If you’re not on social media—do you really even exist? In this day in age, there’s a semblance of truth to that, especially for your business.
Your business’s social media presence is absolutely crucial to its development, engagement, and bottom line. A solid social media marketing plan can help your business attract more customers, engage with those customers, and amplify your exposure in a very cost-effective way compared to other marketing tactics. It’s a no-brainer. Not to mention, the more exposure you have across multiple social media channels, the more intrigue you’re inviting to your brand—and, in turn, your website traffic.
But with so many to choose from, which ones should your brand consider? And which ones will align with the content goals of your website? If you’re a law firm, for example, you’ll have a different set of social media marketing tactics than a clothing company. Using the right platform is essential, and you’ll want to make sure the ones you use are the correct fit for your brand, as well as ones that complement your company’s website.
When people are visiting your website, chances are, they “need” your service or product, or are at least interested. When they engage with your social media platforms, that means they actually “like” your business. Now, the real power comes when your website marketing leads to a great customer experience that’s worth “liking” on social media and telling others about—expanding your network and, in turn, expanding your business.
Here are some of the top social media platforms to consider for your company’s voice and goals and how to use your site’s content to expand your presence.
2 Billion Reasons to Keep Liking Facebook
No matter your business, Facebook is usually at the top of the list when it comes to creating a social media presence. With more than 2 billion active users, Facebook is the royalty of social media. Because of its massive presence, nearly any business can find its target market and execute a successful social media marketing campaign.
By creating a simple Facebook page, you can share all sorts of content formats from your company’s website, including Stories, text content, video content, images, and polls. Keep your posts brief—if you find that they’re a bit wordy, write a blog and then share that link in a post. Because of their algorithm, Facebook prioritizes content that sparks meaningful conversations, which is a fantastic opportunity for your business to engage with those that matter most—your customers!
Mine for Gold Through Facebook Messenger
Also tied in with goliath Facebook, but essentially its own platform, is Facebook Messenger. Thanks to its expanded features, businesses can take advantage of all sorts of tools like advertising, chatbot communications, and newsletters through Messenger. It’s yet another personalized way to connect and engage with both potential and current customers.
Also, although creating content to share via social media is a strong marketing tactic, sometimes, using the reverse tactic can be just as effective. Listen to what your customers (or potential customers) are saying and asking through Messenger, and use that insight to create relevant content on your website. Now, you’re “bulking up” your site with content gold.
We’re Fun! We’re Creative! We’re Captivating! Prove It On TikTok
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve most likely seen, used, or at least heard of TikTok. The short-form-video-sharing platform is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world and is perfect for companies wanting to target a younger demographic; although people of all ages use the app, nearly 50% of TikTok users in the U.S. are between the ages of 10-29.
Businesses can use the platform to pack creative, quality content into short videos while utilizing tools from their advertising service called TikTok for Business. TikTok is a great channel for your business to share fun, approachable, and humorous content that begs to be re-shared. If your brand has website content that can easily translate into discoverable hashtags (which are the bread and butter of TikTok’s search function) and video, you can use these hashtags as an opportunity for potential customers to follow your account for future content. Think about it as something similar to watching the end of a TV show, hooked and waiting for the next episode. This is why “challenges” and “X days of…” hashtags and content do so well on this platform. The more attention being given to a hashtag, the more TikTok’s algorithm boosts the content; then, more people are directed to your account and to your site.
YouTube – The New ‘Google’
There’s no doubt that YouTube is a powerful video-sharing platform that can catapult your business’ growth if used properly. With a billion hours of videos watched every single day, YouTube has even become a replacement for Google when people are looking for “how-to” or informative content.
If your business can benefit by sharing informative or useful content from its website to its customers in a visual form, YouTube is one of your best bets for social media presence. The platform is an awesome way to entertain, inform, and show creativity. Plus, since the platform’s parent company is Google, it also integrates with your marketing team’s Google Ads account.
Is Your Brand Instagram-Worthy?
Like YouTube and TikTok, Instagram is a great social media platform for businesses that could benefit from sharing visual content or encouraging others to create content for you. By sharing photos and videos up to 60 minutes (with verified accounts), companies can inform their audience about products, services, and news that can help boost growth. You can also add “call-to-action” buttons to redirect traffic to your business’ website, set up an Instagram shop to sell products, and keep an eye on the analytics of your company’s profile to tweak and change tactics when needed.
Another tactic to consider is to solicit and receive user-generated content to then share and promote your business. Encourage followers to create and share visual content using company-centric hashtags or tagging, and if the content aligns with your business’s goals, re-share it—free content!
Know-It-Alls Welcome and Bragging Rights Earned on LinkedIn
When you’re looking to connect on a professional level, LinkedIn is the ideal platform for your business. Once known as the go-to site for sharing resumes and job searches, LinkedIn has evolved into a big-league platform where industry leaders and experts can share content, build their brand, network, and attract top talent. This more “formal” type of social media platform works wonders for those sharing B2B content.
Your website content should establish your role as the “expert” in whatever field you’re in—this is perfect for sharing on LinkedIn, where it’s all about thought leadership in your specific niche. But keep in mind, just because it’s professional doesn’t mean it has to be boring; the content should be captivating and pique interest.
With dozens of apps and sites out there, it’s important to know which social media platform will work best for your company and brand’s vision and which ones can synergize with your business’ website content. If leveraged properly and synced in harmony with your company’s website content, utilizing one or more of these platforms can help skyrocket your business to the next level. And, honestly, you didn’t work this hard on your social media and website just to be mediocre, did you?
