Many of our clients come to us and they are either trying to be on every social media platform at once (not a good idea), or they’re not really doing anything, and they want to know which ones they should concentrate on for sure.

Facebook

We’ve all heard the stats about ‘if Facebook were a country….’, you’ve probably also heard about the youth leaving Facebook in droves.  The thing is, in Ireland, as recently as March, 63% of people have a Facebook account, with 70% of those using it daily, so it’s not one to overlook – if you are B2C.  

If you’re B2B on the other hand, you don’t need to bother. It’s a place where people come to play and hang out. Do you really want a thought leader invading your lol cats space with things to think about? (no). And that’s why you don’t see a Brightspark Facebook Page. (Although you can check me out personally on Facebook – I leave most of my posts public in a statement to Facebook that I know there is no privacy!).

Twitter

Twitter is the second biggest in terms of numbers of users, and it fits for both B2C and B2B. It’s becoming much more of a place where the average consumer hangs out, not just the reserve of a middle aged male tech elite (which is what it started out to be…). The great thing about Twitter for now is that it’s non-algorithm which means you have a lot of freedom.  I also love the wild westy-ness of running promotions on there, there’s no rules!  And I’m in love with the advertising targeting options.

Twitter is my drug of choice on social media. Find me. I’ve been using Twitter since the start, I nabbed my name, and never bothered grabbing Brightspark.  Now I couldn’t be bothered having two streams, so I just keep it at @maryrose.

LinkedIn

Everyone in business needs a LinkedIn profile, and if your business is B2B, you’ll be needing a LinkedIn Page. No longer the preserve of recruiters, LinkedIn has made big strides in recent times, with Pulse, changes to Profiles, and the acquisition of Slideshare. The company pages are easy to manage and there are increasingly in-depth analytics coming out which means the possibilities are better than ever. LinkedIn ads are good, a bit on the exxy side, but worth it if you want to target very particular business audiences – like all C suite staff from the banking industry for example.

Instagram

The most visual of all the platforms covered so far, Instagram is a great one for retail and food, travel, fashion, and design. If you’re B2C targeting the 18-30’s you need to give it some serious thought.  Even if you’re B2B, if your business can produce great, compelling images there’s nothing to stop you building up a following.

Instagram is a place to show off and impress, it’s a great space to give the back stories behind the campaigns, to bring the team to life, to be a little less rigid with your lens.

Pinterest

It has grown enormously in America since its inception in March 2010, so naturally Ireland is poised to follow shortly. I find we’re usually about 18 months behind. Some Irish brands are already pinning and repinning, again if you’re selling something of beauty, it’s a great place to be. Anyone targeting middle aged women in the US needs to be there!  Our problem has been that we’re getting US traffic for brands that don’t sell in the US, because that is the dominant country there.

Research has showed that Pinterest users are the most affluent and likely to buy out of all other social media platforms. That alone should encourage you to give a few boards a little whirl?

Snapchat

Scratching your head at this one? If your business needs to reach 13-21 year-olds, this is a platform that most of them are on. Fast, whizzy, some say “anti-Facebook” it ain’t for the faint-hearted, but some businesses have done it well. Coupons are a great way to draw in customers and you can have a lot of fun with this one. Check out more of our thoughts about it here and be inspired.

Slidehare & Quora

Two emerging players in B2B, these are platforms you should seriously consider if you want to establish your business as a thought leader in its industry. Slideshare is all about making slides fun (who’d have thought?) and Quora is simply about sharing knowledge and learning new things.

Not only are these two great places to be to speak to your desired audience, you may find yourself getting sucked in by all the amazing content they have.

Forums

Don’t overlook forums, but that’s a whole different story! Some businesses have taken on the likes of Boards and others to be present right where customers are looking for help. Vodafone is a good example. Give it some thought, but don’t think it is a substitute for a social strategy.

It can be a little overwhelming deciding how and where you’re going to participate, and invest in. Remember Facebook doesn’t work anymore unless you’ve got supporting ad spend. Every business is different, as your customers are, so why not give us a call at Brightspark and we can have a chat about what would work for you?