Key Takeaways
One of the most profitable types of marketing, social media marketing lets you do innumerable things to get your business on the big map and has been credited with good performance and growth of businesses for some years now. According to reports by Global Web Index, 54% of internet users go to social media platforms to research products.
While it has its own benefits, social media might sometimes seem overwhelming to small business owners who already have enough to do to keep their business running and doing their best to reach their goals. However, social media management is the need of the hour for your small business and rather than increasing your work, it can really help in boosting your business. In this article, we have shortlisted the 6 best social media platforms that can help you achieve all your small business goals!
Why Is Social Media Important For Small Businesses?
Before we head onto exploring the best social media platforms, it is essential to understand why social media is important for businesses. In a study conducted by Buffer, 73% of marketers believed that their social media marketing efforts have been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business. Here are some of the most common benefits of using social media for your business that you might often overlook but make it all the more important to start using social media:-
- You can post about your business as much as you want for free on any social media; although you may not get organic reach very easily. If you want to go ahead with paid ads, platforms like Facebook and Instagram can help you do that with a small amount of money to ensure your finances are not disrupted.
- Social media helps you engage with a newer audience and find new customers. It allows the already existing customers to share your services and products with their friends and family on social media and do much more, thus increasing your customer base with social engagement.
- Helps you increase your sales by generating new leads which can have a considerable contribution to your sales and revenue.
- It helps you improvise your customer support services by easily responding in your active hours and solving their problem quickly without both of you having to go through long procedures. Convince & Convert has reported that answering a query or complaint on social media can boost customer advocacy by as much as 25%!
- It can help you improve your search and SEO ranking and boost brand visibility and recognition by simply posting regularly on multiple social media channels and being quick when it comes to replying to customers.
6 Best Social Media Platforms For Your Small Business
According to HubSpot, 53% of the entire world population is active on social media on a daily basis. Furthermore, 49% of Millennials and 54% of Gen Z say that they prefer social media channels when it comes to ad influence. Here are the 6 best platforms when it comes to promoting and marketing your small business:-
1. Instagram
When it comes to promoting small businesses, Instagram tops the game. It offers several creative features and elements that you can employ to create catchy content and promote your business. There are many reasons that have helped Instagram secure its spot in the best 6 for small businesses. For example, Instagram can help you tell interesting stories and share lesser known facts to increase your engagement. You can even use the stories feature for new announcements and for displaying new products, discounts and more. According to a report published by Facebook for Business, 87% of users admit to have taken a specific action such as making a purchase after seeing product information on Instagram.
On the basis of your consumer feed, Instagram helps you stay updated about the emerging trends that you can use in your business. Staying updated with trends gives a sense of community engagement to your customers which draws them towards your business. You can start posting on it for free and create a cost-effective brand awareness strategy while at the same time increasing your sales and ROI. Instagram for Business has revealed that 90% of users on the platform follow a business.
2. Facebook
Facebook has often been referred to as the king of marketing for businesses, and it is for the right reasons! A business page on Facebook can really help you expand your small enterprise and connect and interact with your target audience in the best way possible through community groups, posts, messages, and more. HubSpot has revealed that more than 200 million businesses use Facebook apps and its free tools. Facebook Insights helps you learn about your audience to aid your future strategies by providing.
Facebook helps you create a personality for your brand and thus humanizes it in ways that can help you establish better customer relationships. Furthermore, Facebook helps you in increasing organic traffic to your blogs and your online store which can help you improve your SEO rankings. Reports by Influencer Marketing Hub, in 2020 there were 8 million advertisers on an average per month. And if these reasons aren’t enough, just know that your competitors are already promoting themselves through Facebook, and if you aren’t, they are taking away customers that could be potentially yours!
3. Snapchat
Snapchat is yet another wonderful social media platform that can help you tap in new customers for your small business. One of the most interesting and useful features on Snapchat that can lead customers to impulse buying with you is nothing but the self-destructive snaps on the platform that you can use to drive your customers to buy now or miss the chance. This motivator strategy can really boost your sales as it works like a call to action. According to Omni Core Agency reports, on the consumer satisfaction scales, Snapchat scored 72 out of 100.
Tech Jury has revealed that 82% of Snapchat users in the 18-24 years age group use the platform daily. You can also use Snapchat’s usual features of making photos and videos and sharing them with your potential leads and customers to increase engagement. These photos and videos can be sponsored to reach a wide audience on a regular basis to add them to your business’s streak. Unless your customers break the streak, they would keep getting your content and information about your business. This can facilitate great brand awareness for your small business.
4. Twitter
This may come as a bit of a surprise to you but just like any other established big brand on Twitter; your small business can also do great and get benefit from the platform. Not many small businesses engage in Twitter marketing, but the ones who do tend to see good organic traffic on their online store. According to Edition XVI, 53% of marketers and 34% of consumers plan on using Twitter more in the coming year. Twitter often serves as a platform for conversation and you can gather valuable consumer insights by analysing these interactions between consumers.
Furthermore, it is the fastest social media platform when it comes to finding out trends or for that matter creating them yourselves through Twitter hashtags. According to Twitter, tweets with hashtags get 100% more engagement. You can also jump into conversation with your target audience to communicate your brand voice and in turn build your brand personality and awareness. Again, the ability to publicly converse through tweets can be used to build a community with your target audience and grow your business.
5. Pinterest
Pinterest is one of highest traffic driving platforms in the entire world and is great when it comes to promoting your small business. One of the major benefits of using Pinterest is that it reduces the steps that a consumer takes in discovering your brand and then your product, as it helps you direct consumers directly to your products. This can help you convert leads and generate sales much faster than other platforms. Neal Schaffer reports have revealed that 84% of users consult Pinterest before making a purchasing decision.
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Pinterest is dominantly a visual content social media platform and the majority of customers scroll through photos and videos before purchasing a product. So this can be used to your leverage by creating eye-catching product visuals. Furthermore, another benefit is that it can help you generate more inbound links. This is because all Pins include a link which makes it easy to track the original source of the image. And you get to integrate it with your business’s profiles on Twitter and Facebook as well! Influencer Marketing Hub reports have revealed that 93% of shoppers are more likely to buy a product if they are able to search it with an image on their smartphones.
6. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great social media platform for your marketing efforts because it can open up your small business to abundant opportunities. The majority of users on the platform really mean business; so you are likely to get genuine customers to tag along your journey. Business Insider has revealed that LinkedIn was voted as the most trusted network in 2020. LinkedIn can help you reach out to other businesses for funding, events, and endorsements that can really have a major influence on your consumer’s buying decisions.
LinkedIn is in ways opposite to Pinterest in the sense that it is a heavily text-based platform. So you can create plenty of content be it blogs, product reviews, user manuals, etc. And you will get a good audience engaging with it. On the same note, since it is a heavily text-based platform, your product photographs and any kind of visual content is also well appreciated since there is a lack of the same. According to reports by LinkedIn, the platform accounts for 46% of all social media traffic on company websites.
Social media platforms can be a great source for marketing and growing your business. Plus, you get to put your products and services in front of a global audience which is often not possible in traditional marketing methods. The above mentioned platforms have their own unique features that can help you boost your business while having fun with the customers!
FAQs
Q. Why should small businesses use social media?
Social media platforms offer cost-effective ways to reach a broad audience, engage with customers, and enhance brand visibility.
Q. Which social media platform is best for small businesses?
The best platform depends on your target audience and content strategy. Popular options include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok, each serving different business needs and audience types.
Q. How often should a small business post on social media?
Consistency is key. Depending on the platform, posting a few times a week to daily is recommended to keep your audience engaged.
Q. Can small businesses sell products directly on social media?
Yes, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest allow businesses to set up shops and sell products directly to users.
Q. Is it necessary to use all social media platforms?
No, it’s more effective to focus on platforms where your target audience is most active and engaged with your content.
Q. How can a small business measure success on social media?
Success can be measured through engagement rates, follower growth, website traffic from social media, and conversion rates.
