Social media is great for marketing businesses of all sizes. Social media can help promote your products and services to both existing customers and potential customers. And, unlike traditional marketing mediums such as newspapers, radio, and television, social media allows you to connect with people in a more personal way.  With all the social media platforms it’s easy to question what to post on each social media platform. Many businesses will post the same exact content on every social media platform they use. However, every platform has its own audience. And, what people expect to experience on each platform is different. 

 

When planning your social media content resist the urge to cross-post on every platform. In other words, don’t post the same exact content on every platform. Instead, consider the social media platforms you personally use and what you expect to experience and what you look for when using each of those platforms. By thinking of yourself and how you use social media, it will help you realize that each platform is different and you need to plan content differently. Sure, some of your content will work on more than one platform. But, some won’t. 

 

Currently, the most popular social media platforms are:

 

 

 

Facebook is the most widely-used social media platform. It has a good balance of men and women. People use Facebook to connect with friends and family and to read news content. It’s also commonly used to invite people to events. While Facebook allows any form of content, images and short videos work best. Facebook encourages the use of its Live Video option where you can stream live video and even interact with your audience. Once the Live Video is over, your video is saved on your Facebook page so it can be viewed by others who missed the live event. 

 

 

 

Google+is operated by Google and can be integrated with other Google applications. Often described as a cross between Twitter and LinkedIn, Google+ contains a lot of news and information.  Google+ has tried various features since launching and one feature that remains is Google Hangouts. With Google Hangouts you can invite people to engage with you live through video chat and instant messaging. Hangouts allow group chats with text or video. Since most people are looking for news and information on Google+, it’s a good place to link your blog or YouTube content, press releases, online presentations, and infographics.

 

Instagram

LinkedIn

Pinterest

 

 

SnapChat is mainly used as a storytelling and photo sharing application for teens and young adults. SnapChat allows users to send images or short videos to other users. The short-term messages become inaccessible after they are opened. For businesses wanting to reach a younger demographic, SnapChat offers a platform where you can produce stories and share pictures of your business and staff. 

        SnapChat Content Ideas:  Funny Picture | Behind the Scenes Photo

 

 

 

Twitter users focus on the latest news and trends and are mainly used by college-educated people. Twitter’s focus is on real-time moments. Currently, Twitter allows posts up to 280 characters as well as images and short videos. Twitter is ideal for news items and updates related to your business.

        Twitter Content Ideas:  Link to a useful video or podcast | Share a fact 

 

 

 

YouTube is the go-to place for instructional videos. It is also heavily used for entertainment. All the content is video-based but links back to websites and other social media platforms can be inserted into the videos and listed in the video descriptions.  While many people don’t think of YouTube as a social media platform it certainly is. Users are able to like and share content, subscribe to YouTube channels and engage with you. YouTube is a great place for you to post videos demonstrating your products and services.

 

 

 

 

Just as not all social media platforms are best for your business, not all content is best for all social media platforms that you use. Hopefully, this article will help you determine what types of content to post on the different social media platforms that you use. When planning your content, keep in mind how you use the various platforms. Spend some time on each and really research what other businesses are doing. Note what type of content gets interaction from followers and which doesn’t. 

 

And, as I mentioned in my article WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA IS BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS, remember that you’re better off to have high engagement in one or two platforms than to have little engagement in many platforms!  Now, after commenting below and sharing this article on your favorite social media platform, go get social!

 

 

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