Since the advent of social media, its influence on business has grown by leaps and bounds, causing businesses large and small to make it a major focus of their marketing efforts. Without leveraging social media, businesses wouldn’t be able to reach their customers quite as easily or nearly as effectively in our web-centric and socially connected world. As we look forward into 2022, this trend will not only continue, but likely continue to increase due to what is known as social selling. Let’s take a look at what all social media has in store for 2022 and beyond!
The Best Social Media Platforms for Businesses in 2022
From our experience, having any degree of social media presence is worth the time and effort it takes, even if it’s minimal. As for what platforms are the best? Of course that is mere opinion, but since you’re reading this, we might as well tell you our top five! Understand that social media can be used both organically (free!) and as advertising (paid!), so below we’ll give a quick review for each:
Facebook for Business is an easy way to engage with your audience on any topic, and it’s free! By creating compelling posts and engaging with those who respond, this organic marketing tool is a wonderful way to boost your business’s branding and customer service. On the advertising side, Facebook Ads is a great tool that can target specific audiences that might not already follow the business, and point them towards a potential conversion!
Think of Instagram as your storefront display – eye-catching imagery that will grab the attention of a customer and bring them into the fold. Instagram Business Accounts are free, and similar to Facebook, engaging with those who respond to your posts is a great way to build an audience. You can also run ads through Instagram, directing users to specific sales and items of interest. Don’t forget about reels and IGTV: Instagram is not just pictures anymore, and so much can come from a simple video!
Establishing a Twitter presence for your business is easy to do, and its effect on customer service is astonishing! The direct link between user and business has changed the game for many customers, and the stories of customers reaching out with complaints, only to be taken care of by the business, prove that quality customer service now lies within social media! You can also create promoted tweets that are basically advertisements, targeted by demographics and geography. Social selling and customer service in one!
A LinkedIn Company page is a wonderful source of internal and business-to-business social marketing. Throughout the pandemic, many took to LinkedIn searching for like-minded businesses and job opportunities, and the social networking alone is worth the time. As for advertising, LinkedIn excels in B2B connections, so if that is a priority, then LinkedIn is a must!
YouTube
YouTube for Business is also a free platform, and the set up is simple. After creating the channel, the rest is dependent upon the videos you create and if you want to monetize them, as well as pushing for subscriptions. Engagement begets engagement, so staying on top of the content is the priority for YouTube. Advertising is also an option, and like the other platforms, these can be targeted based on location, age and interests!
Which Social Media Platform is Best for Your Business?
This of course depends on the type of business you own or manage, but there is no doubt that Facebook, Instagram and Twitter continue to rank highest in the number of users and actual usage. For branding and interaction specifically, these three currently are must-haves, and no business should be without a presence on them right now. When it comes to platforms such as LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest and others, these are more dependent on the product and target, but could be used just as easily if budget and time allows.
Keep in mind that as trends change, so does the effectiveness of these platforms. As Facebook has recently dealt with some legal fallout, some younger users are looking elsewhere, primarily to Instagram and TikTok. While TikTok is still fleshing out its advertising interface, it’s already in use, and it will continue to evolve based on the trends. In other words, keep an open mind and an eye on the changing trends!
How are Businesses Using Social Media for Marketing Now?
Two words: Social Selling. This is the current buzz phrase for digital marketing, though it’s been happening for a while. As long as businesses have had websites, they have been able to sell directly to their customer base. But as social media evolved, it has fine-tuned that process in such a way that takes away the unknown and leverages artificial intelligence with tried and true marketing practices. Using analytics and insights from social media platforms, businesses can target their audiences to the minutiae of details, offering a better ROI than ever before.
And it’s not just the potential conversions that attract businesses to social media, but the relationships between the customer and the business. Built on a foundation of trust that seemed to have been lost at the start of the tech era, social media has allowed a direct contact that makes the interactions seemingly more personal than previously possible. Influencers carry a large part of this, and to learn more about that, check out our blog Content Marketing vs Influencer Marketing!
Is Social Media Still Relevant for Business in 2022?
As you can see from this blog, we answer this with a resounding “Yes”. While platforms may change and trends come and go, all businesses need social media. Whether it’s to reach their audience to offer information and deals, brand recognition, and/or customer service, social media remains the most effective path between a business and its customer. With no evidence of that changing any time soon, any business not already using social media should consider taking the leap.
It can be difficult for anyone not already experienced with social media to embrace it for business purposes, especially since it started as a social rather than a business platform. But where there’s potential income, there’s always a will and a way for someone to cash in. Once social media was monetized, it only made sense for businesses to get onboard and begin using it to reach a wider audience. If your business hasn’t yet joined the bandwagon, let us help you begin that journey by contacting us today!
