In the ever-evolving landscape that is social media, there’s no denying it’s become part of our daily lives both personally and professionally. While the multiple options for platforms can become confusing and overwhelming, each platform does serve its own individual purpose when it comes to objectives. We wanted to take the opportunity to break down the major platforms in an effort to help you better understand and make the right choice for you!
Facebook: Building a Community
There’s no denying that in the social media realm, Facebook is the powerhouse. It offers multiple options ranging from connecting with friends and family, building a community, and several advertising options. For those using it for fun, it’s a great place to share life updates and stay in touch with those who don’t live around the corner.
However, for those trying to grow their business, Facebook is a great tool to find those groups and pages for those whose interests align with your mission statement. It also offers multiple advertising options for increasing your reach, website clicks, and even messaging ads to further increase conversations that will become sales.
For both personal and professional use, it’s key to update your profile with meaningful content that will make your audience want to engage! And when it comes to those ads, make sure you’re targeting specific demographics to maximize your visibility to legitimate clientele.
LinkedIn: Professional Networking
While LinkedIn may have a similar setup to Facebook, it can be treated much differently. LinkedIn has developed its platform with a primary focus on professionalism, being designed for career development and networking amongst recent graduates and business professionals.
So how can LinkedIn help you? For one, it’s a great place to seek out candidates if you’re looking to fill positions within the company. If you’re looking to network, consider using it for large company announcements and industry insights. Be sure to continue to comment and share posts from those who may benefit your own organization to continue fostering those relationships.
LinkedIn’s usefulness doesn’t stop with sharing on each other’s walls. Like Facebook, it also offers an option for paid advertisements. However, you may want to consider a different approach than the ads you post on Facebook. If you’re in the business of helping other organizations rather than selling a product to the general public, this may be a better option than Facebook advertising.
Instagram: Visual Branding
The biggest difference that separates Instagram from your other social media platforms is that it’s exclusively for visual posts! The platform is reserved for photo and video content only, which makes it perfect for brand promotion with photo content and graphic design skills!
With photos and video, you have a great opportunity to bring a lot of personality to your postings. From showing off products and services to putting yourself in the spotlight to bring some more personality to your clients, there’s tons of room for opportunity!
Instagram also offers popular services like Stories and IGTV. These have the option to record videos right to Instagram as well as the ability to broadcast live to your followers. These added features just add more unique ways to connect with your audience and talk directly to them, offering a “peek behind the curtain” to your well-tailored brand
If you’re considering bringing your business to Instagram, it may be key to try and have a consistent aesthetic to your profile. Things like a color scheme or consistent filter will make for a cohesive theme as well as enhance your brand identity.
Well, there you have it! Now that you have a better understanding of how these major platforms can better serve you, the choice is up to you. Consider starting on one platform or dive into all of the above. Just be sure to keep the information you’ve learned in mind to craft an effective strategy for each platform and maximize your online presence. Be sure to engage with your audience and keep your business objectives in mind to use these platforms to their fullest potential!
