Nowadays, social media companies have a lot of power and influence, which is part of the reason that so many of today’s largest businesses have adopted social media as a critical promotional tool. With the average person spending about two hours and 24 minutes on social media and messaging applications per day, this makes social media a clear opportunity for any sized business to embrace. Let’s consider a few ways this can be accomplished for these different businesses.

Sole Proprietorships and Startups

For those trying to build a business from scratch, social media is an accessible and cost-effective means of marketing their services—so much so, in fact, that it is the only means many will use to do so. This helps them overcome the budgetary obstacles that might otherwise trip up their efforts.

As a result, 80 percent of new United States business owners make use of Facebook as a marketing tool. While there is a natural limit to how effective these efforts are without the multifaceted strategies that the enterprises use, the various social media platforms available can provide some significant benefits.

Small Businesses

Once a business has established itself somewhat, the possibilities that social media presents expand quite a bit. With a little more revenue coming in, a little more structure can be lent to their marketing strategies and as a result, marketing hubs, content creation, and other initiatives allow them to amplify their messaging.

To assist them in accomplishing these goals, many of these businesses turn to a marketing agency and the services they offer for assistance. In doing so, a business can keep their focus on their actual operations and allow the agency to do the requisite work for them. This makes it easier for the business to balance its production to its marketing and deliver.

While these businesses will also utilize social media to market themselves, they have a greater capability to embrace a wider variety of efforts. As a result, their marketing strategies will frequently use their channels as a means of sharing content meant to showcase what they do and their clientele’s response to it.

Medium-Sized Businesses

The medium-sized business space is filled with those organizations that have some solid name recognition, but that doesn’t mean that they can skimp on their marketing initiatives, either. These businesses often see their use of social media as essential.

Fortunately, these businesses will often have entire departments committed to marketing and advertising that use various analytics to shape the messaging that they send out to their audience, as well as that which is directed toward potential employees. As such, these businesses will also maintain a presence on all the major social networks, funding their endeavors with budgets in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Which Social Media Platforms Cater to Business Use?

Simply put… all of them. Social media companies currently rank amongst the richest companies in the world right now, and they got to be that way because of the influence that marketing on their platforms can have. Regardless of whether a social media network is used to build brand awareness or to promote a product or service, they work. Many, many companies have found success on some social media platforms, such as:

•  Facebook – (1.6 billion daily active users) As the largest social media network with various other platforms under its umbrella, it is no surprise that 90 percent of marketers utilize Facebook in their efforts.
  • WhatsApp – (1 billion daily active users) WhatsApp is widely used all around the world, making it an excellent choice for a business open to international business opportunities.
  • Instagram – (600 million daily active users) The photo-sharing platform has also been an influential option for a marketer’s consideration. Not only is the visual nature of its content engaging, but there are also many influencers on the platform who can help garner a following for a brand.
• YouTube – (149 million individual daily users) YouTube is widely considered the second largest search engine in the world, making it a great resource for a growing business to turn to. Like Instagram, YouTube benefits from the engagement that visual content offers.
• Twitter – (134 million daily active users who can be monetized) The immensely popular Twitter enables individuals inside your business (as well as those who follow you) to share and amplify the content you provide.
• LinkedIn – (303 million monthly active users) As the business’ social media network, LinkedIn makes for an excellent recruiting platform, assisting HR professionals to acquire new talent.

 These platforms aren’t your only options, either. Many have also put the likes of Reddit, Tumblr, Snapchat, and Pinterest to use.

 One way or another, technology—especially social media—has without a doubt impacted industries of all kinds. If your company is currently using social media to its advantage, how is it helping? Leave your experience in the comments to share!