There are dozens of social media websites you can use as part of your marketing strategy. You must choose the best ones for your business depending on specific criteria, such as where your audience hangs out, the type of content you create, and so on.
But, regardless of your type of business or industry, there are still a few top platforms that are an essential part of every business’s marketing plan.
In this article, I’m going to highlight 5 of the best social media websites for digital marketers. Read it to the end to discover which ones are best suited to your needs.
1. Facebook
Best for building relationships with your audience.
Facebook has been around for over a decade. The popular social site has the largest global reach and powerful eCommerce functionality. It has a diverse range of built-in business and marketing tools that make the platform an essential tool for marketers.
With over 2.85 billion monthly active users, there’s no doubt that this is one of the best sites to focus your efforts on as a digital marketer.
You’ll not only be able to connect with potential customers here, but you’ll also have the tools to help you promote your business and build lasting relationships with your audience. Facebook is one of the best tools for the top of a digital marketing funnel.
It allows you to share a diverse range of content to help you raise awareness about your company and brand. For instance, if you’re hosting a series of online courses, you can share short snippets on Facebook to capture attention. You can also share images, text, gifs, and much more.
2. Instagram
Best for sharing photos and building your brand.
Instagram is extremely popular among millennials and Gen-Z users, or “Zoomers”. There are currently over 500 million daily active users on the platform.
Between these two platforms (Facebook and Instagram), you have a massive audience to whom you can market your products and services.
Like Facebook, this social media site has powerful eCommerce functionality. The platform can be easily integrated with Facebook and Messenger can be used as a tool to communicate with your followers on both Facebook and Instagram.
You can create memes, infographics, and high-quality images using graphic design tools and share them to an audience. Additionally, with Reels, you can complement your images with engaging videos designed to increase brand awareness or generate conversions.
Pro Tip: If you get verified on Instagram, it will become easier for your audience to trust you.
Basically, if you can do well on any of these two platforms, you stand to experience astronomical business results.
3. TikTok
Best for sharing short, snappy videos.
TikTok is the favorite social media platform of most Gen-Z’ers. You can also cross-share TikToks across various other platforms, making this a useful marketing channel for marketers in all industries.
TikTok also has unique video and audio editing features, as well as a stunning native design that puts it head and shoulders above most other social media networks – and is also one of the reasons for its explosive growth over the past few months.
4. YouTube
Best for sharing longer, more in-depth videos.
YouTube is a video-sharing social network that lets you create longer videos compared to what you can do on sites like TikTok or Instagram Reels. YouTube offers its own built-in video editor, but there are a variety of editing options available as well. Videos can also be cross-shared across multiple platforms and on your own website.
Furthermore, YouTube is the second-largest search engine, surpassed only by Google, and it has over 1.9 billion people who use the site on a regular basis. It’s also the second-largest social site next to Facebook.
This means that you’ll not only be able to reach a wider audience, but you’ll also get to connect with people on social media who are actually searching for you and your products or services since your content will be easily searchable on both Youtube and Google for your target keywords.
Assaf Cohen, who runs classic gaming platform Solitaire Bliss, explains, “When we first launched our games, we posted a high-quality video on how to play solitaire on youtube. In short order, we found many people would organically discover our video content, and then convert into users who would play our games.”
5. LinkedIn
Best for connecting with professionals in various industries.
LinkedIn is a great site to find professionals to connect with. It’s designed to make it easy for you to network and build relationships with other like-minded people across a wide spectrum of industries.
Although it’s significantly smaller than Facebook, Instagram, and other social sites, LinkedIn still has the potential to help you reach more connections and followers and connections without having to pay for ads, like you would have to do on Facebook and Instagram.
Using Social Media Websites Effectively
The 5 social media platforms listed above are essential tools in any digital marketer’s toolbox. If you aren’t already active on them, now is the time to consider using them to help you achieve your marketing objectives, build brand awareness and recognition, generate leads, develop stronger relationships with customers, and ultimately make more money.
I will warn you that it’s always best to take things slow and steady at first. Don’t try jumping onto all five social media platforms at once. Start an account on one platform, generate a good following, and then move onto the next one. Part of effective channel management means optimizing all existing digital marketing channels before creating new ones.
Which platform you choose first depends entirely on the needs of your business and the target audience you’re trying to reach. For Gen Z, TikTok and Instagram are the best choice. If you want to integrate ecommerce functionality, you might consider Facebook and then expand to Instagram. If you need to make longer videos, YouTube is your best bet while developing professional connections is best done on LinkedIn.
Finding the right platform for your needs isn’t difficult, but it may take a little bit of time. Trust me though, the initial research you perform will have lasting benefits for your overall digital marketing strategy.
Over to you. Are you currently using any of these sites to grow your business and brand? If not, which ones do you intend to start using, and why? Sound off below!
About the. Author: Ron Stefanski is an online entrepreneur and marketing professor who has a passion for helping people create and market their own online businesses. Since 2014, he’s been able to generate over $1 million from his own business and wants to help others do the same. You can learn more from him by visiting OneHourProfessor.com. You can also connect with him on YouTube or Linkedin.