As a small business owner, you know that it’s important to be where your customers are. And increasingly, that place is online. According to recent studies, social media and website usage is only going to continue to grow. That’s why it’s so important for your business to be on the right platforms and websites. In this blog post, we will discuss 6 highly ranked social media platforms and websites that you should be using for small business growth!
Facebook
The most popular social media platform in the world is still Facebook. It has over two billion active users, so it’s a great place to reach a large audience. Additionally, Facebook offers a lot of features for businesses, such as boosted posts and ads, custom audiences, and conversion tracking.
Twitter is another great platform for reaching a large audience. With over 330 million active users, Twitter is perfect for promoting your business to a wide range of people. Additionally, Twitter offers many of the same features as Facebook, such as boosted posts and ads, custom audiences, and conversion tracking.
LinkedIn is perfect for businesses that are looking to network with other businesses. With over 500 million members worldwide, the platform offers a lot of opportunities for networking and collaboration. Not only can you connect with other businesses, but you can also schedule events and groups, run polls and surveys, and share your own content.
Pinterest
Pinterest is a visual platform and therefore works especially great for brands that have visually appealing products. With over 200 million users, Pinterest can help you reach a large audience as well as provide conversion tracking.
YouTube
YouTube is one of the most popular websites in the world, so it’s an obvious choice for small business growth. YouTube offers many different ways to monetize your videos through advertising or partnering with other brands. Additionally, you can use your YouTube channel to connect with other brands. Given the popularity of YouTube, this is a great way to interact with like-minded businesses and networks.
Slideshare
Slideshare is based on presentations and therefore works well for small businesses that have great products or services to sell. It’s especially useful for businesses that want to display their data or information in an organized fashion. You can use Slideshare to share your presentations with people around the world and encourage engagement.
Which Platforms Should You Use?
These are just a few of the most highly ranked social media platforms and websites available for small business growth. It’s important to only choose platforms that you feel your target audience uses, such as Facebook and Twitter. To find out which platforms are best for your business, conduct market research to find out what social media platforms your competitors are using. Once you know which platforms you should use, follow these companies’ social media accounts to get a feel for how they use the platform. Then start with one platform at a time and work on creating an engaging presence with quality content.
1. Do I have to be an expert on all of the platforms?
No, it’s not necessary to be an expert on every single platform. Start with one or two platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) that you feel your target audience uses the most. Once you’ve become familiar with the platform(s), start with a smaller niche site/forum and make it engaging for visitors. Then start branching out as your business grows.
2. Should I have one social media account for business and one for personal use?
This is a great question. Again, it depends on your target audience. However, if you’re adding a personal account to your business, do so with the same level of engagement as you do on your business accounts. In other words, don’t make up friend requests or follow malicious people as you would on your personal account.
3. Once I start using social media platforms, how long should I be active?
You should be active with all of the platforms you’ve chosen for at least 6 months before making any changes to them. If you’re not seeing a decrease in views and engagement, then you don’t need to make any changes. If you’re seeing that engagement is getting higher and higher, then it’s necessary to start branching out.
4. Should I be active 24/7 on social media?
No, that’s not necessary. The key is consistency in your posting over the course of the day. This will help keep your followers engaged as they’ll know when to expect your next post or boosted post.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this blog post helped you better understand the role of social media in business growth. The truth is that social media is not just a “dumping ground” for marketing. Rather, it’s an essential way to connect with like-minded people and make important connections across industries. With the right social media platforms and engagement, your small business can grow in a very short period of time.
