Not All Social Media in Business is Created Equal

If you operate a modern business, then chances are you’re used to the idea of social media being an important tool. Not just for basic visibility, social media today helps businesses connect, reach new people, and reflect direct aspects of your organization’s personality. What many newcomers fail to address, however, is just how different the various social media services can be.

Too often we can paint these services with the same brush, and while having an overall plan is always a good thing, such an approach can underutilize what social media has to offer. Instead, a better idea can be to first take a step back, to look at the context of each service and your business as a whole. This way, you can ensure your efforts will be better targeted, and more effective.

Gathering Inspiration

While paying for professional research and social media design is a viable option, it’s also one that might prove prohibitively expensive for many businesses. Instead, a better idea can be to borrow inspiration from existing successful pages from the online world to see what these pages do that works. How do they target certain areas and concerns, where do they go all out, and where are their designs more restrained?

These don’t need to be strictly social media related either, as standard webpages can be just as helpful for ideas. Take, for example, the CasinoWings website designed to cater to online betters in India. Taking a professional approach, this service utilizes a concise layout to relay information about relevant topics like bonuses and special features on different casino websites. Rather than going all out on a redesign for Indian audiences, this website illustrates the importance of coherence, a concept that also applies to social media.

The Different Social Media Approaches

According to OurWorldInData, Facebook has around 2.4 billion users. In other words, Facebook is the king of social media. This means that it should be the first step in creating at least a single page for your business’s online front. Taking a front-facing position also means that this page should be the most informational, so your existing and potential customers know exactly what they’re getting.

Instagram isn’t for everyone, but for businesses with heavy visual components, its use is undeniable. Whether showing off new or coming product line-ups, before and after shots, or mock-ups for new designs, you have a lot of flexibility here. Unlike Facebook, it also serves as a strong place to graphically relay your business’s theme and the feel you wish to express.

YouTube takes a similar path to Instagram, though in extended video formats. Again not applicable for every business, as Forbes explains, it can still be supremely helpful to some. These types of videos can be the most complex social media displays to make, but they can also be the most rewarding.

Rounding out the big four is Twitter, which is can serve an important purpose in announcing specials and keeping up to date with users. While taking this approach can require a significant time investment, it can also be a strong way for businesses to create a modern open communique.

“Twitter” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by chriscorneschi

Whether taking any of these routes or going with another social media service, planning is key. Take your time to learn from other websites and social media pages, and see which of their lessons you can learn for yourself. Keep growing your voice, even if takes a few missteps along the way, as you push into the digital realm. Most of all, as any good business owner knows, remember that no good things come without hard work.