What are the best social media platforms for business?
If somebody asked me this a few years ago, I wouldn’t even know the answer. Social media have gone far than just being something you use for personal stuff.
Today, it is one of the powerful tools of every business.
As a social media manager, I can say that having a great image and being active in social media can be a huge help to any business. People nowadays rely on the Internet for almost everything.
Including me (still don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing haha).
If I go to a new city, I would search for great places to eat and things to do, and I would definitely go for the ones with updated websites and social media profiles. This is me as a customer.
There are so many businesses who has the potential to make it big but lacks proper marketing.
With all the accounts I have handled, here are by far the best social media platforms for business (in my experience):
Who should use Twitter: Everyone! I highly recommend it to any business, startup or large companies.
What I love about Twitter: You can share content, pictures and basically anything easily! Downside is you have to fit it in 140 characters. (Update: You can now write up to 280 characters!)
How often should you post: I usually schedule 2-3 posts in a day but you can post more if you’re doing a twitter party or you’re tweeting live from an event.
Tools that I use: I have used Hootsuite, SproutSocial and Buffer to schedule posts.
What I like about it: I like Twitter because you can easily share anything and it can help boost your site’s traffic. You can reach out to a huge audience with your tweets and you can participate in any conversation (even wih big names and companies). Plus it’s easy to gain followers!
Who should use Facebook: Everyone! Same as with Twitter, I think Facebook has come a long way from just being a social network. If you don’t have Facebook, it seems like you’ll be out of touch and outdated with everything that’s happening. Personally, I don’t update my Facebook but for the Pages I manage, I need to be active and responsive with the audience.
What I love about Facebook: Back in the day I see Facebook as a part of my daily life (games were so cool and addictive at that time), now, I rarely use it for personal reasons and I just check or manage my clients’ pages everyday. I love the Insights Tab as you can see the growth of your page, posts that have lots of engagement and so much more.
How often should you post: 1-2 posts per day is enough.
Tools that I use: Hootsuite and SproutSocial. But lately Facebook has added a feature where you can schedule posts and even draft it.
What I like about it: Easy to sign up and use. And almost everyone is on Facebook, even people’s pets!
StumbleUpon
Who should use StumbleUpon: Those who wants to gain traffic and more audience in their posts. Maybe those who likes to see refreshing content as well.
What I love about StumbleUpon: I gained a lot of views on my posts from StumbleUpon. It’s real traffic and I found a lot of awesome articles and websites here as well. You never know what you’ll stumble into! 🙂
How often should you post: Share all your interesting posts and pages! Not so sure about the limit of links you can share as I usually share once every couple of days.
Tools that I use: I just use StumbleUpon.
What I like about it: Everything is just a click away!
Who should use Pinterest: Everyone! Especially those businesses in the Fashion and Beauty Industry.
What I love about Pinterest: It’s very easy to use and very easy to build your followers! Got more than 3k without even trying 🙂
How often should you post: You can pin as many as you want!
Tools that I use: I just use Pinterest web and app.
What I like about it: Everything I need is in Pinterest (especially DIY projects!)
Who should use LinkedIn: All Professionals and companies! Those who are looking for employees and employers! 🙂
What I love about LinkedIn: LinkedIn makes it easy to connect with Professionals and Potential clients.
How often should you post: I don’t think I have posted an article through LinkedIn but I have shared a couple of my posts.
Tools that I use: I just use the LinkedIn website.
What I like about it: I got a lot of job offers from LinkedIn!
Google+
Who should use Google+: Those who have Google Accounts :p
What I love about Google+: I don’t really know much about Google+ as I got it only because I use Gmail. But whenever I publish a post, I always share it in Google+.
How often should you post: I am not sure about the number of posts required to have a great page but according to some infographics, 2-5 posts.
Tools that I use: I connected my WordPress blog and my Google+ account so they get published simultaneously.
What I like about it: Don’t need a lot of time to update and maybe it helps people find you in Google.
Who should use Instagram: Everyone!!! Especially those who likes snapping photos!
What I love about Instagram: I love pictures. I love how big businesses and even small ones reach out to their audience through random pictures.
How often should you post: A couple of pictures a day won’t hurt. make sure to have a variety of photos. Everyone gets tired of seeing those advertisements!
Tools that I use: Hootsuite just added Instagram in their platform so I think I am going to use Hootsuite for this.
What I like about it: I love the behind-the-scenes pictures of business and popular individuals. It’s nice to see a glimpse of their lives and what happens behind the camera/office.
YouTube
Who should use YouTube: Perfect for those in the music, fashion, beauty, coaching and education industry.
What I love about YouTube: It’s easy to show people your talent and things you offer through a video. Take coaching as an example, it’s easier to coach through a video as it seems more personal (but maybe it’s just me).
How often should you post: Weekly is fine. But if you feel you have a lot to share, you can do a daily series.
Tools that I use: Just using the YouTube website.
What I like about it: I love watching videos and as I said above, it’s more personal and definitely entertaining.
Tumblr
Who should use Tumblr: Ive seen a lot of fashion blogs in Tumblr and I manage a fashion blog on Tumblr so I guess I could recommend this to people in the Fashion Industry but then again everyone can just sign up and start a blog here.
What I love about Tumblr: It’s easy to share content and pictures. 🙂
How often should you post: 3-5 times a week is enough.
Tools that I use: I tried the app but I couldn’t find the option to add an image.
What I like about it: I can reblog posts from other pages! 🙂
That’s it! These are my best social media platforms for businesses! If I missed something and if you recommend other sites, please feel free to mention it in the comment section below! 🙂