What is social media?
Social media is a series of web platforms that revolve around content created by people using various publishing technologies that help present audio, visual and textual content to other users on the same platform. Social media has shifted how internet users interact, share information and news, react to real world events and share content.
Social media enables users to form personal and business relationships with other people. It allows brands to represent themselves on the platforms, and interact with users and other brands as well.
What platforms are available for users?
There are many free social platforms that are easy to navigate and offer great benefit for businesses and individuals. These social sites have a large user base, are free to join and offer a variety of products and services that will boost your business’ ability to develop a large following.
This popular platform has the largest user base of any social media available on the web. There is simply too much potential to ignore the site. It features a traffic of 2.2 billion each month, which translates to over half of all internet users. For social media marketing, the possibilities are endless.
Facebook offers free registration both for individuals and brands. You can create your brand’s page in a matter of minutes and begin operations. The site has a basic interface, and should be easy to navigate. It is suitable for both visual and text content, and will be a great place to create a viral and loyal following.
You may need to consider Facebook Ads when developing your marketing strategy since you may have trouble reaching users effectively without these additional boosts. While they come at a premium, they will increase your visibility and help grow your brand.
This platform features lesser numbers than Facebook, but offers a unique approach to content. Tweets, the information sent out on this platform, are set to a maximum limit. Users can only send bite sized information, images, GIFs and short video clips.
It can be a great site for visual content. Users on twitter have also developed a tendency to use the platform for customer service requests, with unfiltered access to their preferred brands. You will engage first hand with a lot of brand clients, and the platform can be ideal to develop good relationships.
If you are considering using twitter, you should regularly check your mentions and messages to avoid missing any interaction with your clients that may harm your relationship.
LinkedIn has over 300 million users. It is the largest professional social site, and has often been mistaken for a job seeking platform due to its professionalism. On LinkedIn, you will get the chance to interact with other professionals in the field, as well as develop business partnerships with different brands that may be interested in working with your own.
LinkedIn is an ideal platform to build great business relationships, and to grow your brand.
YouTube
This is the largest video sharing platform on the web. Users will find specific and non-specific video content of interest to them through a search tab on the site, and view the material posted. The tendency of YouTube searches suggests that you should consider this platform for your business.
Over 3 million searches are made each month on the platform, second only to Google’s search. You can attract some of these views by being on the site as well.
Video content might be more challenging than text or images. You will need to keep your user’s attention over the course of the video by providing entertaining or compelling viewing. You can do this by creating how-to videos, which are popular on the site. If your business is incompatible with such videos, you may consider posting interviews, interactive discussions and other similarly exciting content that will draw users to your page.
While overlooked by most brands, Reddit offers a staggering 2 billion page views a month. The front page of the internet, as the site has been called, offers great marketing potential for brands that may be seeking a niche platform. It can be lucrative, and will be highly beneficial for brands that can keep up.
The only challenging feature about this platform is the ruthlessness of highly tech-savvy users. If you mainly post sales-related and promotional content, you will struggle to achieve any meaningful analytics. For brands with content that is relevant, unique and suitable for a young, skilled and internet obsessed demographic, the potential rewards could be enormous.
How will social media affect your business?
There are a variety of social media platforms that offer different features and access to different demographics. Using these platforms will help to grow your brand. A successful marketing campaign on any of these platforms will result in increased traffic. More people will be interested in and able to view your content, which will increase the awareness of your brand.
For E-commerce sites, increased traffic may result in increased sales. Your brand will have a higher conversion rate if it is popular among internet users, since it will have developed an element of trust and reliability that is often the decisive factor when users decide against making a purchase.
Maintaining an active social media profile across as many platforms as possible will also help to increase your visibility. More people from these different platforms will be able to see your content, and will develop an interest in your brand. If you manage your reputation and uphold values such as customer satisfaction, you may even develop a loyal following around the world.
Social media offers an opportunity to measure the return on investment of marketing campaigns. While exploring performance in real world marketing can be challenging, social media tools enable you to analyze the analytic information in real time. You will be able to keep track of follower interest, brand growth and other important matrices that will help you determine the best future marketing strategies.
There are a few other social media platforms available, with great paid and free marketing options. You can buy likes on Instagram app – new service that guarantees great engagement, at affordable costs.
