Like most business and shop owners, you know that social media is vital to growing your company. There simply is no better way these days to reach so many people at once. One tweet or post on Facebook and suddenly you have a huge audience you didn’t have before, many from all over the world.
But you probably read that last sentence and wondered “hey, where are the other social media outlets I use every day?” While Twitter and Facebook are the two of the biggest sites, they’re not the whole story. Many businesses, though, stick to these two and never venture out. There are many reasons why you should expand your options, though, even beyond the simple fact that other people are using those sites.
Moving On
Think everyone still uses Facebook? Well, many do, and if Facebook was a country it would be one of the bigger ones on Earth. However, when it comes to your actual audience and people you want visiting your store and website, that number gets much smaller. In fact, it’s shrinking by the day.
Many millenials actually report that they’re not using Facebook, at least in the droves they once were. There are so many more options now that do different things for them – Snapchat is one example, easily consumable pictures they can share that immediately vanish. Plus, Facebook is seen as an “old person” thing, and who wants to be part of that world when you’re young?
Another reason many are moving on from “the usuals” is they want more specific functions. Instagram lets their share pics and that’s it. LinkedIn lets them focus on work related tasks and conversations. While making it as free-flowing and big as possible, Facebook might have actually led to its own limited audience.
What to Use?
Now that you’ve decided to expand out with your social media, it’s time to make a choice on which ones to focus on. The real problem here is there are so many to choose from, with other options appearing regularly. Do you go with something relatively popular, like LinkedIn, or nichier like Pinterest?
The best thing about trying out new social media sites is there’s no real cost unless you count time invested. You could try Google Plus, Instagram, and VampireFreaks.com (for real) and if one of them doesn’t work you simply delete the profile and move on. In the best case scenario, you discover VampireFreaks.com loves you and you discover a brand new niche you had no idea existed.
One big question you have to ask yourself is what “type” of social media sites to try. Would your business come off better with text or pictures? Are you sure? Just because you sell office furniture doesn’t mean Pinterest isn’t for you – it’s just up to you to make it interesting and worth your customers’ time to follow you there.
So don’t be afraid to venture out. You could suddenly find a whole new audience and world waiting for you. While it might be smaller than Facebook’s, it’s still a viable and healthy community looking to spend money on your business.