Top Social Media Sites for Business

Top Social media networking sites for business use – what are they?

A vital instrument of online marketing is social media networking sites. Various social media techniques can be used for promotional purposes, but which Social Media sites are best for business?

The answer depends on which sector you are operating in and your target audience. Before choosing a social media site for business and launching social media campaigns, carefully conduct research in order to recognize which social media sites suit your business best. There are a wide variety of tools available online to conduct research, one of the most used and reliable is provided by Google ‘Google Trends’.

It can be confusing at first if you are new to the world of social media marketing to decide where to start. We have developed guidelines to direct you.  Our research shows that any business seeking to secure a position in the digital marketplace should use social media sites Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn since these are the top social media networking sites for business.

No matter how advanced technology has become, people still consider the recommendations of others before buying services or products, word of mouth marketing. This kind of marketing is very powerful and now also encompasses  social media, word of mouth recommendations on sites such as Facebook and Twitter feeds etc., to aid their decision.

Facebook

Facebook is one of the most well known and used social media sites. We can say without a doubt that Facebook is one of the most visited websites and has a vast online community. Facebook provides online marketing tools, making it easier to approach your target audience and to develop marketing campaigns. A first step in using Facebook is to develop a Facebook page that allows your customer to ‘Like’ the page, post their views & reviews about products and services and provides a platform to promote and inform your customers about your latest offers.

See for more details on how to use Facebook for business:

http://www.salford.ac.uk/business-school/business-management-courses/mooc-search-social-media-marketing-international-business/facebook-business-page

Twitter

Twitter started as an online tool to keep in touch with friends, but has now also become a full-scale business marketing tool. The community of Twitter is built upon following others and getting your own followers. Twitter allows tweeting short messages of 140 characters and is a great platform to quickly update your followers and others with new offers and news etc. It can also be a great way to converse with your customers and increase your website traffic. Since Twitter is an open platform, #hashtags can be used to convey your message to the wider community. A hashtag allows your tweets to be seen not only by your followers but also those who are interested in the topic you have tweeted about.  For instance, if you use a hashtag with your product name then anyone interested in your product will be able to see your tweet regardless of whether they are following you or not.

See for more details on how to use Twitter for business:

http://www.salford.ac.uk/business-school/business-management-courses/mooc-search-social-media-marketing-international-business/how-to-use-twitter

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is categorised as a business oriented social media networking site that aims to aid professionals and form a list of connections. Companies can develop contacts with clients and gain mutually beneficial expertise. It can also be used to find highly skilled employees as LinkedIn is used by a large community of freelancing job seekers who are ready to offer their extensive skills to a company.

More on the use of LinkedIn here:

http://www.salford.ac.uk/business-school/business-management-courses/mooc-search-social-media-marketing-international-business/how-to-use-linkedin

Free online course in Search and Social Media Marketing for International Business

Learn how to maximise Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn in this Search and Social Media Marketing for international business course – visit http://www.salford.ac.uk/business-school/business-management-courses/mooc-search-social-media-marketing-international-business