If you’ve read our everything About Blogging guide, you’d know that social media platforms are a great way to drive traffic to your site, especially when it is new.
Websites and search engines have been the medium for businesses and online marketers to reach their target audience.
But, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are changing the social media dynamics because hundreds of millions of users spend more and more time on these social networking sites, where they are easier to access.
However, with so many social networks out there, and your targeted audience spending their distributed time across them, it could be difficult to choose the right ones to target.
Someone once asked me, “How many social media sites are there”? To which, my answer was, If I sit and only tell you the list of free social networking sites, it would be intimidating.. So I thought of making a list of five best and most popular social media sites. And, here is a list of social media sites you cannot ignore for your online business’ marketing.
1. Twitter:
Twitter, with over 500 million registered users and 310 million unique monthly visitors, may not be as big as Facebook, but it is more vibrant than any other social site. The most popular microblogging site allows you to post 140-character messages to promote your brand, products or services. It is also the fastest social site to allow information to spread out.
Twitter is considered as the most popular social media site. It has played an instrumental role in driving social movements across various countries and across borders. So, if your brand is not being promoted on this social site, you are missing out big. The site allows you to follow others, which can include your competition. You can learn what strategies they are implementing and what campaigns they are running. Use this information to direct your own online marketing strategies to success.
You could also build a following on the site. It is worth considering that an average user on this microblogging site has more than 208 followers.
Hand-picked resources for marketing on Twitter:
- How to create a brand on Twitter
- Get more out of your pinned tweet (viral post!)
- Sendible vs Hootsuite: Best social media marketing tool?
2. Facebook:
Facebook is the biggest social media site by far. This is easily the single most important reason why you should be promoting your business on this Facebook. According to the latest reports, Facebook has over 900 million unique monthly visitors. Besides, it has over 1.4 billion registered users. These figures make it the third most populous ‘country’ in the world. Facebook has an Alexa Rank of 2 (check here) and Compete Rank of 3. This also makes it a high-authority site to get conversion from.
You can use your profile page on Facebook to rank high in search results. But the social site’s online marketing impact goes beyond SEO. It allows you to reach a massive audience using a variety of strategies including advertising. Make sure to include the targeted keywords in your profile, description and the URL. Including your Facebook page’s link on your site and other places can also help boost your visibility.
While you could directly interact with your target audience on Facebook, it also has a unique advertising program that makes targeting easier and more effective. Advertising on the social network may be costly, but it can be highly effective and deliver every high ROI.
Hand-picked resources for marketing on Facebook:
- 39 tips to promote your business on Facebook (one to bookmark!)
- Tips I use to sky-rocket Facebook likes and shares
- Latest Instagram Statistics that’ll blow your mind
- Social Pilot Review: Best social media scheduling tool
3. Google+:
Update: As of 2nd April, Google Plus is no longer around and we will update this section soon.
Google may have taken the steps the disconnect Google+ from YouTube and curb several of its features. But, it still remains a popular social networking site for internet marketers. One factor that makes this social site important is that it is related to Google, the largest search engine. So whether it is going to remain in its full-fledged form or not, it will continue to be important in online promotion.
Google+ has over 500 million active users. It is integrated into all the Google products, and its user base has continued to show a positive trend. Besides the SEO advantages, it allows you to connect with people with similar interests.
Google Plus allows its users to create pages that work as powerful online brand identities. The thumbnail and cover template are all customizable. It allows you to create your business profile which includes information about your business, such as contact info, location, and website. You could search and target your prospects based on their location, keywords and other factors. You could target different circles and categorize your target audience.
Hand-picked resources for marketing on Google+:
- Essent