Social media offers a great way to grow your audience and engage with them on a personal level. The benefits to your business can be tremendous. But there are dozens of social media platforms out there, and only limited time. Which social media sites should you focus on?
It’s best to start with one at first and add more as you have time and energy. While there are a large number of platforms available to choose from, here are the five that are most popular and worth checking out first.
Facebook is one of the world’s biggest social media platform. Nearly everyone uses it and it appeals to most demographics. The site is full of features to help you engage with people and grow your following. No matter what niche you are in, the size of your business, or the nature of your target market, you’re sure to find Facebook useful.
Start a Facebook Page for your business. Join Groups where your target market are members and try to help people. Look at your followers’ profiles and the content they share to get insights.
Instagram is a visually-oriented social media platform that’s meant for sharing photos and videos. It’s best suited for brands that have something visual to share, but today all kinds of brands use it. You can share images of your products, behind-the-scenes of your industry, or anything else your audience might like.
The best way to gain exposure here is to follow others and comment on their content. They’ll reciprocate with yours and their other followers will see you as well. Hashtags also work well to spread brand awareness on Instagram.
Twitter is a micro-blogging platform, which means it allows users to post short, text-based posts of 280 characters or less. You can also post images and videos here. Twitter works in real-time so things happen fast. It’s a great site for breaking news.
Since you’re presented with the challenge of short posts, Twitter is a great place to offer tips and ask questions to get your audience talking. Tweeting frequently, retweeting and commenting on others’ tweets, and hopping on trending hashtags are great ways to grow your following here.
LinkedIn is a professional networking site. It’s used to connect with other businesses, hire people, or find like-minded business professionals. You can post long-form content, participate in groups, and learn about your target market through its robust profiles.
In addition to posting high-quality content, participating in groups, and other regular social media strategies, LinkedIn has a unique referral feature. You can take advantage of this as well to grow your audience.
YouTube
Although many people use YouTube merely for watching videos, it’s also a social media platform where users create profiles and channels and interact with one another. As the world’s go-to site for videos, it’s a great place to showcase your brand and grow your audience.
The best way to do this is to produce high-value videos and promote your channel. Take advantage of commenting and sharing with other creators and this will help your efforts.
If you want to learn about more ways to grow your audience on social media, then head over to my program, "Grow Your Audience Using Social Media".