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5 Social Media Platforms Every South African Brand Should Use

Social media has become an integral part of any and every brand’s digital marketing strategy. Not only is it extremely cost-effective, but it provides measurable ROI – which prior to digital marketing, was something few and far between.

With all the social media channels out there, how do you find the time to separate the wheat from the chaff and narrow down your choice to a select few? With great difficultly. But that’s why we’ve written this article – to save you time and effort in the quest of choosing the right social media platforms for your business. But first, let’s look at some of the reasons why your business should be using social media.

Why Use Social Media For Business?

Taking into account that there now more than 4.2 billion active social media users across the world, it’s easy to see why you should be taking advantage of social media. Aside from the reach it offers, there are a few other noteworthy reasons why your brand should be leveraging this form of digital marketing.

  • Humanise your brand
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Increase website traffic
  • Generate leads
  • Boost sales
  • Become a thought leader

Now that we’ve got some more understanding around the ‘why’, let’s get to the part you’ve been waiting for.

The Top 5 Social Media Platforms for Business

  1. Facebook
  2. Instagram
  3. Twitter
  4. LinkedIn
  5. YouTube

Let’s take a look at each platform in a little bit more detail to understand why it made the top 5 list.

Facebook

Facebook made it onto our list for a very good reason – it is the most widely used platform with 2.41 billion active daily users.

From brand awareness and lead generation to website traffic and thought leadership, Facebook is one of those platforms where your business can reach a multitude of goals when correctly used.

Instagram

With over 500 million daily active users, Instagram is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing social media platforms out there.

The photo and video sharing social media app enables marketers to attract engaged traffic with content that builds trust and makes brand ambassadors.  With access to rich analytics and Instagram Ads, this platform is a great option for businesses with and without an advertising budget.

Twitter

Possessing 336 million monthly active users, Twitter is one of the older platforms, but that doesn’t mean its utilization should be underestimated.

Where Twitter shines brightest is its real-time updates that are great for attracting engagement with potential customers through hashtags. By offering insights into topics that are trending, Twitter can help businesses keep their finger on the pulse and remain front of mind with customers.

LinkedIn

If your brand follows a business-to-business model, LinkedIn can be an extremely powerful platform for you.

With 303 million monthly active users, LinkedIn can help you increase your online presence, improve reputation, and establish your brand as a thought leader.  LinkedIn is also an ideal platform to ask questions and gain valuable insights.

YouTube

With 2 billion monthly active users, YouTube is a powerhouse that cannot be ignored.

By using this platform, your brand has the opportunity to share content with a massive amount of people. What makes this channel even more appealing is the fact that it’s owned by Google. This means that YouTube has access to Google’s Ad Platform, granting you the ability to run effective, conversion-worthy campaigns.

At the end of the day, there are a host of social media platforms out there. Among those, the one’s we have listed above are the best social media platforms for business. However, before jumping aboard, you need to understand your target audience, set objectives, and create an effective digital marketing strategy. Without doing this, you’ll simply be casting a wideset net and hoping for the best (which generally doesn’t end well).