Why Your Business Should Be On Social Media and What Social Media Platforms To Use

Having an active social media presence is no longer an option – your business needs to be on social media in order to remain competitive

Managing the social media for your business is both time-consuming and at times, kind of frustrating. Building an organic presence as a business is much different from the growth we see from content creators and influencers – it’s a different space for us with different goals in mind. That being said, it is still crucial to be on social media as a business in order to remain competitive.

Can you grow a thriving business without social media? Sure! A lot of businesses we know and love were built from the ground up long before it even existed. However, looking at ever-shifting consumer patterns tell us that you might be making things a lot harder for yourself that way. According to Google, almost 40% of Gen Z is using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram as their preferred search engine (as found in this Business Insider article).

With more and more consumers turning to social for recommendations on what to buy and where to buy it from, placing yourself strategically will only help support awareness for your business.

Why is social media so important for business anyway?

There are quite a few reasons – but first, we want to preface by saying the quality of your content matters. It is key to come up with an intentional content strategy led by your brand strategy and vision. In non-businessy terms, that just means making sure that what you share on social media makes sense for your business and your goals and provides some benefit to your target audience.

With that out of the way, here are some of the most important reasons to keep your business active on social media:

• It shows consumers who land on your page that your business is open and active. If you haven’t posted in three months, that can make a potential customer question whether or not your business is even open or responsive.
• It gives insight into what your business is about. Maybe it acts as a portfolio, maybe it showcases the personality of your team, or maybe it provides education about your industry, products, or experience. In some shape or form, it helps provide support for your potential customers who are making a purchasing decision.
• It’s a sales platform that works for you literally 24/7. If you aren’t at your computer answering emails at 2am, your social media channels can help provide information and insight while you’re dreaming away. And with shoppable feeds becoming a huge thing, customers can even purchase directly from you on social media.
• It’s an opportunity to connect directly with a broader audience. You can only reach so many people in person at one time. When you have a post that takes off and reaches 10,000 people – try to envision how many people that really is by picturing them all in one room. That’s a lot of eyes on your business. Additionally, when someone DMs you or comments on your posts, you literally can tap through to their profile and get to know more about them instantly, allowing you to understand how your product or service may be relevant.

Okay, so social media is important. What platforms should I be using for business?

We could write a book on this, but unfortunately, it would become dated within months. As it currently stands, here are a few great places to start and why we recommend them:

• Instagram. Despite the recent updates giving us deja vu (hello, TikTok clone), Instagram is a very versatile platform with a wide customer base and business-friendly features. You can do a combination of photos and videos, you can utilize stories to give a more casual look into your brand personality, and you can set up shopping features that allow customers to buy directly from your feed.
• TikTok. Believe it or not, on a personal level we were late adopters to this one. But we’ve seen the growth happening on TikTok and the effectiveness of what happens when customers stumble upon businesses that they absolutely LOVE, and there is no question that this is a great place for businesses. It works for both product-based business and service-based businesses in the B2C AND B2B spaces, and it is no longer just the “Gen Z dancing platform”.
• LinkedIn. If you are a B2B brand or a business that relies heavily on maintaining professional staff, then LinkedIn is an important place to be. This is the social media network for professionals, and thankfully over the years has become a lot more fun. There are a lot of opportunities to create thought-provoking and valuable content to get your business name out there in a positive light. It also provides a great opportunity to network with others in your industry, your customers’ industry, or complementary industries.
• Facebook. While Facebook isn’t growing as rapidly these days, we usually still suggest it since many still use Facebook to check business hours and find contact information.
• Pinterest. Pinterest has always been underrated. This platform is especially effective for women, but this is a visual search engine. You can find loads of information, products, and inspiration in virtually every industry. It is also an expectation that everything you share will link back to your website! The shelf life of your content tends to be much longer on Pinterest than it is on other platforms. Since it is a search engine, your audience is generally highly targeted.

Does my business need to be on every social media platform?

Your business definitely does NOT need to be on every platform. There is a reason that the businesses you see utilizing every social media channel have a full-time in-house team or utilize a full-service agency like ours – social media is a lot of work! (But here are some of our favorite tools to make it easier!)

Instead, we’d suggest if you’re managing things yourself, start on one or two platforms. Usually, you can choose ones that are easy to repurpose content between with minor tweaks – like Instagram and Facebook, and Instagram Reels and TikTok. As you start developing a rhythm for it, you can continue adding more platforms or you can start outsourcing your social media!

Make managing your social media as simple as possible. Jetpass Media works with sports and travel brands through our suite of curated services including content creation and marketing consulting. Reach out to learn more about how we can support you.