In today’s world we are more connected than ever before. A letter that would have previously taken weeks to reach its recipient can now be sent, opened and replied to in a matter of minutes. We can update friends and family with what we are doing in real-time and we can share pictures with people from all over the world. This is obviously all down to the phenomenon that is social media. We have seen it comes on in leaps and bounds since the invention of the internet in 1990. What used to be the humble email is now Facebook messenger, Skype or Whatsapp. Even seemingly innovative sites like MySpace were soon blown out the water by social media giant Facebook. So which of these social media platforms can actually help your business, and how should you be using them for maximum results?
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Facebook
Facebook is essentially the king of modern social media. It is almost like the default section as you know that most of your target market (providing they are aged between 16 and 50) are pretty likely to have a Facebook account themselves. This means automatically, you have an instant channel through which to communicate with them that’s not just phone or email. It is also easy to use a site like Facebook to advertise new services, offers or deals to your existing customers. It is always ideal to have any business news on your website, as this is where potential customers are going to go to first. But for times when this isn’t possible, or for when you want to offer a social media exclusive, putting it on Facebook means it is likely to be seen. Despite being largely free, you may also need to put a little bit of money behind Facebook in order to optimize your results. For example, you can pay to boost some of your posts in order for them to reach a wider audience. If you don’t have specific money set aside that enables you to do this, visit a site like www.capitalformerchants.com where you can gather investment which enables you to do so.
Instagram
If Facebook is the king of social media, then Instagram is definitely the cool second in line to the throne. Instagram is all about sharing images, and it has a developed a bit of a quirky, hipster following. If your business is very visually orientated – such as a clothing business or a catering service – Instagram is the perfect platform for you. It is also really easy to connect with a wide audience on Instagram by using hashtags. Anyone who searches for a particular tag that you use will see your post, and often your posts will already come up in their suggested feeds. But even if your business isn’t a creative one, Instagram can still work for you. Offer up ‘behind the scenes’ pictures of your business to give it a softer image. A lot of people can be intimidated by corporate companies, so putting a face to the business can make it seem a lot friendlier.
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Twitter
Due to the rise of business features for Facebook and Instagram, Twitter has taken a little bit of a back seat in recent years. But, that doesn’t mean to say that it’s not worth investing your time into. Twitter can be a great way to get your point across quickly, thanks to its 140 character limit on everything you post. It is also a good way to connect with other local business and helps you see what is going on in your area. If your startup isn’t connected on social media, you could be setting yourself up for a failure – so set up those accounts now.
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