The days of social media being just for kids and students have long passed.

The demographics have shifted and now nearly every person on the planet is connected to some form of social network. This connection hasn’t gone unnoticed, being able to connect with people is an invaluable tool — and businesses have taken note.

Social media plays a huge role in how strong a business’s online presence will be.

It offers a multitude of platforms to reach, engage and build connections with your audience. The internet is like a massive ocean that is growing bigger everyday. The more active social accounts a business has the bigger their “net” is in that ocean. With anyone and everyone putting their content online now, creating an active social media presence is essential in standing out.

Each social platform has its own different advantages and disadvantages. You must decide which platform or platforms are going to be most useful for your business.

Here is a breakdown of just a few of the platforms and some of their advantages.

Facebook: This is by far the most popular social media platform with 1.79 billion monthly active users, no matter your business the majority of your clientele will have a Facebook and this platform should always be used.

Twitter: Viral posts are often started on Twitter through “retweets,” as “hashtags” can help a post to gain momentum. “Retweeting” posts from other users is a good way of increasing your own followers.

Instagram: This platform also uses hashtags and is great for spreading engaging, visual content. This platform isn’t necessary for all businesses but for ones who offer visually pleasing products or appealing, exciting events.

Selecting which platforms to use is only the first step.

The next step is to keep these accounts active with new and relevant content each week. We have all seen that Facebook page that has one or two posts from when it was created three years ago, and then nothing after it. These pages don’t usually have a large following and are not easily found. If they ARE found, it will likely do more harm than good, as it makes the business look less reputable and credible.

An active page on the other hand has a large following and has three to five posts a week about relevant information for their audience. Prompt responses — through likes and comments — that engage with the followers is also crucial. A majority of the posts should always include links to the business’s website. Each post helps to expand a business’s net and if done correctly that net will catch new clients and bring them back to your site where they are looking for your services.

If your social networks are used properly it can help your business stand out in the massive online ocean and help attract clientele to your brand and products.

Social media marketing is just one of many digital marketing topics on which we’re experts and we at Get Found Fast have developed a new seminar series called The Digital Download to help you discover the true digital marketer within yourself. Learn more on how to bring that marketer out and start to enhance an online presence for yourself, your company or your brand. Join us to learn how to master the techniques behind getting lead generation, improving your website and growing your online revenue.