Almost everyone knows about Twitter and Facebook. Most might know LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. But, does using any of these Social Media platforms to promote your business seem confusing and not exactly intuitive to you?

You’re not alone. It seems like there's a new hot platform every day. You feel like you barely know how to use Facebook or Twitter in your personal life. And now, some millennial is going to tell you that you need to be using social media to market your business?

The world is changing and social media hasn’t faded away. Blogs are more popular than ever, and everyone who is a part of that world or wants to get into it needs to be using social media. It isn’t just for bloggers though, if you have a small to medium business – it will help you too.

Social Media helps your business gain exposure, generate traffic to your website, and promote your blog. I know it seems difficult, but really it’s easy and inexpensive. They’re generally free to join and give you a wide audience to reach.
Know the basics of social media marketing

Sounds like a win / win - right? Now if only your kids would teach you how to do that… Well I’m someone’s kid who will.

Here they are - The Basics: What are the platforms and How Do I Use Them?

The most known platforms are:

·         Facebook

·         Twitter

·         LinkedIn

·         Instagram

·         Pinterest

·         There is also - Google+, which isn’t as popular

I’ll mainly focus on the first two, and touch on the others. Picking and choosing which sites will be most helpful to you and your endeavors is what is going to make you most successful. You don’t need to be on them all, start with one and go from there!

Facebook

Facebook is a place where you can connect with friends and family, and share what is going on in your world with those people. When you post to Facebook page it allows people who are connected with that page to see those posts.

There are a few features of this site that are particularly helpful to promoting a business or blog

·         Postings – the medium for sharing information on the site, can include worded updates, pictures, videos, and links to sites or articles.

·         Groups - allows members who have common interests to find each other and interact.

·         Events - allows members to publicize an event, invite guests and track who plans to attend.

·         Pages - allows members to create and promote a public page built around a specific topic.

·         Tagging – connects specific members of the groups to specific postings done by just beginning to type their name or using @ followed by their name

·         Hashtagging (#) – uses the # symbol followed by the keyword or topic, making it easily searchable for anyone who looks for that topic to find it. I like to think of it as an identifier of what you’re talking about!



Facebook also allows users to send private messages through Facebook Messenger. This is a separate app on your phone, but is integrated into the Facebook webpage.



Twitter

Twitter is just a snapshot of what's going on, using only 140 characters of text with photos, videos, and users  can include links, tags, and hashtags. The trick is fitting it all into 140 characters.  And, much like Facebook, you can follow friends, family, businesses, entertainers, and more. You can also be followed.

A tweet is the standard message here and is goes out to all your followers

There’s still:

·         Tagging – a little different here using the twitter handle (i.e. username) of the person or company, but still done by using @ followed by their username

·         Hashtagging (#) – is exactly the same, but even more popular and important here! Be careful not to go overboard though – my rule of thumb is not over two (or three if you must).



But there’s also:

·         Retweeting – is sharing a tweet by someone who you follow with your followers

·         Lists – a feature that allows you to list the users you follow into groups and only shows the tweets of all the users in that list

·         DM (Direct Messages) – private communication



Want more help? Check out Twitter 101: What is Twitter Really About? And if you find the whole hashtag thing #confusing, Huffington Post has put together this lovely infographic.



You can also use hashtags with Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, and Tumblr (one of the many other social media sites out there).



LinkedIn

This one is a little different. LinkedIn is a networking tool meant for making and keeping connections in a more professional setting. It is a great place to build connections in your industry and get your business or blog noticed. It's a lot like Facebook, but strictly for business.



On LinkedIn you can:

·         Attract more leads by connecting with people who may be interested in what you do. Be sure to personalize your requests to them to gain their trust

·         Share your blogs with your network of people. Your own content develops your thought process and allows your connections to get a better understanding of you building your credibility

·         Grow your network and learn from people in your industry. Join groups and stay in touch, reaching out immediately and personally does wonders for developing lasting connections



This helps you to build credibility to yourself and your brand, leading to more interest in your business.



Instagram

Is a social media site used to connect to your followers through the posting pictures that highlight the best aspects of your brand, product, or company. It’s interactive, and people can tag you, which markets your product or company for you. They can also like what you’ve posted and leave comments about a particular picture.



One downside to Instagram is that you cannot post links within the description or caption under the pictures you post. You can put links in your bio, accessable by clicking on your name as the poster of that picture. But, it is a little more work. 



Pinterest

Pintrest helps you to extend your brand, which is especially helpful if you are selling a product or want more blog exposure. There’s something for everything on Pinterest so tag appropriately and have fun with it.



Google+

Is one I’m less familiar with… even if I have one. And Google is backing away from the platform. It’s a little more complex because it can do so much. It can incorporate other social media sites and your Google email, organize your contacts all together in one place to specialize what you send them.



I checked out How to use Google+ for marketing for some tips and tricks.



The Social Media universe is wide and always changing. I hope that you'll find these tips helpful and you can put them to good use.



Still confused about social media for your business?  You may want to enlist someone to do social media posting for your business, like Marketing Eye. We are happy to help.   
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1 comment

  • Stan
    06/04/16

    I like perusing your website. thnx!

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