Frequently Asked Question: Which Social Media Platform Should I Use?

As a social media specialist, one of the most common questions I hear is, “Which Social Media Platform Should I Use?” This is an excellent question and the answer depends on your industry and your target audience. But, my generic answer is that most businesses should be on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and here’s why:

Facebook

Webgirl Technology recommends that every business be on Facebook. Why? Because, everyone is on Facebook, including your target audience. You can setup a FREE Facebook Business Page. In Facebook, you can use hashtags (which are searchable elements). You can create company events on your page and connect with other businesses. Did you know your Facebook Business Page has a news feed? Well, it does, and you can Like, Comment, and Share other business posts while working as your business. Tagging also allows you to connect with businesses that you are trying to get to notice you. This is what is known as business-to-business networking. So, bottom line, Facebook is for every business.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional social network with over 400 million users worldwide. You can use LinkedIn as an individual and create a FREE business page. Keep in mind, a LinkedIn update is just like a Facebook update or a tweet. It will be part of a newsfeed. You can also post blog posts, by creating a post and using an eye-catching graphic to engage your audience. LinkedIn is a great place to be if you are a business owner, marketing representative, human resource specialist, or looking to connect with other professionals.

Instagram

Instagram is a visual social media platform. It has more than 400 million users and it’s free to use. Did you know that 46% of millennials have an Instagram account. Is that your target audience? With Instagram, you can post pictures and videos right from your phone. Every time you post on Instagram, you should caption your photo or video with a sentence or 2 about the image. Hashtag searching is very popular on Instagram, so, be sure to include several hashtags in your caption as well.

There are other big social media platforms like Twitter, Google+, Snapchat, and more. These platforms are good for some, but Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are good for all. So, when you are focusing your time and energy on your online marketing, I recommend you start with my Big 3: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.