We all lead very busy lives. Too often in meetings, I hear phrases like  “I don’t like Facebook” or “I don’t have the time to play around with all that social media stuff.” The problem with this school of thought is that it will come back to bite you in the long run. Saying you aren’t interested in social media platforms is like saying that you aren’t interested in helping your business grow or garnering new customers. The unique services these platforms offer are distinct and deserve to be noted. 

You use detergent for laundry, Windex for windows, and Pine Sol for the bathroom – even though they are all solutions to help keep your home clean. If you try to use laundry detergent to clean your windows the results won’t be very satisfying. Similarly, you have to maximize the inherent qualities of various social media outlets in order to help your business grow. Understandably, keeping up with your personal social life over the Internet is not a priority. However, when it comes to your business, maintaining a strong integrated Social Media presence is essential and here’s why. 
 
FACEBOOK:
There are 845 million active users on Facebook. 845 million people who are exploring the network and looking for new ways to incorporate users and organizations into their daily routine. If I told you there was a convention in your neighborhood and 845 million people would pass through it, wouldn’t you want to be there holding a huge logo for everyone to see? Use social media to promote your events.
 
TWITTER:
There may be a smaller number of twitter users than Facebook users, but we are still talking about hundreds of millions of people. One of the greatest aspects of Twitter for small businesses is the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) benefits, because they rank higher with search engines than other social media sites. This means there will be more organic traffic being directed to your site. It’s also a great way to showcase a lighter, more personal side to your business. Kristyn Wilcox, our Social Media Guru, says, “Use Twitter as the voice for your brand. Don’t be afraid to use humor and show your followers the people behind the logo.” 
 
YOUTUBE:
If pictures can speak a thousand words, how many words can a video say? Suffice to say, using video to promote your brand is an incredibly effective way to convey the purpose of your company in a short concise way (yes, your videos NEED to be short and concise). Also keyword integration throughout your YouTube channel is a great way to increase SEO rankings. 
 
LINKEDIN:
New to town? Been in town forever? Use LinkedIn to draw traffic as a result of the professional connections you have worked so hard to establish. Using social networking for business growth will work to your advantage. I like to think of LinkedIn as Facebook with a suit and tie on – it’s a great outlet for demonstrating your skills, strengths and services. 
 
GOOGLE+:
According to Wilcox, “I love where Google+ is going. In my opinion, I just feel like it’s not quite there yet.” But like any great idea that takes time to develop, the sooner you are integrated the sooner you will benefit when it does develop. Google+ is not a ‘mom and pop’ type of outlet, it’s Google. You know, the largest search engine out there. I think that’s all that needs to be said. 
 
Still not convinced?  Get in touch with us to speak with one of our team members and we can give you even more reasons why using all the Social Media platforms is vital to the growth of your business. Want to know more about some of the other platforms out there that can be used to get out your brand? We’d be happy to give you the run down!