Which social network to choose for the field of activity of your company?
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube … Which of these web giants is best suited to a restaurant, a publishing house, an insurance company or even a fitness club? The possibilities are undoubtedly numerous when you want to choose the ideal social network according to the activity of your company. Being active on at least one of these platforms is essential if you hope to carry out your digital communication strategy. They are powerful tools that allow you to develop your brand image, gain qualified traffic and boost your sales. But should we neglect more discreet sites, such as Creditor Twitch? Do they also allow you to reach your market and community on the Internet as closely as possible? In order to know which social networks to use according to the sectors of entrepreneurship, a brief overview is necessary.
Key figures and summary table: the essentials to know to choose the ideal social network according to the activity of your company
According to the digital report published by We Are Social and Hootsuite in January 2021, 49.6 million French people are active on the networks, i.e., 75.9% of the population of France. They devote an average of 1 hour 41 minutes to it per day. It’s a huge market just a click away. Taking full advantage of it requires first becoming familiar with the specificities of each platform. Not all offer the same features. Beyond the concept of profession, they must be considered with regard to the persona, the means and the objectives of the company. Before addressing these areas of reflection, here is a summary structured according to the main professional fields. It allows you to have a global idea of which social network to choose to make yourself known. If all can be useful, the fact remains that some are to be preferred more than others. It is also preferable to select only one or two at first in order not to disperse and to benefit from the repercussions of its social media verification service.
Facebook: the proximity giant at the service of all trades
Facebook is a tool cut out for most entrepreneurial sectors, especially those of B to C. Popular, this pioneer of the Meta group is as essential as it is competitive and time-consuming. Between the approximately 70,000 professional pages, paid advertisements and a demanding algorithm, getting a good place there takes time, but it’s worth it. It is a useful social media to manage:
- the promotion of its business;
- the federation of its community around centers of common interest;
- publication of multimodal content;
- its customer relationship through Messenger;
- highly targeted advertising campaigns.
Instagram and Pinterest: aesthetics invites both decorators and tilers
Instagram is the digital temple of images and influencers. For its part, Pinterest presents itself as a visual search engine. These are the spearheads of web marketing related to sales, housing, gastronomy, crafts, beauty or fashion. But any business can use it to their advantage if they take care of their photos. They win:
- additional visibility of their e-commerce;
- significant traffic to their website;
- great opportunities to develop their personal branding;
- the opportunity to share their daily lives via Instagram stories;
- a better SEO referencing thanks to the optimization of images;
- standby sources.
Twitter: the little digital bird that sings the news of all businesses
It is the network of instantaneity and real-time information. If being visible on Twitter is a powerful notoriety lever, the risk of bad buzz is the counterpart. Its good use requires a spirit of synthesis, a tweet being limited to 280 characters. Responsiveness is key here. All areas of entrepreneurship can establish there:
- a news feed on their activity;
- their authority through retweets;
- effective information and competition monitoring;
- online after-sales service;
- targeted communication using hashtags;
- a viral marketing strategy;
- control of their e-reputation.
LinkedIn: the reference professional network for B to B
LinkedIn is used by over 80% of B2B and B2B marketers. The recent change in the algorithm and the cost of advertising make it difficult to stand out there. But this platform remains essential in the use of social networks for professional purposes. It is used to develop:
- labor relations;
- business partnerships;
- the company’s image;
- its customers;
- qualified traffic to their site.
YouTube: the path to success whether you are an electrician, guitarist or cabinetmaker
This search engine acquired by Google is aimed at all pros provided they know how to reference a YouTube video. This type of content is the most popular with Internet users, but remains underused in the world of work. The potential is therefore substantial. However, it requires a certain mastery in terms of technical production. This support offers:
- an opportunity to improve its natural referencing;
- gain visibility and authority by answering questions asked by users;
- audience loyalty thanks to channels and subscriptions;
- the possibility of providing as much information as possible on its products and services.
TikTok and Snapchat: a springboard for offers aimed at teens and young adults
We publish short and playful videos. TikTok positions itself between visual and musical influences while Snapchat plays on the ephemerality of its content. These two universes appeal to influencers and are conducive to viral publications. They are useful for all companies that surf on trends and whose offer is mainly aimed at young people. These represent the majority of subscribers. Vigilant communication is therefore often required. Combined with a bit of scenography, it allows you to:
- promote its products in an original and relaxed way;
- stimulate the interest of its audience with entertaining content;
- share behind the scenes of his activity with his followers.
Twitch: from gaming to cooking, with live, it’s in the box!
On Twitch, the game has only just begun and the future looks bright. It is much more than a space reserved for gamers and geeks. The channels are more and more diversified: recipes, DIY, music, sport, personal development, well-being… Everyone has a place, subject to teaming up with live video. To invest quickly for:
- promote it by collaborating with an engaged community of streamers;
- reach an attractive audience through relationship marketing.
More confidential sites: a good complement when looking for which social networks to use according to the sectors of entrepreneurship
Halfway between a social network and an online forum, Reddit gives visibility to publications based on user votes. Mostly English-speaking, they are 100 million per month to be active there. All areas of activity are represented. Self-promotion is badly perceived there, but when the link of its content goes up to the top of the news feed, it is the guaranteed jackpot for its web traffic. Although discreet, this platform is a real trend incubator.
Quora
Quora is a site that allows you to ask “how to…” type questions. All entrepreneurs can therefore be present there from the moment they are able to provide relevant answers. Mainly Anglo-Saxon, this community is growing in France and deserves to be considered to expand its communication plan on social media.
Medium
Medium is used to publish texts without character limit. All professionals can take up the pen. It is the ideal social network for those who have a fiber of author, thinker, dreamer or even philosopher and poet. They will find a quality, but confidential audience among certain circles of technology, journalism or the written media.
Video
Now called JDN Video since its acquisition by the Journal du Net and the Figaro group, this French network is mainly intended for networking. It promotes transparency by offering to leave opinions between users. The latter are mainly SMEs, middle managers, technicians, salespeople and artisans.
Choosing the ideal social network according to the activity of your company is a key step in web marketing. The expertise of a social media manager can be very useful in ensuring success. That said, the first thing to focus on to be visible on the Web remains the diversification of the means implemented. A well referenced site and a successful e-mailing strategy are good examples. In this context, collaborate with an SEO Web editor or a community manager takes on its full meaning to develop an online business. Once the digital ecosystem is solidly invested, it then becomes relevant to turn to lesser-known or even niche platforms. 21 Buttons, Houzz, Discord, Bloom Time, Farmr… There are many specialized social networks. There are so many specific and original communities to discover to intelligently refine your presence on the web!
