learn about.