For small businesses looking to increase their social media marketing in the new year, there are many social media platforms that could be a great fit. There are many popular social media platforms out there with an active user base, making it easier to find your target audience. Well look at some of the top social media sites to help you develop your social media plans.
Why Should Your Business Use Social Media?
Using a social network can be incredibly beneficial for a business. Here are some of the reasons why you should use social media platforms for your business:
- Reach: You can reach a wide number of users in your targeted segments but also build awareness about your business with new audiences.
- Connection: Your business can build a personal connection to customers and fans of the company using social media
- Information: Social media is great for distributing and posting important information about the business, such as discounts and sales since you can reach users quickly.
- Speed: The other benefit of social media is that its incredibly fast, and you can reach users more quickly than ever before on a social platform.
- Innovative: Using a social network enables businesses to be more innovative with their marketing and create meaningful connections with customers and audiences.
Most Popular Social Media Sites
The great thing about social media platforms is that they come with a social networking app. That means you can reach users on a variety of devices to raise brand awareness, including mobile devices. The most popular social media platforms include:
1. Facebook
Facebook is the largest social media site and has seen steady growth over the years. It is the most popular social media platform with an active user base and wide reach for businesses. Facebook Messenger, which is Facebooks messaging app, is incredibly popular as well and offers advertising opportunities.
2. YouTube
Youtube is a video-sharing platform that is great for long-form video content, and its parent company is Google. A YouTube channel is one of the best promotional avenues for businesses and can be a way to build a following. With a billion monthly active users, there is a lot of potential to build a social media presence and connect to Youtube users.
3. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional social networking site with a large subset of active users. LinkedIn is best used for personal and professional support and connecting with other users. If your business is B2B, LinkedIn can be immensely valuable in building awareness and generating leads through your professional network.
4. TikTok
TikTok has been a more recent addition to social networking sites and has skyrocketed in popularity. Its currently one of the most downloaded apps on both the Google Store and the App store. TikTok is a video-sharing platform similar to Youtube but more focused on short-form video content such as music and lipsync videos. For businesses looking to build their personal brand in a fun, exciting way with younger users, TikTok is a great platform to add to their social media strategy.
5. Instagram
Instagram is another social media website that is an excellent platform for building your online community and promoting your brand. You can reach potential customers in many ways on Instagram, as it supports both video and images. For example, you can use your business page to post images, short videos, and repost user-generated content. You can also create influencer marketing campaigns on Instagram to increase brand awareness.
6. Pinterest
Pinterest is a purely visual search engine and publishing platform that enables users to pin images they like according to themes and groups. For businesses, Pinterest is a great way to increase brand awareness and create content that users can quickly discover and pin. This can include DIY tips and processes, inspirational content, and other unique visuals that are pinnable for users.
7. Whatsapp
Whatsapp is an instant messaging platform used by people all over the world. With Whatsapp, users can send text messages, voice and video calls, and group video chats over Wi-Fi. Many businesses have now started using WhatsApp Business and have created their own Whatsapp business accounts to enable easy communication with customers via instant message. Whatsapp for Business also includes features to make it easy for businesses to send messages to customers and create a fast communication channel.
More Top Social Media Platforms
Many other social media platforms have an active user base and are used by businesses for promotions, marketing, and customer communication. These include:
11. Twitter
Twitter is a microblogging platform used by users and businesses. With Twitter, companies can quickly tweet out short informational bites, updates, and promotions and easily communicate with customers. Its primarily used as a customer service channel, but Twitter users are very active, so promotional activities should also be considered on the social networking platform.
12. Snapchat
Snapchat is one of the most popular social media platforms because it is so quick and easy to use and has a lot of visual user-generated content. In addition, Snapchat has a social networking feature that allows businesses to share promotions, updates, and other visual content to engage with users. Although growth has slowed for Snapchat compared to other platforms, there are still millions of active users that businesses can connect with using the platform.
13. Vimeo
Like YouTube and Twitch, Vimeo is a professional video platform that shares content. It is a paid platform, so monthly fees are associated with it; it is excellent for professional videographers and creatives to showcase work and provide information. In addition, Vimeo has some great, high-quality features regarding videos, so it is beneficial for long-form, gated videos for communication and marketing.
Which Social Media Platform Has the Most Monthly Active Users?
There are many social media platforms that have a very active user base, such as Facebook. Its currently the largest social media platform out there and has around two billion daily active users.
What Is the Best Social Media Site for Businesses?
The best social media platform for businesses is currently Instagram. It has a huge active user base that uses the app frequently, and it is easier to increase brand reach, engagement, and awareness using paid platform tools for advertising on Instagram.
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