Which Social Media Channels Should I Use For My Business?

LinkedIn vs Twitter vs Facebook vs Instagram 

How do you decide what is the most important channel for your business? 

There can be lots of different reasons why one platform might be better than another. Ask yourself some important questions…

Where do your target audience hangout? Not where do you ‘think’ they hang out but where do they actually hang out? 

Which platforms do you like to use the most? You will only do something consistently if you enjoy it and you see results.

Here’s our overview of the platforms…

Facebook 

Remember the Yellow Pages? Well Facebook has taken its place. If you are a local business we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you are on Facebook. Recommendations and referrals happen on a daily basis – does anyone know a (insert profession) and where can I get (insert a product). 

Not a local business? Facebook still might have a place in your marketing plan. Customers often validate a business by checking on their Facebook page before they purchase, an inactive Facebook page may suggest to the potential customer that the business is closed. Be sure to keep it up to date!

Facebook Ads (which include Instagram) are still far superior (in our opinion) than any other platform. Add the Facebook tracking pixel to your website to remarket your business to customers you have recently visited your website.  

Instagram 

The visual social media platform, full of pretty pictures and Insta moments. 

This platform can be great for retailers, crafters, artists, those in the beauty industry with products to entice people with. For businesses like ours in professional services we find it is much more about education, brand awareness and people getting to know us. 

Hashtags can be used to generate a wider reach. 

Stories are a great tool on Instagram, so much so they have now been copied to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. They are used heavily by celebrities and influencers to show behind the scenes action. 

Instagram Reels: a way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.

Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. Record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools. You can share reels with your followers on Feed, and, if you have a public account, make them available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore. Reels in Explore offers anyone the chance to become a creator on Instagram and reach new audiences on a global stage.

LinkedIn 

The hidden gem when used on a personal level. 

LinkedIn has always been a professional platform used for networking and recruitment but it is changing. People are less interested in old-school sales tactics and prefer to make meaningful connections.

If you’re thinking this is a business-to-business platform we urge you to think again. Everyone on LinkedIn is also a consumer and at the moment this is a great space to do something a little different.

In our opinion (with a little bit of commitment) it is relatively easy to grow your connections on LinkedIn and therefore your ability to reach a wide audience.

Twitter 

Twitter is the home of the hashtag and where all the news strikes first. Want to chat about something on TV, a football game or something on the news there is definitely someone out there to chat to. 

It’s a great platform for connecting for PR purposes and we’ve had lots of success of getting our clients on to local radio through this platform.

If you have a Twitter networking hour in your area these are a great way of meeting likeminded people.

If you are looking to dive a little deeper into any of these platforms we highly recommend that you take a look at our Downloads area. Our guides allow you to find out a little bit more about each platform and decide if they are right for your marketing and your business.