Digital advertising has long since eclipsed legacy media and the disparity only continues to grow. A large part of this is the way that new, exciting possibilities for online marketing are always arising. In 2022, social media is going to be bigger than ever, and accordingly, it represents a key channel to connect to customers. However, each social media network has its own quirks and benefits to keep in mind as you grow your business' presence.
Facebook
Facebook is the titan of social media, with close to three billion users as of the end of 2021. It has an incredible global reach that makes it an invaluable tool for online companies, eCommerce, and more. However, maintaining a good Facebook page is worthwhile for any sort of business.
Keeping a business page for a restaurant, law firm, or other local company can help people quickly find information about your company. People of all ages rely on Facebook to find addresses, phone numbers, and other information about businesses in their area, and you can even set up bots to handle customer inquiries through the website. Furthermore, making value posts on Facebook gives your company all sorts of opportunities to build relationships with the public.
Facebook is an all-around excellent platform that your business can use for all online marketing purposes. Its incomparable reach makes the platform suitable for brand building, advertising, and much more.
Instagram
Where Facebook has unbeatable reach, Instagram's post engagement is incredible. Facebook engagement per post tends to hover around 0.10% or less. What this means is that if your page has 100,000 followers, you might typically expect 1,000 likes, comments, or reactions on each post. While Instagram is the less popular of the two networks, it has an orientation toward stories and visual content that lends it toward greater engagement. Average engagement runs as high as 0.83% on all posts, while carousel posts achieve 1.08% engagement on average.
These are incredible numbers that underpin the main value proposal that Instagram offers to businesses. While you can use Instagram for customer service and other ends, it excels at engaging followers and building the presence of your brand. While Facebook is suited towards informational content, Instagram is an outstanding choice for stories that resonate with people. Behind-the-scenes looks into what your business is like, introductions to employees, and product spotlights are all suitable for Instagram.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a natural choice for any business. There are more than 30 million companies that use the network, and it provides rich opportunities for meaningful network-building. It can help you connect to your next great new hire, but the usefulness of LinkedIn isn't limited to helping others find you. Rather, you can also connect to the top experts and talent around the world and form B2B connections. These can create possibilities for cooperation, promotions, and all sorts of collaboration that weren't possible in the past.
It's also increasingly expected for businesses and individual professionals to operate a LinkedIn account. Having a professional, informative LinkedIn account helps build the credibility of your brand while making it easier for you to keep up on new trends and professional advances.
TikTok
TikTok's role for businesses is similar to Instagram, except that it leans even more heavily into the fun, informal brand-building element of it. Humorous, light-hearted content has taken over the world in recent decades, and modern consumers want to feel entertained and connected with the companies they choose. Enjoyable, light-hearted content can help your business build a unique connection that 20th-century companies could only have dreamed of.
The unorthodox nature of using TikTok for business is another advantage. Seemingly every business has a Facebook account today, and Instagram is popular as well. However, TikTok's relatively pure entertainment orientation means that most companies haven't begun utilizing its potential yet. Besides the value of building connections with consumers, using TikTok for business in 2022 also gives you the competitive advantage of being ahead of the trend.
Honorable Mention: Alignable
Alignable is newer and smaller than the other networks we've mentioned, but it has a lot going for it that should lead you to consider it for your business. For one, it has a razor-sharp focus on small businesses. Rather than B2B connections being incidental as in LinkedIn, Alignable represents a community of seven million small businesses that focus on connecting with one another.
Much of the emphasis lays on building trusted business relationships, boosting referrals, and elevating brand visibility. By using Alignable, you can broaden your companies' reach and build relationships in your city, state, or even across the nation. The unique value proposal of Alignable makes it our honorable mention for 2022.
While it's ideal to have a strong presence on all of these social media platforms, that may not be suitable or practical for all businesses. You can learn more about leveraging social media, playing to your business' strengths, and keeping up with the latest marketing trends by following Today Creative.
