Promoting your business on social media today means far more than posting an update on Facebook or Twitter. Here’s how to select which social media to use for marketing, including alternative social media, to increase your brand awareness.
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Popular Social Media
Picking the best social media options for marketing your small business isn’t as straight forward as you might think. It requires knowing all of your options, not just the big names, and the pros and cons to each platform.
The most popular social media platforms people think of for small business marketing are Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. Others like Pinterest and Instagram are also popular and particularly useful for businesses that want to share images. YouTube, Vimeo and Wistia are great for sharing videos.
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If you target consumers and have a visual product, show images of people using it. You can also show images of your product itself to generate a strong following.
A lighting company might show pictures of new products and examples of how their lights look in particular settings. A cake decorator can show images of their new creations – not just the final product but pictures along the way as they make it. A human resources consultant can create memes of quick interview tips – like a tweet but posted as an image on an image sharing social media site.
Create a company page on these popular social media sites. Then, post updates, which include links to new blog posts, company news, or articles that you found and want to share.
Alternative Social Media
There are many other platforms that people use to share ideas and have discussions. Alternative social media sites should definitely be on your radar to capture a wider market.
Today, sites like Reddit, Tumblr and countless others have since evolved into very popular social media destinations, including some for niche audiences. In the early days of the Internet, these types of sites were discussion forums.
Reddit has many groups dedicated to specific topics. For example, IT service providers can participate in dialogs with their peers in the Reddit managed services provider group.
As you look at which social media to use for marketing, search for alternative social media platforms that specialize in your niche market.
For example, if you sell to small business owners, look at LinkedIn groups that comprise your customer profile. These include groups dedicated to leadership, technology marketers, bookkeepers, family lawyers or other business-oriented niches.
If you focus on consumers, do a search on Google for forums of like-minded individuals. Examples include cooking sites, neighborhood moms, dog lovers, electronic kit enthusiasts, bikers.
Which Social Media to Use for Marketing
Join the niche market social media sites that you find by doing Google searches for your industry. See what kinds of topics that other companies similar to yours share publicly. Leverage them to share your blog posts or curated articles.
One platform is not better than another. Each serves its own purpose. Some prospects spend more of their time on Facebook, others on Reddit, and yet others on YouTube. Use multiple platforms to engage your audience on social media because your prospects will find you in different ways.
More Social Media Marketing Tips
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