Choosing the Best Social Media Platforms for Your Business

With all the different social networks popping up, it can be a little overwhelming to decided which are the best social media platforms to tackle and how to keep up with all of them.

And let’s face it, keeping up with social media takes time. It’s work. So you want to make sure that you’re not wasting your time on a social network that isn’t doing you a lick of good.

The first thing you need to think about is, where does my target client hang out online? Then you need to decide if you can supply the content to that network that will keep people engaged and interested.

You also will want to determine if you have the time or skill to manage your own accounts.

Let’s walk through my top three best social media platforms for local businesses and you can use this guide to help decide which social platforms you should spend your time on.

[thrive_text_block color=”blue” headline=”IMPORTANT NOTICE”]In this post, I will be addressing which social media platforms are worth spending time on, making consistent posts. Please note that you should have as much of a social media presence as possible. So even if you decide not to put time into Facebook, you still need to have a Facebook page that displays your accurate contact information and website URL.[/thrive_text_block]

Facebook for Local Businesses

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American women ages 25-54 make up around 32% of all Facebook users and men, ages 25-54, make up around 29% of all Facebook users. Additionally, only 9% of users are between the ages of 18 and 24.

If you target customer is under 24 years old, consistently posting on Facebook is probably not an effective use of your company time. However, don’t forget to go ahead and create a Facebook company page to display your contact information. You may also decide to use Facebook to run paid ads (which you must have a company page to do)… but it may not be work investing the manpower to publish new posts regularly.

On the other hand, if your company targets a more middle-aged market, it could be very valuable to stay consistent with your postings, especial since the average smartphone user checks Facebook 14 times per day!

Instagram for Local Businesses

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Instagram has 500 million daily users on their app and 59% of them check the app every single day… that alone show us that there is huge potential to reach new clients on Instagram.

Also, with Instagram Stories and the local tagging feature, there is increased potential to reach local users and get your name and brand in front of a larger audience.

Instagram may best be used as a brand building tool if you have a decent following and post beautiful images or videos, but if you plan to use it as a marketing tool, you will need to devise a strategic plan to capitalize on the half a billion users.

LinkedIn for Local Businesses

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If you are a business-to-business company, LinkedIn is probably one network to put a lot of focus into. 53% of B2B companies have secured leads through LinkedIn versus the 22% of B2C companies that secured leads.

In addition to maintaining your personal page, B2B companies should set up a LinkedIn company page to amplify your brand. With a LinkedIn company page, you’ll also be able to highlight your services and build your external credibility and community.

Over 70% of customers use LinkedIn groups to research, network and make buying decisions. Therefore, join as many local LinkedIn groups as possible and that are relevant to your company. Joining groups also makes you accessible to other group members. Regularly participating in groups,  in a non-promotional way, is beneficial for networking with other business professionals that might higher your services.