It would be easy to answer this question with ‘all of them!’ but there are so many platforms that you can use for social media that you’d end up in a dishevelled mess trying to organise them all! Certain businesses can benefit from investing a chunk of their time into social media marketing on specific platforms. If done correctly, it can significantly increase engagement as well as brand awareness, but if you’re using the wrong platform for your brand it can end up being a big waste of time. We’ve broken it down into some of the top social media platforms and suggested which types of brand work best with which ones.
Facebook
Facebook is best for small local businesses and online businesses. For example, service companies (plumbing, central heating, cleaners etc), and restaurants. This is because these types of companies can really utilise Facebook advertisements by hand-selecting who sees these ads by age, interests, geographic location etc. These ads are cheap to run and often very effective.
Instagram
Instagram rocks when it’s used for visual-aesthetics focused businesses, and influencers who want to connect more personally with their audience. This would mean businesses in photography, fitness and travel would benefit from an Instagram account. Considering the fact that Instagram is photos and videos, the reason for this is clear; high-quality photos will generate a buzz, and low-quality photos will not. Therefore your insurance company probably won’t be able to achieve interesting, aesthetically-pleasing, high-quality photos like a photography company can.
Twitter
Twitter is good for businesses who want to have a human touch, and perhaps would like to inject a little humour into the business. Think life coaches, lifestyle entrepreneurs and writers. However, this is not to say that other businesses can’t jump in on this action- just take a look at Tesco Mobile’s Twitter and see how well they’ve done from it!
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is best for the more ‘formal’ brands, such as marketing companies, consulting firms, recruitment agencies etc. See any profile on LinkedIn and the reasons for this will be clear. You want to be taken seriously, and you want to see thought-provoking content that’s consistently professional and almost always work-related.
Pinterest
Similarly to Instagram, Pinterest is good for those with a visually-appealing brand. This would include lifestyle bloggers, travel bloggers, chefs, interior design companies, fitness brands etc. Pinterest can show you what people want for the future and this can be a powerful tool for your marketing. Pinterest is often good when linked to a tandem blog.
Medium
Medium is great for bloggers. It’s free, easy to use, and is full of incredible content. Almost every business can benefit from a Medium account, as it’s a young, expanding platform. If your company is looking for a space to post blogs and articles it’s definitely a good option.
Whatever platform you choose, just make sure to give it your all and enjoy it! Ensure you’re consistent with your posting and that your style remains the same and your brand will continue to rise.