If you use social media for your business, well done. You’ve already, no doubt, realised that this medium is a powerful tool for generating awareness in your brand. If you don’t use social media, why not? Is it because you’ve never tried it? Don’t have the time? Tried it and found that it just didn’t work? Whatever the reason you don’t use it, or even if you do, we can help by optimising both the time that you spend using social media, and the effectiveness of your posts.

Too many options?
Social Media - Too many options?The first thing to consider is the bewildering array of platforms available. Actually, there aren’t that many that you need to worry about. The main contenders at the moment are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and LinkedIn, but there’s probably no need for your business to use all of them. Some companies use all of them, and some use the wrong ones. Either way there’s a lot of time being wasted by a lot of people. The main thing is to identify which of them is going to be useful for your type of business, and which is safe to ignore. Hopefully this article can help to point you in a more efficient direction.

Facebook & Twitter
Social Media - Facebook & TwitterMost people have a personal Facebook account, and use it to keep up to date with their friends and acquaintances with current happenings by way of conversation and photos. One of the biggest questions we get asked is what the difference is between Facebook and Twitter. The simplest answer is that Facebook focuses on people, whereas Twitter focuses on information shared. The best course of action is to use both of these platforms in unison, although you’ll probably find that you prefer to use one rather than the other over time, or that one or the other is more effective. Twitter is great for a more businesslike rhetoric and tends to be a better engagement tool than Facebook, but this latter allows a more personal (and private if desired) experience. The upshot is that the use of one or the other is down to personal preference. These platforms are sometimes compared to coffee and tea. Which do you prefer?

Instagram & Pinterest
Social Media - Instagram & PinterestBoth of these channels are heavily image-biased, with Pinterest being almost exclusively so. Many businesses don’t use Instagram to anywhere near its full potential, and with over 300 million active users every day, there’s a massive potential out there. Of course that makes for a lot of competition, as with over 200,000 photos posted every minute, it’s apparent that yours might simply be swallowed up and lost. Tapping into influencers and other tricks will quickly push you to the surface though and therefore propel your brand into the limelight. Pinterest is a more sedate affair. You have the opportunity to organise posted images logically and build a reputation as long as the images you post are interesting and appealing.

YouTube & Vimeo
Social Media - YouTube & VimeoThese are the two main video platforms. YouTube isn’t strictly a social media medium, but as it’s generally regarded as being the second most popular search engine in the world, after Google, it’s well worth a consideration. Any video that’s posted on here can be streamed on websites and throughout social media alike, and as people are searching on here in their millions, you’re also putting your brand out there to be found by potential customers. Vimeo is similar to its more popular counterpart, and while it gets less traffic, it offers rather more of a professional option.

LinkedIn
Social Media - LinkedInA LinkedIn page – every business should have one! And so should everyone who works for that business. A LinkedIn business page isn’t really designed to be hugely visible to general users, so it’s up to the employees to further the company’s cause. LinkedIn is currently considered to be the most professional social media platform available, so restraint should be encouraged by anyone who represents your brand.

Still Confused?
Social Media - Still Confused?OK, we’re not surprised! There’s so much to consider. We deliver free and frequent social media presentations in and around West Yorkshire. We also offer bespoke one-to-one (or to-a-few) training / planning sessions that will open your eyes to how you could be more effectively and efficiently achieving greater results. We’ll also plan and execute your social media campaign for you if you’d prefer, so that you can concentrate on your day to day business. Please get in touch to find out more, or follow us on social media to find out if we have any events planned near you.