Social Media is a huge opportunity for businesses. Many argue that there has been no better time to start a business because of the direct-to-consumer relationship where entrepreneurs and business owners can reach their target clients and customers. For business owners often using marketing platforms like social media is the difference between success and failure. We asked some entrepreneurs and business owners their favorite social media site and how they are using it.
@CEOBlogNation At @pixcphotos we use Twitter mainly for business 🙂
— Holly Cardew (@hollyccc) July 31, 2015
#1) Twitter: New Business + Raving Fans
Although we use many, we find that Twitter is a crazy awesome platform for our biz. With the fast pace and engagement, it has been lucrative for gaining new business + building raving fans. We have a company account, but find that using our personal accounts and branding them to our business is most effective. People don’t always want to follow a biz, they want to follow a person. Sure, we tweet out a mix of tweets including promotions, real-time events, and motivational pieces, but we know you can’t stop there to make it effective. It’s all about the strategy! We are always creating Twitter lists to stay in front of select people who we want to strengthen relationships with + gain as new customers. We love following event hashtags- before, during and after the event- so we can strengthen the connections. And don’t forget about showing some love with a thank you tweet for people who follow- this can put $ into your bank account. A strategy behind Twitter can make all the difference.
Thanks to Angie Weber, Tenacious Edge!
#2) Instagram: Fun & Exciting Things
I am the founder of The Babysitting Company. We personally hire and train professional babysitters for private residences, fine hotels and for weddings and special events. We use Instagram the most so parents can see the fun and exciting things that their children are doing with their sitter while they are away. We never include children or clients property in the photos, just the fun activities.
Thanks to Rachel Charlupski, Babysitting Company!
#3) Pinterest: Food Pictures Are Popular
Pinterest because food photos are very popular on that platform. We started concentrating on Pinterest after finding it to be the biggest traffic referrer to our website after Google (even though we were not spending any time on that platform!). We think Pinterest is a natural social media for our web magazine because we produce a lot of food related articles as well as recipes so we have plenty of images that can be pinned on Pinterest. After realizing this, we started to use Pinterest more strategically and have found it to drive even more traffic. Here are a few simple things we have done to utilize Pinterest more: created a Pinterest pinning schedule (it takes an assistant a couple of hours per week to manage Pinterest), created our own Pinterest shared boards, joined other relevant shared boards, and produced more infographics and images that are much more likely to be pinned and repinned.
Thanks to Louise Hendon, Paleo Flourish Magazine!
#4) Facebook: Targeting the Right Traffic
Mine would be Facebook. Specifically using it for it's retargeting and utilize their conversion algorithm to drive the RIGHT traffic to your site. We've been using Pinterest and Facebook to drive interested traffic to informational articles that usually explain how to solve a problem that our product solves. We then retarget those people who hit that article with a stronger offer and CTA through conversion ads and we're willing to bid more on these clicks because we know they're more valuable to use since they have shown interest by reading the previous article and are now more informed buyers.
Thanks to Chuck Sharpsteen, Whiskey Neat!
#5) Twitter: Listen to Conversations
I've seen the most success with Twitter because it allows you to listen to the conversations surrounding your space and connect with potential customers , influencers and other relevant people. I grew my brand from 0 to 12,000 followers in 5 months on the platform, while generated a handful of clients and enquiries.
Thanks to Greg Miles, Bumbl!
#6) Twitter: Broad Reach
I'm an event coordinator at the Downtown Independent in downtown Los Angeles. I manage their social media accounts, and while our Facebook has a large following, we get way more bang for our buck on Twitter. People from all over the country (and sometimes internationally!) tweet at us and champion our events. Our reach is far broader, and it allows us to collaborate with independent filmmakers, nonprofits, and organizations who put on events with us while reaching their fan bases as well.
Thanks to Rory Gory, Downtown Independent!
#7) Instagram: Visuals Are Key
We use Instagram the most because it's visual – and with a product line, visuals are key. But not only that – it allows us to convey the feeling of our brand. It's quick and simple and addicting. Instagram is creating communities and a really fantastic way to communicate with your customers and brand community.
Thanks to Sairey Gernes, Urban Undercover!
#8) Twitter: Direct Connection
Here's my paragraph about my first choice being Twitter. I bring in lots of business via social media, so I like to think I do OK. 😉 First and foremost, social media is *social*. This is why I use Twitter more than anything else. It has an immediacy and direct connection that can fall through the cracks on Facebook. Indeed, given Facebook's content curation algorithms I find my preference for Twitter grows over time. Now that Twitter is poised to remove the character limit in DMs, it will be an even stronger customer service tool! On top of all of this, I also get better results with my targeted Twitter ads than I do on Facebook. I *do* still get plenty of mileage out of Facebook and Instagram, but if I have to choose one, it's Twitter.
Thanks to Beverly Bambury, Beverly Bambury Publicity!
#9) Facebook: Where Our Customers Are
Facebook serves our SaleHoo business best because it's where our customers are, and unlike Twitter with its character limit, Facebook allows us to share more detailed posts. Drop-shipping and selling online, in general, are complex topics that demand complex explanations. Plus, Facebook is the most popular social media site, so customers expect businesses to maintain a presence on the platform.
Thanks to Simon Slade, SaleHoo!
#10) Facebook: Next Word of Mouth
I’ve found Facebook to be the most successful social media tool to promote my website. I have over 2.5K followers on there. I find it highly useful because I am able to grasp other users’ attention in a plethora of ways from posting a status update to uploading an aesthetically pleasing cover photo to creating an event announcing a site launch. Also, the fact that my FB is also linked to my Instagram page where I have over 1.4K followers helps a lot too. When I submit a photo on Facebook or Instagram of my website, people are also easily able to share it on their to maximize its exposure potential. The power and influence of social media is the next “word of mouth.”
Thanks to Kimia Kalbasi!