There are over 200 well-known social media sites, according to howmanyarethere.com. Some of those have millions of users-billions in the case of Facebook. Your business is just a grain in the rice bag.
But fear not, here are some ways to make social media work for your brand:
Choose Wisely
It's not a wise idea to attempt to have a presence on too many social platforms. Each platform works differently than the others, and should be treated exclusively to get the most out it. Treating things completely takes time and care, so unless you have a dedicated person or team for social media (and a reason to have a presence on a lot of sites), choose wisely. Social media is like a baby-don't pop out octuplets without you have enough food to go around. Most brands can find use out of Facebook and Twitter, and for a lot of smaller brands, those two will be enough to give you a presence in the social world and not take up your whole day. Brands that sell very visual or mainly inspiring products such as retail stores, vacation packages, etc., should absolutely be on Pinterest. Pin like there's no tomorrow. There are plenty of other popular and useful sites like LinkedIn, Google+, YouTutbe and a handful of others that are worth looking into. The key here is to choose the social networks that are right for your brand, and have a strong presence on them.
Drive Website Traffic
One of the most valuable things to come from using social media is the ability to drive traffic to your website. This can be done in a variety of ways. The most effective ways are by linking to your website's blog posts or other content, and by running contests / giveaways that have a hosted landing page on your website.
Engage Often
Using your chosen social media sites daily will create a larger following, and a stronger presence. By monitoring and posting frequently, you can interact with fans, customers and total strangers to keep the conversation going or get it started. It's a great additional customer service tool for any brand, and a great way to keep up with trends.
Be Diverse in Media, Consistent in Voice
"The best thing you can do in all the confusion is keep your message crystal clear across all networks. will help you reach your audience no matter where they spend most of their time-even if it is 40% of the work day on Facebook … "
Being diverse in media will allow you to hit a wider variety of your audience with their preferred media types. Mix it up-link to blog posts, post photos, how-to videos, infographics, or whatever will engage your audience. No matter how you choose to say it, keep your personality consistent. You've chosen your company's voice for a reason, so keep the message clear.
