Which Social Media Sites Should You Be On?

You hear it all the time -- the internet levels the playing field for small businesses.

And it's true.

But only if you're taking advantage of all the resources readily available to you. For instance, social media.

Marketing has always been about getting your business in front of as many people as possible. But with social media, you can take it a step further by getting your company's message in front of as many of the right people as possible.

Roughly 3 billion people are on social media.

That's a huge potential to market your small business both locally and globally.

But which channels should you be on?

We're about to find out. But first, let's see what you should do before creating your business profiles.

Ask these Questions About Your Target Audience

What do you know about your target customers? This will help you to determine the best platforms to reach them. Some questions you'll want to ask include:

• What industry do they work in?
• What are their hobbies?
• What is their average age and gender?
• How do they get their information?

Knowing the demographics and habits of your customers is key.

Know Your Business Goals

You want to be on social media to help grow your visibility. But that's not the end goal. Maybe you're looking to get more subscribers to your newsletter, drive traffic to one of your newest locations or grow your online reputation.

You'll also want to consider the type of content you produce (or want to produce). Some platforms are better for sharing blog posts and infographics than others.

So let's dive into the six top social media platforms for business marketing.

1. Facebook

Facebook is still the top social media network because it has the most active users. Each month, over two billion users are logging in.

And you can find both men and women using this platform. It's also worth mentioning that it hosts accounts for people between 18 and 65 years old.

Facebook users are active daily and spend around 20 minutes per session.

This platform is best for B2C (business-to-consumer) companies and is widely used by industries like:

• Health and wellness
• Marketing
• Sports
• Real Estate
• Retail
• Fashion
• Auto
• Entertainment

To name a few.

The best age groups to target are between 25 and 55+. You can share all sorts of content, including blog posts, videos, photos, and infographics.

2. Twitter

Here's another B2C-friendly platform you can use to promote your business. It's an ideal platform if you're looking to target younger audiences between 18 and 29.

It's used widely by both men and women.

But you'll have to be creative with your posts since you're only given 280 characters to work with. It's typical for brands to use this platform to make announcements, offer quick tips or even inspirational quotes.

The platform also enables you to share videos and images. It's a fast-paced platform, so you'll want to publish posts throughout the day to ensure you're visible.

Popular industries using Twitter include:

• Finance
• Retail
• E-commerce
• Health/Wellness
• Travel and hospitality
• Fashion
• Sports

3. Instagram

Here's a highly visual platform you can take advantage of. This is ideal if you like to produce live (Stories) or pre-recorded videos. It's also an excellent place to share collages of photos.

Branded memes could also help to boost engagement in the form of comments, likes and shares.

Now, this platform caters to mainly women, but the tides are slowly turning. The age range for this audience is typically between 18 and 35 years old.

4. Pinterest

If you're in an industry that's picturesque, then Pinterest will suit you well. Pinterest, as you may already know, is filled with nothing but infographics, photos, and memes.

It's where people go to find visual inspiration. This platform is attractive to industries that offer health/wellness, fashion, travel, gardening, home, arts and crafts, beauty and other similar services/products.

And as you may guess, this platform is widely used by a female audience. The age range sits somewhere between 18 and 45 years old.

Consider creating your own pins and add them to boards to help attract and inspire your audience.

5. LinkedIn

Maybe you're not a B2C -- this doesn't mean you can't use platforms like Facebook and Twitter. However, you'll find LinkedIn to be one of the best networks to find clients.

It's used by both men and women between 25 and 45 (business owners and professionals). You'll find a different variety of industries marketing on here, including:

• Education
• Employment
• Science and technology
• Legal
• Manufacturing
• Financial
• Health/Wellness
• Professional services
• Marketing
• IT

6. YouTube

When you're trying to attract people with your amazing video content, then YouTube should be at the top of your list (alongside Instagram and Facebook).

It has over two billion users, which is made up of men and women between 18 and 65.

YouTube is ideal whether you're trying to educate, entertain, or inform your audience. People consume hundreds of hours of content monthly.

So if you can produce high-quality videos (using an iPhone or similar device) that are engaging, then you'll find it easier to get subscribers. Just focus on creating relevant, bite-sized content (no more than five to eight minutes).

Start Creating Your Business Pages

What if you find multiple platforms are suitable for your business? Well, then use them all!

This will help to ensure you're reaching a broader audience since not everyone uses every platform.

So get started building your business pages and let us know how your campaign goes!