Which Social Media Platforms are Relevant for My Business?

There are a wealth of benefits of Social Media marketing; 

• Boost sales and generate leads 
• Grow your network and increase brand visibility 
• Increase traffic to your website 
• Reputation management 

• Create authenticity and humanise your business 
• Engage with and learn from your customers 
• Keep up with the competition 

However, not every platform, or combination of platforms is relevant, appropriate or efficient for every business. 

In developing a successful Social Media strategy, it is important to ask yourself three fundamental questions to determine which platforms to use and how to use them. 

1. What are you really trying to achieve? 

1. Which platforms are your customers using? 

1. What do your customers really want to see? 

Once you have established the above, you can begin to delve into the objectives of each Social Media platform. 

Facebook – ‘Business HQ’ 

At it’s core, Facebook allows users and businesses (who sign up for free profiles) to easily connect with friends, family, colleagues or strangers, within it’s online community. Facebook’s easy to use functionality has enabled it to become a hub for businesses of all sizes to showcase their products and services. 

Instagram – Visual Library’ 

Owned by the same parent company as Facebook (‘Meta’), Instagram offers similar opportunities to connect with likeminded audiences, but is focused predominantly on sharing image and video content. 

Twitter – ‘Moments In Time’ 

Please note, as of July 2023 Twitter is going under a rebrand to X. This is something that is still being processed, and articles on Business Tapas will be updated to represent the changes.

A digital community where users communicate using short messages called ‘tweets’. These ‘tweets’ can contain text, videos, images and links to other websites. This form of ‘micro-blogging’ centres on users talking about trends and other topics ‘of the moment’. 

YouTube – ‘Video Archive’ 

This online video sharing service allows users to upload and create their own videos, search for other video content and interact with other users. YouTube (owned by Google) is the most popular video sharing site on the internet, hosting billions of videos. 

Google My Business – ‘Your Shop Front’ 

Owned by Google, this free tool allows you to manage and customise your Business Profile within Google search results. This includes adding contact details, opening hours, maps, images and other useful consumer information. 

Pinterest – ‘Visual Discovery Engine’ 

Replicating physical ‘pinboards’, Pinterest gives users the ability to save and categorise images from across the internet onto ‘boards’ using ‘pins’. The billions of ‘pins’ on Pinterest serve as inspiration for those who are trying to collate ideas together. 

TikTok – ‘Video Sharing’ 

This short-form, video-sharing app allows users to create and share 15-second videos on any topic. Users have the ability to format the videos in creative ways, using stickers, music and filters. The videos are then shared with the global audience, who are on the most part aged between 13-24. 

LinkedIn – ‘Peer to Peer Networking’ 

The world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn is a digital version of traditional networking events and exhibitions. From here you can meet other professionals, build a business page, share your CV, progress your career  and learn from those within your network.  

Discover ‘Social Media Marketing in 5 Minutes’