Warning!!!!
This is a LOOONG one, but full of good info!
"You must be on Facebook to build your business"
"Everyone knows Instagram is best for business"
"TikTok is the hot new platform for business"
"YouTube! It's all about YouTube!"
And don't forget Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn...
Clubhouse (yes, people still use it)
And of course, with the "impending demise" of Twitter under Elon Musk, there are plenty of new platforms springing up to take its place.
Mastodon
Counter Social
BlueSky
And probably a host of others I haven't seen yet.
And while I personally am finding the whole "Elon and Twitter" or "Zuck and Facebook" or "China and TikTok" thing pretty entertaining, for others it's a bit overwhelming.
Where should you be? What should you be doing? Let's break through all the social media hoop-de-do and get to it!
Social media is a great place to build your audience. It can be difficult, but not impossible, to monetize. But the better your followers get to know, like and trust you, the more likely they are to buy from you. THAT is what social media is all about. Building relationships, growing an audience, and creating that know-like-trust factor. It is not about SELLING. No one got up this morning and said "I need to lose weight. I think I'll see what's on Facebook." Or "I want to get into an MLM. Let's go jump on Twitter and see what's available." Once you understand that, the rest is pretty simple.
Deciding where to plant your social media flag depends on a few things...
How much time you have available
What type of business you have
Your personal inclinations
Time
If you are building a business part-time around your job, that's great. Definitely do that! And look for social media where you can get the most bang for your time. Best bets...Facebook (you can set up a business page and save the time and investment of building a website while you're growing)
Pinterest...people actually DO shop on Pinterest. It's image based so you can showcase your products and each post is a clickable link.
YouTube...people also shop on YouTube. One video a week showcasing your expertise and giving links to what you offer can build an audience - and some sales - pretty quickly.
Type of Business
Some platforms are more image based while others are text-heavy. If you have a product-based business where you can highlight your offerings with some great photos, definitely hang out on Instagram and Pinterest. If you're more service-based, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Clubhouse may be better suited. They give you a space to share value and showcase your area of expertise. No images necessary. If your business is more "local", you seriously want to think about setting up a Facebook page. Your prospects are already on Facebook. A Facebook page will help them find you.
Personal Inclinations
Social media should be enjoyable. If it's just another marketing chore, chances are you won't really put the time and effort into it to gain the benefits. Each platform has its own unique "personality" that some folks love while it drives others crazy.
Facebook
Facebook is arguably the social media network for building personal relationships with a large audience. On the plus side, Its interactive nature makes it easy to talk and listen to your visitors. However, we know all too well that Facebook does not like anything that takes people away from the platform. So posting links to your business will get your posts limited. This can make it difficult to promote your offers.
You CAN run ads on your business page. But you can spend a lot of money before you get any real results while you learn the ins-and-outs of FB advertising. And whether you are a fan of content moderation or not, we all know that Facebook can be a bit overzealous at times. (Anybody spent time in FB jail? Come on...admit it. I know I am not the only one.)
Twitter
Some may find the the 280-character limit difficult. You have to learn to get your idea across quickly and clearly. However, by niche-tweeting, you can use Twitter to forge relationships with your ideal target market.
Twitter is EXTREMELY fast-paced. Expect to tweet several times each day. There are some apps that can help you automate your posts. I use Social Jukebox, but there are several others.
Twitter can be a very toxic environment if you get caught up in all the trolling and hate speech. Right now, even with Elon at the helm, it is still manageable by simply not following the trolls and haters. The benefits of being able to tweet links to my offers outweighs the nonsense. If that changes, I'll let you know.
YouTube
I admit I am not a YouTube expert. I do have a channel but I am still figuring out how to use it most effectively. But video production is becoming less complicated all the time. I basically use my phone or Zoom to record my videos. If you have mad video skills already, this is your platform.
Short form video is the hot marketing tool right now. With the creation of YouTube Shorts, YouTube is keeping up with the trend.
If you are comfortable with video and your business lends itself to video demonstration, creating a YouTube channel could be a terrific source of prospects.
Pinterest
Pinterest started as a social media site, but it has since evolved into a search engine in its own right.
You can save photos to boards that you create. Each board can be based around a particular topic. For example, if you are in the health and wellness niche, you might have a board highlighting your products, one focusing on weight loss, one focusing on nutrition, etc.
Each photo is a clickable link that you can direct to your offers or website. And people do buy on Pinterest.
It takes a bit to learn how to use it effectively, but it can be well worth the effort.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a networking site focusing on professional rather than personal networking. It has good potential if you're looking to expand your business network. Financial planner, accountant, web designer, social media manager are only some of the professions that can benefit from LinkedIn's network.
Instagram
I like to think of Instagram as sort of a cross between Facebook and Pinterest. Like Pinterest it is image based and people DO shop on Instagram. Like Facebook, there are no places to post links, except in your bio. But there is ample room for text to get your message out there. Since it is owned by Facebook, there are a lot of other similarities. And for some reason, Instagram is more prone to having people clone your account than any other platform.
Instagram is another platform that can be very toxic. Again, the trick is to be careful who you follow.
TikTok
This is the place to be at the moment. The trendiest spot in town. I have only started using it recently and am slowly building my audience. I have heard all the rumors about TikTok and so far, I have not experienced anything negative. And I must admit I do enjoy the challenge of getting my point across in 30 seconds or less while trying to capture everyone's attention. If you like video and enjoy being really creative, check it out.
Clubhouse
Clubhouse is an audio only platform. You set up a room, where you can invite others to come and listen to you speak on any topic you like. You can also invite others to speak with you. There is no way to record your presentation so once it's over, people can't go back and listen to it. But many people who don't like video are using it to build an audience. If you're naturally chatty but don't like being on camera, this might just be your platform.
All the others
Too new. And most were created to replace Twitter during the Elon debacle. I would wait to see if they hang around or if they go the way of Parler and MySpace...still here but no one you know will admit to being on them.
There you go. Consider the different platforms. Look at the time you have for social media. Look at your business. Determine which platform best suits you personally. Social media is an ever-growing part of the marketing landscape. You want to do it well or not at all. Choose carefully to get the most out of your business building efforts.
"Everyone knows Instagram is best for business"
"TikTok is the hot new platform for business"
"YouTube! It's all about YouTube!"
And don't forget Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn...
Clubhouse (yes, people still use it)
And of course, with the "impending demise" of Twitter under Elon Musk, there are plenty of new platforms springing up to take its place.
Mastodon
Counter Social
BlueSky
And probably a host of others I haven't seen yet.
And while I personally am finding the whole "Elon and Twitter" or "Zuck and Facebook" or "China and TikTok" thing pretty entertaining, for others it's a bit overwhelming.
Where should you be? What should you be doing? Let's break through all the social media hoop-de-do and get to it!
Social media is a great place to build your audience. It can be difficult, but not impossible, to monetize. But the better your followers get to know, like and trust you, the more likely they are to buy from you. THAT is what social media is all about. Building relationships, growing an audience, and creating that know-like-trust factor. It is not about SELLING. No one got up this morning and said "I need to lose weight. I think I'll see what's on Facebook." Or "I want to get into an MLM. Let's go jump on Twitter and see what's available." Once you understand that, the rest is pretty simple.
Deciding where to plant your social media flag depends on a few things...
How much time you have available
What type of business you have
Your personal inclinations
Time
If you are building a business part-time around your job, that's great. Definitely do that! And look for social media where you can get the most bang for your time. Best bets...Facebook (you can set up a business page and save the time and investment of building a website while you're growing)
Pinterest...people actually DO shop on Pinterest. It's image based so you can showcase your products and each post is a clickable link.
YouTube...people also shop on YouTube. One video a week showcasing your expertise and giving links to what you offer can build an audience - and some sales - pretty quickly.
Type of Business
Some platforms are more image based while others are text-heavy. If you have a product-based business where you can highlight your offerings with some great photos, definitely hang out on Instagram and Pinterest. If you're more service-based, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Clubhouse may be better suited. They give you a space to share value and showcase your area of expertise. No images necessary. If your business is more "local", you seriously want to think about setting up a Facebook page. Your prospects are already on Facebook. A Facebook page will help them find you.
Personal Inclinations
Social media should be enjoyable. If it's just another marketing chore, chances are you won't really put the time and effort into it to gain the benefits. Each platform has its own unique "personality" that some folks love while it drives others crazy.
Facebook is arguably the social media network for building personal relationships with a large audience. On the plus side, Its interactive nature makes it easy to talk and listen to your visitors. However, we know all too well that Facebook does not like anything that takes people away from the platform. So posting links to your business will get your posts limited. This can make it difficult to promote your offers.
You CAN run ads on your business page. But you can spend a lot of money before you get any real results while you learn the ins-and-outs of FB advertising. And whether you are a fan of content moderation or not, we all know that Facebook can be a bit overzealous at times. (Anybody spent time in FB jail? Come on...admit it. I know I am not the only one.)
Some may find the the 280-character limit difficult. You have to learn to get your idea across quickly and clearly. However, by niche-tweeting, you can use Twitter to forge relationships with your ideal target market.
Twitter is EXTREMELY fast-paced. Expect to tweet several times each day. There are some apps that can help you automate your posts. I use Social Jukebox, but there are several others.
Twitter can be a very toxic environment if you get caught up in all the trolling and hate speech. Right now, even with Elon at the helm, it is still manageable by simply not following the trolls and haters. The benefits of being able to tweet links to my offers outweighs the nonsense. If that changes, I'll let you know.
YouTube
I admit I am not a YouTube expert. I do have a channel but I am still figuring out how to use it most effectively. But video production is becoming less complicated all the time. I basically use my phone or Zoom to record my videos. If you have mad video skills already, this is your platform.
Short form video is the hot marketing tool right now. With the creation of YouTube Shorts, YouTube is keeping up with the trend.
If you are comfortable with video and your business lends itself to video demonstration, creating a YouTube channel could be a terrific source of prospects.
Pinterest started as a social media site, but it has since evolved into a search engine in its own right.
You can save photos to boards that you create. Each board can be based around a particular topic. For example, if you are in the health and wellness niche, you might have a board highlighting your products, one focusing on weight loss, one focusing on nutrition, etc.
Each photo is a clickable link that you can direct to your offers or website. And people do buy on Pinterest.
It takes a bit to learn how to use it effectively, but it can be well worth the effort.
LinkedIn is a networking site focusing on professional rather than personal networking. It has good potential if you're looking to expand your business network. Financial planner, accountant, web designer, social media manager are only some of the professions that can benefit from LinkedIn's network.
I like to think of Instagram as sort of a cross between Facebook and Pinterest. Like Pinterest it is image based and people DO shop on Instagram. Like Facebook, there are no places to post links, except in your bio. But there is ample room for text to get your message out there. Since it is owned by Facebook, there are a lot of other similarities. And for some reason, Instagram is more prone to having people clone your account than any other platform.
Instagram is another platform that can be very toxic. Again, the trick is to be careful who you follow.
TikTok
This is the place to be at the moment. The trendiest spot in town. I have only started using it recently and am slowly building my audience. I have heard all the rumors about TikTok and so far, I have not experienced anything negative. And I must admit I do enjoy the challenge of getting my point across in 30 seconds or less while trying to capture everyone's attention. If you like video and enjoy being really creative, check it out.
Clubhouse
Clubhouse is an audio only platform. You set up a room, where you can invite others to come and listen to you speak on any topic you like. You can also invite others to speak with you. There is no way to record your presentation so once it's over, people can't go back and listen to it. But many people who don't like video are using it to build an audience. If you're naturally chatty but don't like being on camera, this might just be your platform.
All the others
Too new. And most were created to replace Twitter during the Elon debacle. I would wait to see if they hang around or if they go the way of Parler and MySpace...still here but no one you know will admit to being on them.
There you go. Consider the different platforms. Look at the time you have for social media. Look at your business. Determine which platform best suits you personally. Social media is an ever-growing part of the marketing landscape. You want to do it well or not at all. Choose carefully to get the most out of your business building efforts.
