Goals are not only important in every aspect of your life, but also so necessary when it comes to your business. Without a map, it’s difficult to reach your destination. Planning ahead and setting goals can help you be more successful, efficient, and organized in your business’ journey. The big question is: How do you know what’s right for you when it comes to social media?

Each social media platform has it’s own objective and niche. Sometimes trial and error is the best test to figure out what’s in your best interest. Other times, just doing some research about what each outlet has to offer can give you better insight into what you need to reach your goals. All of the platforms can help with raising brand awareness, get more traffic to your website, and it’s a chance to make and keep your customers happy via communication. With technology booming year after year, it’s important to keep up with trends even when you do have a plan set in place, because being able to adapt and evolve is the only way to keep in demand! The most popular (for good reason) social media platforms being used today are:

Facebook:

Facebook is super user-friendly when it comes to creating and maintaining a business page and they provide numerous tools for you to use right at your fingertips (even an app called “Pages” to use on the go). There are well over a billion (YES, BILLION!) users on Facebook, imagine the reachable market! Facebook allows you to geo-target your posts, advertise, and communicate (among so many other features.) Facebook is really adaptable to any business model and should be a goal of yours!

Twitter:

Unlike Facebook where posts can sit in your newsfeed for an extended period of time, Twitter works at a much faster pace. Since tweets move so quickly through newsfeeds, it requires more and constant interaction from you in order to be seen and heard (and to gain followers). Hashtags and visual media are key necessities that you should plan to use- text only is old news! The Twitter platform is excellent for communicating with your consumers, and a great way to hear them if they have something to say to or about you. If you have the time or resources to hire someone who has time, Twitter can be a great way to get your brand out there.

Instagram:

Instagram is a valuable source to visually appeal to your market. Images and videos are excellent in creating the tone of your brand and give consumers a mental picture of what you’re all about. Hashtags are also great tools of Instagram, which help you target certain keywords. If you write a food blog for example, posting beautiful pictures of appetizing food, implementing appropriate hashtags (#foodie, #eatingfortheinsta, #foodblog, etc.), and creating a call to action all give your audience a clear picture (no pun intended!) of what you’re putting out there.

Pinterest:

Once again, visual media is only growing in trend! Pinterest is a collection of inspiration boards which each user designs and customizes themselves by adding “pins” which are images that link back to a website (Hello Traffic!). There are boards for any topic you wish, making the options endless and not limited to any specific keyword. Every business model can find a way to make Pinterest work, but it does take time, strategy, and definitely creativity.

YouTube:

Videos are everywhere lately- whether they are funny parodies, serious interviews, or instructionals, it seems as though everyone is doing it. Gaining subscribers on YouTube can help drive traffic to your website and keep people interested in what you are offering. If you own a spa or fitness studio, consumers are going to want to see what they should expect before arriving to your center, so why not post YouTube videos giving a wonderful tour of your space? This will help with your SEO also, bonus!

Google +:

Google+ has gained strength over the last few years, connecting networks of people through circles that tie them together by interest. In other words, Google+ can connect you with your perfect target audience. For example, if you have your own jewelry line, you can connect and network with other people who just absolutely love jewelry! Google+ is perfect for finding a niche of people passionate about whatever it is that you are marketing.