Master Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Google+, Twitter & LinkedIn!

The social media world can be overwhelming and seemingly impossible to keep up with. And yet, it’s a necessary element to growing any business. Which platform should your company use? How often should you update and when? At Designflair, we value social media as it allows our business to thrive and we’ve seen it benefit marketing for our own clients.

Below you will find a few points about each platform, what makes them great and who should use them. Next, we also list a few pointers of how to make the best use of each social media site.

Facebook

• Facebook is great for making your company or business name well-known as it is still the most widely used platform by an array of demographics; it is beneficial to have a Facebook account for most companies (just tailor it to how your target market will use it).
• Reportedly, a large number of adults check Facebook daily and are on the site for about 20 minutes per day.
• It is useful for notifying people about company promotions or sales. In 2013, Facebook changed their policies so that one can use “likes” for a promotional campaign, whereas previously people would have to use another application outside of Facebook. Check out this article from Social Media Examiner for more tips on how to run a successful Facebook promotion.

Pointers:

• Keep an eye on changing guidelines and privacy options. Facebook frequently changes and updates their privacy policies. Last year they added the privacy check up tool. Under “Settings” and then “Privacy” there are a number of options and tools. So if you’re a business that wants your page to be easily searchable and found, then make sure you select “Everyone” for “Who can look me up.” Utilize these tools to your advantage.
• Grab attention by using photos. Since people may only spend up to half an hour throughout the day scrolling through their Facebook feed, utilizing photographs in your posts will make them stand out. Also, take advantage of photo albums as it is one of the few social media platforms that has this feature. Create intriguing photo albums showing various sides and aspects of your company.
• Sweet and simple. The social media savvy recommend keeping the text of your post fairly short (around 100 characters) and including a photo in the post to receive the most engagement from your Facebook friends. Another benefit of being succinct in your posts is that it allows for them to be connected seamlessly to Twitter (with it’s 140 character limit.)

Google+

• Google+ is Google’s version of Facebook and it is much more effective for search engine optimization than Facebook. SEO experts at Moz.com found that there is a correlation between page search ranking and the Google +1s feature (the Google equivalent of Facebook’s “like” button). Furthermore, it’s characteristics make it a more valuable platform for SEO. It allows for credibility through authorship, searchable content, and utilizes hashtags.

• Google+ is great for creating and maintaining business connections. Since it uses “circles” instead of following friends, you are able to target certain groups for sharing content. Google+ has been applauded for it’s networking benefits.

• According to Marketing Pilgrim, “Google+ posts generate the same amount of engagement per follower as Facebook and twice as much as Twitter.”

Pointers:

• Take advantage of its SEO compatibility. Creating and posting quality content to your Google+ account will give you higher search rankings. As Google+ is part of the Google system, it’s not an account you want to ignore. Google+ is becoming more and more beneficial to social media marketing.
• Create circles and share them with your contacts. As you categorize people into circles on your Google+ account, you are then able to share these circles with your contacts.

• Integrate Google “+1” buttons onto your blog or site for shareable posts. To access the page for adding and personalizing a “+1” button to your page, allowing people to share content from your site through their Google+ account. Using “+1” will gain traffic to your page by benefiting your pages visibility.

Twitter

• Businesses that run promotions want to use Twitter. By marketing on Twitter, Dell was able to triple their sales a few years back. Twitter is a great way to quickly update on sales and promotions.

• Twitter is more of a “viral” platform than some of it’s social media allies. Due to some of the characteristics of Twitter (such as the use of hashtags and the “retweet” feature), it really lends itself to instantaneously sharing posts.

Pointers:

• Timing is key. It’s easy for Tweets to get lost on the ongoing feed so you want to be sure to post them at an ideal time. Lunchtime (12pm) and 6pm are reportedly the times with the highest click-through rate. Use sites such as Buffer and Tweriod to set up when your posts will go out. Tweriod is a completely free tool that analyze your Tweets to see when your followers are most engaged. Buffer allows you to set up social media posts in advance for various platforms. It’s beneficial for those of you who use a content calendar since you are able to schedule posts in advance.
• Mention your location. This is something people tend to do on Facebook and Instagram, and it’s just as beneficial to do on Twitter! Adding your location in your posts is a great way for people to find your business. Local business and small companies, use this to your advantage. Tweet about what you’re doing and where it is happening.

LinkedIn

• LinkedIn is influential for networking; it allows for direct communication, proposes referrals and allows you to maintains relationships.

• LinkedIn enhances business by allowing companies to engage with their employees.
• The advanced search feature enables you to find clients or potential hires and contact them directly. LinkedIn is great because it allows you to search by company name, company size, demographic, and much more. Advanced search is also accessible by selecting “Refine Search” from any search results page.

Pointers:

• Create groups. As we mentioned, LinkedIn is a great way to facilitate communication between employees within a company. By having all your employees active on LinkedIn, your company’s reputation is benefited. Encouraging conversation can be a great way to tackle certain projects and that communication is invaluable.
• Share a variety of content. LinkedIn’s interface lends itself to an array of media including photographs, videos, and longer articles. By sharing a blend of these types of contents, your profile will be diverse and engaging.

Social media platforms are a free way to get your company visible. Maintaining an online presence is beneficial for creating and maintaining client relationships, networking, and participating with online communities. It also benefits your company’s reputation and authenticity.

We understand that it may be easy to feel lost with the multitude of avenues in the social media world today. Get in touch with us today for tips on how social media can improve your business!