Social media can be a great platform to market your start up business. It is cost effective, and will not take up a large amount of your business’ already limited resource pool. There are many different social sites which offer a range of free and paid advertising options. For start ups with minimal resources set aside for growth, these are the platforms you may consider marketing on.
What are some of the best platforms available?
The world’s largest social media site is the best platform available for small businesses. It has a monthly traffic of about 2.2 billion users, with majority of adults in many countries in the world already signed up. Facebook can be a great platform for business news, articles, product announcements, interactive posts and giveaway competitions. As your brand grows, you may consider taking up Facebook advertising for more effective use of the platform.
Creating your brand’s business page is free and easy. You should remember to add information about your working hours, location, business niche and photos of your premises and services. Posting too much on the platform may overwhelm users, who will keep away from your brand. You will experience a low performance as well if you post too much promotional content. For best results, make about one or two posts per day. Remember to make them interactive and engaging for your audience in order to develop an online presence.
While it has a significantly smaller monthly rate of traffic, about a tenth of Facebook’s outlay, it can be a great platform to engage with tech savvy users of all demographics. It is a great site to test out content, as users are less reserved than on other platforms. The small messages, which are limited to 280 characters, offer the chance to send out information quickly. Users may also share videos and images, as well as time sensitive updates, shout outs, retweets and relevant business information.
Creasing a Twitter profile for your brand is as easy as visiting the site and signing up. Remember to follow other brands and authority figures in your field. You will be able to view and share relevant content with your followers, which will help you grow your brand on the platform.
Many Twitter users will use your platform as a helpline, particularly through the Direct Message feature offered on the site. You should regularly check your messages and notifications to keep in touch with any clients that may need the help.
For professionals and businesses, LinkedIn offers an ideal platform for marketing. It has about 500 million users, composed of industry professionals from different fields. The misconception that LinkedIn is an individual’s curriculum vitae overlooks its potential as a networking too. It offers a platform for business to business networking, strategy and thought development, as well as increasing the likelihood of partnership development between different brands.
By creating a LinkedIn page, your brand will receive a credible presence on the largest professional social media network. For best results, regular posting is recommended. You can use relevant content to your business, develop visual advertisement campaigns and share links to other brands. This will increase your visibility and following, as well as boost your brand’s ability to develop partnerships.
This visual platform attracts up to 800 million users monthly, with the average user spending up to half an hour on the site! It relies on images, videos and Insta stories, but can be used for text updates as well. For relatively new businesses, the platform can be a great source of youthful urban and suburban traffic. You could use it to share behind-the-scenes stories, which can be great for hands-on business ventures. It may also serve as a great platform for event photographs, product launches and quick interviews.
Instagram works as well on the website and mobile app. It has a simple sign up process, and should be functional immediately. You should post two to three pictures, as well as a few stories to help raise brand awareness. Some types of pictures are popular with instagram users. You could leverage these to attract more engagements. You can also add geotags and hashtags to popular topics to increase local awareness. You can also advertise on the platform, but may attract some expense. It can be a great way to increase engagement and visibility levels for smaller businesses. As you get likes on Instagram app, it will help your profile grow..
YouTube
The largest video hosting website on the internet has 1.6 active billion users who make up to 3 billion searches every month. YouTube’s search output is so large that it only falls second to Google’s search engine for total number of queries made. The demographic is varied, with a variety of users looking for for educational, informational and entertaining videos. YouTube is a great platform for service businesses, especially those that can provide a how-to guide that is relevant and helpful.
Unlike other social platforms, YouTube requires video uploads, which are more difficult to make than custom posts and images. You may source outside help to create catchy videos that will attract users to your page. Two to three videos every week, lasting about seven to ten minutes each will help create brand awareness and attract users to your content. You should always look to spice up the content for better engagement rates. However, they need not be entertainment-oriented.
Final Thought
Choosing the right platform for your business could help you reach your target audience without incurring the high costs of marketing. These free sites are free of charge, and offer access to millions of users. They are easy to use, and offer additional features such as paid adverts. Some of the sites also offer geographical targeting, which will improve user knowledge around your main location.
For the most effective social media marketing, you should consider making pages on all these platforms. Your business will receive the perks of each site, and will appear credible to potential clients. These platforms have proven to be successful for small businesses, and could be ideal for your start up venture.
