Social media is an invaluable tool for businesses to connect with their target audience. But understanding which platforms work best for your company is crucial.
If you’re creating a new account or updating an existing one, be sure to meet with the Social Media Strategist in the Office of Communications and Marketing to discuss your social media goals and strategy.
Types of social media
When it comes to social media platforms, you may feel overwhelmed trying to determine which is best suited for your business. The first step in choosing the correct platform is understanding which type works best with both your brand and target audience.
If your business needs to reach a younger audience, Instagram Stories (with over 500 million daily active users) might be ideal. Or if you’re looking to boost sales, try social shopping on Pinterest or Instagram.
Facebook is one of the world’s most popular social networking sites, enabling people to stay connected and communicate with friends and family through messages, photos, and videos.
Social media sites such as Facebook are becoming increasingly popular ways for businesses to connect with customers. Their features range from business content pages and fan pages, to a marketplace where you can promote your products easily.
Though the platform has achieved much success, it’s not without issues. It has been accused of violating privacy rights, bullying small companies with monopoly power, damaging teens’ mental health and inciting violent insurrections.
Twitter is a social media platform that enables users to send and receive short posts (known as tweets) of up to 140 characters in length. These updates typically occur in real-time and can be utilized for news, entertainment, and marketing campaigns.
Twitter can often be seen as a platform for spreading misinformation and inflaming opinions, yet it also serves as an authoritative source for breaking news stories. Therefore, it’s essential to exercise caution when using social media channels.
One way to stay informed on a particular industry or topic is by creating a list of Twitter accounts you want to follow. You may also subscribe to lists curated by others for added convenience.
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform designed for professionals in the business community. Here, users can create professional profiles and connect with past and current colleagues, share industry news, search for jobs, and seek new hires.
LinkedIn differs from Twitter and Facebook in that it primarily focuses on professional networking. It also has a network updates feature similar to News Feed on Facebook which displays recent activity among connections, groups and businesses.
For businesses, having a LinkedIn page that accurately represents your brand is essential. This page should include an attractive cover photo, company information and buttons linking directly to your website.
Instagram is an image-sharing platform that emphasizes personal connections. Available on both iPhone and Android devices, the app enables users to upload and share photos and videos with their friends or followers.
This app offers a host of features for photo and video editing, such as augmented reality-based face filters and stickers. Users can also add text, drawings, emojis, links to photos and videos for easy sharing.
Pinterest, a social media platform designed to help users save and organize ideas, has rapidly grown into an engaging destination for its members. Additionally, it’s an ideal venue for businesses to advertise their goods and services.
Pins on Pinterest remain visible for months after publishing, making them an effective way to drive traffic to your website. Furthermore, repins enable customers to engage with your brand and build relationships through mutual interests.
Pinterest provides an effective search interface and utilizes standard SEO metrics to surface relevant content. Furthermore, it takes into account users’ preferences and activity when selecting which pins appear in their feeds.
