Social Media 101 for Businesses – Where To Begin

Facebook. LinkedIn. Instagram Instagram, a widely popular social media platform, allows users to share photos and videos with their followers. Founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the platform quickly gained traction due to its user-friendly interface and emphasis on visual content. Instagram provides various features such as filters for enhancing photos, Stories for sharing short-lived content, and IGTV for longer videos. With a robust set of tools for both personal and business accounts, Instagram enables users to connect, engage, and build communities around their interests and passions. The platform's integration with other social media networks allows for seamless content sharing across multiple channels, making it a versatile tool for digital communication and marketing. As a result, Instagram has not only become a hub for social interaction but also a critical component of many companies? digital marketing strategies. . YouTube. Twitter. Snapchat. TikTok. Which social media channels are best to use for your business? 

Using social media strategically can be an excellent tool for every business. The keyword here is “strategically.”  It should be used hand-in-hand with your website.  Social media is rented land but you own your website. 

Creating and maintaining a social media strategy for your company, first and foremost, involves planning. Every post should be intentional and intentionally timed.

If you need assistance in creating a successful social media strategy for your business, Intrada can help. Utilizing the best social media channels for your business and creating engaging content that you house on your website will generate interaction and provide the best Return On Investment Return on Investment (ROI) is a key performance metric used to evaluate the efficiency or profitability of an investment. ROI quantifies the return generated on an investment relative to its cost, expressed as a percentage. This metric helps businesses and investors assess the financial benefits of various projects, investments, or marketing campaigns, enabling them to make informed decisions on how to allocate resources effectively. Calculating ROI involves dividing the net profit generated from the investment by the initial cost and then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage value. Understanding ROI is crucial for business strategy, financial planning, and performance assessment, ensuring that investments align with the overall goals and deliver value. of both time and money. 

Where to Start? A Social Media Audit

Intrada recommends beginning the process by performing a social media audit. By answering our 4-step social media audit questions, you will be on track to creating a successful strategy.

1. Who is your target audience and what social media channels are they on? Review your target audience and what channels your competitors are using. Your audience will determine what channels you use. If you are currently posting on Facebook and your audience and competitors are on SnapChat, you may want to rethink where you devote most of your content creation. It is best to focus your efforts on a few.
2. What are your overall social media goals? Brand awareness? Business growth? Obtaining more leads? If you are looking to grow your business, post about successes. If you are looking for brand awareness, create content around who your business is, what it can do for clients, and how it got started.  
3. What is your budget?  Are you looking to spend money on paid advertising or just general posts?
4. How much time can you or your team focus on social media?  Do you have one person devoted to social media or several?

Once you review the questions above, the answers will help you understand how and why you are using social media. Answering these questions is crucial in developing an overarching successful social media strategy.

What’s Next? Selecting Your Channels

Once you have your target audience, you need to decide which channel(s) are right for your business.   While there are many social media channels, we will discuss the ones used by most of our clients which can also benefit you.

“We recommend all of our clients have at least a Facebook and a LinkedIn page,” states David Steele, co-owner of Intrada. “This helps with your website’s SEO Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of enhancing a website's content, structure, and technical elements to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). Unlike paid advertising, SEO focuses on organic (unpaid) search results, aiming to attract more quality traffic to the site through search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. SEO encompasses a variety of strategies, including keyword research, on-page optimization (such as optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and content), link building, and improving site usability and speed. By aligning a website's content with search engine algorithms and user intent, SEO helps increase the site's relevance and authority in search engines' eyes. Effective SEO can lead to higher rankings, increased web traffic, and better user engagement, ultimately contributing to the site's overall success and reach. and is just something businesses should make sure they do.”

Facebook has over 3 billion active users. Currently, it is the largest social media channel.  While Facebook typically has a reputation of its users being an older audience, the channel’s largest audience is 25-34 year-olds, with the 45 and older age group not too far behind.

LinkedIn is a business networking site, and unlike Facebook which is a business-to-consumer channel, LinkedIn is mainly business to business. It is best suitable for growing your network, connecting with industry experts, and finding qualified candidates for your team. It is also extremely useful for entrepreneurs and startup companies looking to get their names out there.

Instagram Instagram, a widely popular social media platform, allows users to share photos and videos with their followers. Founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the platform quickly gained traction due to its user-friendly interface and emphasis on visual content. Instagram provides various features such as filters for enhancing photos, Stories for sharing short-lived content, and IGTV for longer videos. With a robust set of tools for both personal and business accounts, Instagram enables users to connect, engage, and build communities around their interests and passions. The platform's integration with other social media networks allows for seamless content sharing across multiple channels, making it a versatile tool for digital communication and marketing. As a result, Instagram has not only become a hub for social interaction but also a critical component of many companies? digital marketing strategies.  is all visual. It has over 1 billion users (most 25-34 year-olds) and, with the right type of content, can be a channel many businesses can use to market themselves successfully.

YouTube has over 2 billion users and is video-based, so if your company creates video content, you need to be on YouTube. YouTube videos vary in length from a few seconds or minutes to hours.  It is a great place to store your company’s video library.

Pinterest Pinterest is a popular social media platform that allows users to discover, share, and save ideas through visually appealing images and videos, known as "Pins". Launched in 2010, Pinterest quickly became a go-to resource for inspiration on a wide range of topics such as home decor, fashion, recipes, travel, wellness, and crafts. Users create and curate themed collections called "Boards" where they can save Pins that capture their interests or project plans. Pinterest operates as a visual discovery engine, enabling users to search for ideas using keywords, and providing personalized recommendations based on their activity and preferences. The platform's unique algorithm tailors the content feed to align with each user's interests, making it an engaging and personalized experience. Businesses leverage Pinterest to boost their brand visibility and drive traffic to their websites by creating compelling visuals that resonate with their target audience. Pinterest offers shoppable Pins, which allow users to purchase products directly from the platform, enhancing the e-commerce potential for businesses. Through features like Pinterest Analytics, businesses can gain insights into user engagement and behavior, enabling them to refine their marketing strategies for better reach and impact. Pinterest's combination of creativity, inspiration, and practicality makes it a valuable tool for users seeking fresh ideas and for businesses aiming to connect with a visually-driven audience. , like Instagram Instagram, a widely popular social media platform, allows users to share photos and videos with their followers. Founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the platform quickly gained traction due to its user-friendly interface and emphasis on visual content. Instagram provides various features such as filters for enhancing photos, Stories for sharing short-lived content, and IGTV for longer videos. With a robust set of tools for both personal and business accounts, Instagram enables users to connect, engage, and build communities around their interests and passions. The platform's integration with other social media networks allows for seamless content sharing across multiple channels, making it a versatile tool for digital communication and marketing. As a result, Instagram has not only become a hub for social interaction but also a critical component of many companies? digital marketing strategies. , is all visual. Users (vary in age and are 60% women) create boards to post various types of content along with photos and images, from recipes to home projects to fashion. With over 400 million users, this may be a perfect channel for your business if your business is visually-driven.

Twitter should be used for real-time communication – a place where news is shared. The channel’s active users are 70% male.

Snapchat has a much younger demographic base so if your company is targeting teens and young adults, this may be an excellent channel for your business.

Tik Tok also has a much younger demographic base (but growing), but all of the channel’s content consists of short videos users can share.

Recap

• All companies should have a Facebook and LinkedIn page.
• Facebook is the largest social media platform, focuses on personal interactions, but is useful for connecting with customers, if approached correctly.
• LinkedIn focuses on business-to-business connections.
• Instagram Instagram, a widely popular social media platform, allows users to share photos and videos with their followers. Founded in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the platform quickly gained traction due to its user-friendly interface and emphasis on visual content. Instagram provides various features such as filters for enhancing photos, Stories for sharing short-lived content, and IGTV for longer videos. With a robust set of tools for both personal and business accounts, Instagram enables users to connect, engage, and build communities around their interests and passions. The platform's integration with other social media networks allows for seamless content sharing across multiple channels, making it a versatile tool for digital communication and marketing. As a result, Instagram has not only become a hub for social interaction but also a critical component of many companies? digital marketing strategies. and Pinterest Pinterest is a popular social media platform that allows users to discover, share, and save ideas through visually appealing images and videos, known as "Pins". Launched in 2010, Pinterest quickly became a go-to resource for inspiration on a wide range of topics such as home decor, fashion, recipes, travel, wellness, and crafts. Users create and curate themed collections called "Boards" where they can save Pins that capture their interests or project plans. Pinterest operates as a visual discovery engine, enabling users to search for ideas using keywords, and providing personalized recommendations based on their activity and preferences. The platform's unique algorithm tailors the content feed to align with each user's interests, making it an engaging and personalized experience. Businesses leverage Pinterest to boost their brand visibility and drive traffic to their websites by creating compelling visuals that resonate with their target audience. Pinterest offers shoppable Pins, which allow users to purchase products directly from the platform, enhancing the e-commerce potential for businesses. Through features like Pinterest Analytics, businesses can gain insights into user engagement and behavior, enabling them to refine their marketing strategies for better reach and impact. Pinterest's combination of creativity, inspiration, and practicality makes it a valuable tool for users seeking fresh ideas and for businesses aiming to connect with a visually-driven audience. are visually-driven social media channels.
• Twitter should be used for distribution of real-time news.
• Currently, Snapchat and TikTok target teens and young adults but their demographic is growing as older individuals are beginning to flock to the site.

And Now…Content

Now that you answered Intrada’s social media audit questions and have an idea of what channels to post on, you need to deliver good, engaging content.

“We recommend creating a social media content and frequency calendar,” adds Steele. “It does take time to do this, but it is well worth your effort. And if you have the dates and content ready to post, you can schedule it using a social media platform tool like Social Pilot or Hootsuite to keep you on track.” 

How Can We Help?

Intrada’s Digital Marketing Team Senior Marketing Strategists Rachel Edwards and Nicole Keiner would be happy to help create your business’s social media strategy. 

We will help you conduct your social media audit, hone your target audience, and help develop goals and creative content to produce a successful social media marketing strategy for your company - all while staying within your budget and time commitment.  We can discuss each social media channel in more detail, review their pros and cons and see what works for your business.  Contact us today to learn more by calling 800-858-5745 or filling out your information below.

Resources
www.sendible.com
www.sproutsocial.com 
www.hootsuite.com