There are several reasons why social media platforms are still being created today, despite the many forms that are already present.
Social media has proven to be a necessity for businesses, big or small.
If you are inactive on social media as a brand or organisation, you are missing out on a great opportunity to generate sales.
In this article we are going to talk about:
- What is social media?
- Why does a business need social media?
- What are the top performing social media platforms?
What is social media?
Social media refers to platforms on the internet that allow the creation, sharing and interaction of content; although we could be moving into a more “media” and less “social” era.
Why does a business need social media?
There are many reasons why businesses need social media, although the three major points are:
1) Awareness:
The primary reason every business is on social media is to generate awareness for their brand, product, or service. You cannot sell your product or service to people who do not know that you exist, can you?
The more people you can reach, the more likely you are going to generate sales.
Statista reported that 4.59 billion people were on social media in 2022, and it is projected to increase to 5.85 billion people by 2027.
In this regard, attention is currency.
Small businesses can compete with bigger organisations by niching down and targeting specific people.
2) Audience Interaction:
Not only do you have access to your potential customers, but you can also interact with them to decipher what they like, what they do not like and what they recommend; this helps you improve your product and/or service.
If you’re unsure if you should implement something new, ask your targeted audience.
3) Audience Insights:
With social media you can now see, or at the very least, make an educated guess on what they like based on what they reacted positively to.
How many shares, likes, dislikes and more metrics can help you improve your content, service, and product delivery.
What are the top performing social media platforms?
The top performing social media platforms that you should look into when taking your business’ goals into consideration are as follows:
- Facebook: Content can come many mediums, such as, video, imagery blog posts, etc.
- Instagram: Focuses on content in the mediums of imagery or video.
- YouTube: Focuses on video, long or short form, content.
- TikTok: Focuses on short form video content.
- WhatsApp: Focuses on communication between individuals and organizations.
Closing Thoughts
If your business is not yet on social media, it should be. Spend some time researching which platforms will work best for you and get going to start reaping the rewards social media has to offer.
