6 Social Media Platforms You Should Know
Nature likes the number six. Insects, one of the most common forms of life, have six legs. Carbon, the element present in all living matter, has the atomic number 6. The factors of 6 (1, 2 and 3) add up to six. Mathematically, this makes 6 the first perfect number.
In other words, the number 6 has a lot going for it.
Since June is also the sixth month of the year, it makes it a great time to start our social media series. To kick things off, we’ll talk about 6 social media platforms you should be aware of in 2019.
Facebook. Despite some setbacks in the last year, Facebook is still the king of social media. It has over 2 billion users, so it can’t be beat for sheer scope. No matter what platform your ideal customers might gravitate to, chances are they have a Facebook account as well. That means a lot of users and a lot of chances to get your message out.
Instagram. One of the newer social media platforms, Instagram boasts over 800 million users. What makes it particularly good is that over a third of those users have actually used Instagram to buy something. That means you have an audience that’s much more willing to open their wallets than the average buyer. Instagram also has a robust set of tools that let you microtarget potential customers as well as see the results of your efforts through advanced analytics.
Twitter. Used by everyone from celebrities to politicians to athletes, Twitter has become a greater part of our daily lives than ever before. 500 million tweets are sent on a daily basis. It’s fast, easy and often informal, making it a great way to have conversations with potential customers without the barriers and filters associated with other platforms.
Snapchat. Though growing, Snapchat still isn’t one of the big boys yet. Even if that means a smaller reach, it also means your message will have less noise to sift through. Snapchat started as a way for users to send interesting videos and images to one another. Social media is becoming much more of a visual/video-driven medium, making Snapchat a match made in heaven if you want to take your social media presence in this direction.
TikTok. If you haven’t heard of it, TikTok is arguably the world’s largest short-form video sharing app. It has an estimated 130 million users at least, and that number is expected to grow. The video format is a little restrictive, since users are limited to a maximum of 60 seconds for their products, but it makes a great platform for product demos, product introductions and crowd funding requests. The key to TikTok is to create short, fun and entertaining videos to reach a younger audience.
WhatsApp. There’s no substitute for being able to talks to your customers in real-time. That’s the beauty of instant messaging apps, and WhatsApp is one of the best. Even better, it recently upgraded its offerings to include WhatsApp Business. The popular WhatsApp, 450 million users strong and growing, already allowed you to text, chat, and share media, including voice messages and video, with individuals and groups. Now WhatsApp Business lets you create business profiles, making your contact information available such as email and phone contacts, social media links, store addresses, website URLs, and suitable business details or offers. You can speak to customers directly almost as if you were in the same room. What’s not to like?
Each one of these platform offers something a little different and each has its own strengths and weakness. Some have a larger reach. Others may appeal to just the demographic you’re trying to reach. Take a strategic look at your business, decide what you want to accomplish with social media and see if one of them is right for you.