Part 2: The Manifesto Design guide to all those social networks you hear about everywhere, but still all sound the same
Part 2 of our social network guide: In our last blog we looked at Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Now, as promised, we take a look at a further three – slightly more niche – social media platforms. So without further ado:
- LinkedIn
This is the business (social) networking platform, which makes it particularly appealing for furthering the standing of your company within professional circles. Users can follow companies to receive updates from them, including all sorts of things from content blogs to job advertisements. LinkedIn offers some very handy tools to reach your clients on a more professional platform than some of the other social networks. From informing your clients about your area of expertise to showcasing the services or products you offer, this is the network you’ll want to be on.
- Pinterest
Like a bolt out of the blue, 2015 has seen the popularity of Pinterest go through the roof quicker than Charlie and Wonka shot out of that chocolate factory in their (clearly not so great) glass elevator. Pinterest is a virtual pin board, but without the hazard of potentially stabbing yourself in the finger everytime you add to it.
It allows you to ‘pin’ content from all over the internet onto ‘boards’ created by yourself, which other users can in turn follow. You can keep adding content to the various boards you create as and when you come across content you find interesting or relevant. It also allows you to follow others, so you can keep an eye on what your clients are pinning, too. They’ve also just introduced ‘buyable’ pins, which allow users to buy items pinned by companies within their app. How very pinteresting.
- Instagram
Deep breath! Almost there! Last but most certainly not least, there is Instagram. If you keep hearing people rambling on about how they just posted their latest selfie using their new-favourite filters and tilt shift, they were probably referring to their latest Instagram post. The network is responsible for #nofilter becoming a thing, supposedly to show no computer generated wizardry was used in the photos so marked. Also responsible for turning seemingly every smartphone owner into photography experts, this nifty social network allows users to connect and share visual content, browse images posted under specific hashtags and also view content posted in a certain location. If images play a big role in your company’s offering, this could be one for you.
We’ve now covered six of the biggest social media platforms. But remember, you don’t have to use each and every one. It is not about shouting the loudest, anymore; it’s simply about making sure that you’re shouting the right thing in the right direction. Social media is most definitely a fabulous way to help you do just that.
If you would like help deciding how your business could use digital marketing to reach your audience, we’d be happy to sit down with you and advise you on your strategy.
Charlotte Grabowski
