As a business owner, you know that social media platforms are powerful tools to reach new customers and grow your business. But with so many platforms out there, it can be hard to know where to start.
In this blog post, we will explore the most popular social media platforms and how they can be used to grow your business in 2022. From Facebook to LinkedIn, we will cover all the bases so you can start leveraging your business through the platforms.
Top 4 Social Media Platforms to Grow Your Business in 2022
Facebook: Social Media Platform for Business
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion active users. It is a great platform for businesses to connect with their target audience and create a community around their brand.
There are a few things businesses should keep in mind when using Facebook to grow their business; these are:
1. Make sure your business has a Facebook Page. This is separate from your personal profile and is where people can learn more about your business, like your mission, products, and services.
2. Use Facebook ads to reach new people who are likely to be interested in your business. You can target people based on interests, demographics, and even behaviors.
3. Create content that is interesting and engaging for your target audience. This could include blog posts, videos, infographics, or helpful tips related to your industry.
4. Use Facebook Insights to track your content performance and make changes accordingly. This data will help you determine what type of content is resonating with your audience and what is not working so well.
5. Be responsive to comments and messages from customers. This shows that you care about them and their experience with your business.
Instagram is another popular social media platform, with over 1 billion monthly active users. And if you are not using it to promote your business, you are missing out on a huge opportunity. With its visual format and huge user base, Instagram is ideal for businesses (for various industries). Whether you are a small boutique or a large corporation, there are ways to use Instagram to reach your target audience and grow your business.
Marketing in Instagram for Business
Here are some tips on how to use Instagram to grow your business on Instagram:
1. Use hashtags to reach a wider audience
Hashtags are a great way to reach a larger audience on Instagram. When you use relevant hashtags, your content is more likely to be seen by people who are interested in what you do. Here are some tips for choosing hashtags:
· Popular hashtags are more likely to be seen by many people, so they are a great way to get your content seen by more people. However, be careful not to overdo it with popular hashtags, as this can make your content look spammy.
· Niche hashtags are specific hashtags that relate to a particular topic or interest group. Using niche hashtags can help you reach a specific audience that is interested in the type of content you’re sharing.
· If you have a business or brand, be sure to use branded hashtags in your posts. This is a great way to promote your brand and get your content seen by people who are already interested in your work.
· Location-based hashtags can help you reach people who are located near you or interested in the same geographical area. This is especially useful if you
2. Use quality visuals
Since Instagram is all about photos and videos, it’s important to use high-quality visuals in your posts. People are more likely to engage with content that is visually appealing. Ensure your photos are clear and professional and your videos are high-quality and informative. Always remember that your posts should be valuable to viewers, not just entertaining.
3. Post regularly
It is important to post regularly on Instagram if you want to grow your following. If you only post sporadically, people will forget about you and move on to someone else who is more active. Try to post at least once a day or even multiple times a day if you can. Use a social media calendar for planning your posting schedule. Canva is a web-based app where you can create and schedule your posts.
4. Engage with other users
You must also engage with your content if you want people to engage with theirs. Like and comment on others’ posts, and follow accounts that you find interesting. This will help you build relationships with other users and get more exposure for your own account.
5. Use Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories is a great way to share behind-the-scenes content, special offers, and discount codes with your followers. Stories only last 24 hours, so they’re perfect for time-sensitive content.
6. Post reels regularly
According to Hootsuite, Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes Instagram reels. Reels are videos like that of TikTok that are 90 seconds long. The difference between reels and stories is that reels are permanent unlike stories. Reels come with editing tools, such as stickers, sound clips, filters, effects, engagement prompts, and text overlays, making your reels/ videos more attractive and engaging.
6. Run an Instagram contest
Contests are a great way to engage with your followers and grow your following. To run a contest, simply ask people to follow you and tag a friend in the comments of one of your posts. Then, pick a winner at random and offer a prize. This is a great way to get more exposure and grow your Instagram following.
Hootsuite describes Twitter as a microblogging and social media platform. People can share up to 280 characters per post. This can be pretty challenging at first since you will need to write concisely. However, it is a common practice among its users to continue their posts by commenting on that post/ thread.
Setting up Twitter Business Profile
How can you use Twitter to leverage your business? When setting up your Twitter business profile, do not forget to do the following:
1. Use a professional profile photo: Your profile photo should be your company logo or a headshot of yourself if you are the face of your business.
2. Give your profile a unique username: Your username should be easy to remember and relevant to your brand or business. Avoid using underscores or numbers in your username.
3. Write an interesting bio: Your bio should be concise and give people an idea of your business. Be sure to include a call-to-action in your bio, such as “Follow us for news and updates!”
4. Fill out your location: Adding your location to your profile helps people know where you are based and can also help boost your local SEO efforts.
5. Link to your website: Include a link to your profile so people can easily find it.
6. Use keywords in your tweets: Using relevant keywords in your tweets helps people find you when they are searching for those topics on Twitter.
Tips for Using Twitter
Here are more insights on how to use Twitter to leverage your business:
· Increase brand awareness and visibility: A strong Twitter presence can help increase your business’s brand awareness and visibility. When people see your tweets regularly, they’ll start to recognize your brand and what it stands for, which can eventually lead to more sales.
· Use Twitter to build relationships: Follow people who are relevant to your business or industry and interact with them by retweeting, favoriting, or replying to their tweets. This will help you build relationships and expand your reach. This will also allow you to gain insights into your competitors.
· Use Twitter to drive traffic: Share links to your website or blog content on Twitter. Include relevant hashtags so that people can easily find your content. However, do this sparingly. Hootsuite found that more natural/ conversational tweets gain more engagement than those that are too business-like.
· Use Twitter to generate leads: Use Twitter ads or promoted tweets to reach a wider audience and promote special offers or deals. You can also use Twitter lead generation cards, which allow people to sign up for your mailing list or download a white paper or e-book directly from a tweet.
· Monitor your activity: Keep track of your followers, the number of retweets and favorites you get, and click-through rates on links shared on Twitter. This will help you gauge the effectiveness of your posts. Always check your Twitter Analytics, as it will provide you with that information.
There are many benefits to creating a LinkedIn Company Page for your business. First, it helps you build your brand’s presence on LinkedIn, which is increasingly becoming a primary platform for business networking and content discovery. Secondly, it allows you to showcase your products and services to a highly targeted audience of professionals. Lastly, it gives you insights into how your brand is performing on LinkedIn so that you can make necessary adjustments to engage your target audience better.
Here are the steps to creating a LinkedIn Company Page:
1) Log in to your personal LinkedIn account and go to the “Work” drop-down menu at the top of the page.
2) Select “Create a Company Page” from the drop-down menu.
3) Enter your company name, website URL, and industry, then click “Create Page.”
4) On the next page, select up to 50 employees who will be administrators of your Company Page.
5) Upload a square logo and cover image for your Company Page. You can also add a tagline and brief description of your company here.
6) Click “Continue” after adding images and information about your company.
7) Start publishing content on your Company Page.
Generating Leads on LinkedIn
After building your company’s page, you can now start connecting to professionals who can be your business leads:
1. Connect with people you know: Start by connecting with people you already know, such as colleagues, clients, and friends.
2. Join relevant groups: Groups are a great way to connect with potential customers and partners who share your interests. There are groups for nearly every industry and topic, so finding the right ones should be easy.
3. Share interesting content: Make sure your profile is complete and up-to-date, and start sharing interesting content that will help you connect with potential customers and partners. LinkedIn allows you to post articles, videos, and other types of content to help you build relationships. If Twitter allows you to share short texts only, posting long content on LinkedIn is acceptable. Posting Listicles on LinkedIn can help you boost engagement as listicles are the more digestible information format.
LinkedIn is also perfect for posting blogs, videos, and photos. However, take note that the image size for LinkedIn is bigger than Instagram; you need to post images with 1200 x 628 pixels. You can also post infographics that help readers understand concepts easier. LinkedIn emphasizes not using click-bait images that are irrelevant to your content. Offer high-value content to establish your credibility and increase followers and engagement.
4. Engage with others: Don’t just sit back and wait for people to come to you; actively engage with others in your network by commenting on their posts, liking their updates, or sending messages. The more engaged you are, the more likely people are to reciprocate.
Choosing a Social Media Platform
While it might be good to be present on all social media platforms, it is still best to know your business’ best platform, so you can focus on building leads and conversions. Below are some tips on choosing the right social media platform for your business:
- Consider your own resources and capabilities. Not all businesses have the same capacity to produce high-quality content regularly. If you do not think you can commit to posting regularly on multiple platforms, it might be better to focus your efforts on one or two platforms that will be most effective for reaching your target audience.
- Consider the users’ demographics and strategically position your brand around those you think should be your customers.
- You need to understand which social media platforms your target audience is using. For example, if you target millennials, Instagram and TikTok should be at the top of your list. If you are targeting Baby Boomers, Facebook and LinkedIn will probably be better choices.
- Take a look at what kind of content performs best on each platform. If you plan to share a lot of visual content, Instagram and Pinterest will be good options. If you want to share longer-form articles and blog posts, LinkedIn and Twitter are better choices.
Conclusion
If you are about to start a business or are already running one, you should not miss out on putting your business on social media platforms. If you are also a freelancer, learning to use Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for business can give you excellent projects. These are the common platforms where you can reach leads and gain conversions. Remember the tips we gave you on posting and using tools and hashtags to help you be seen. Lastly, plan and strategize carefully on which platform would be best for your business, as it would be inefficient and unsustainable to be on all platforms.
What platforms are you currently on? Share your insights with us.
