Social Media Companies 

Some sites which are best known and prominent in use and business potential.
You do not have to work with all. You may not gain any business advantage in working with any.
Knowing what is there is important. Knowing how to use it is what we can do for you.

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Facebook

The biggest and most prominent of the Social Networking sites. Its purpose is to become a global medium with revenues and profits. The opportunities to interact with its many profit-making aspects do exist for businesses. The question is whether the general social user wants to be a constant target of advertising. Brand engagement is an absolute opportunity. Note - evidence from surveys going back to May 2016 indicate that generation "z" and new millenials are tiring of adverts targeted at them.

"X" - (Twitter)

Twitter (now X) started with the concept of linking "small aspects of human interaction." Its initial interplay was based on the question; "what are you doing". And many are keen to give a running commentary on their lives. Its commercial uses come from short interesting messages. And informative communications which aid customer services. It has paid for services "the Twitter Card" to promote your business within the network

LinkedIn

LinkedIn - is defined as "a network which links business professionals" and has a premium service which opens up the network for commercial interaction.  It is often promoted as a way to "connect" your business to others. The question is whether this is really a "networked opportunity" or just nuisance value.

There are ways to use it wisely and we can identify how best to maximise the opportunity. And it owns SlideShare, which is defined below.

GooglePlus

Google Plus RIP - Google's second attempt to compete with Facebook, started in 2011. (Previous concept was Google Buzz.) It offered a similar development of contacts and friends typical of all social networks. Its more unique aspects came from how you could configure groups and enable online meetings. And there were Google ranking points available for those who used it.

The sad reality was that it never took off in the way Google predicted. It failed quietly and was terminated in 2019. The business version - G-Suite - was being replaced about the same time.

It is an example of "never being too big to fail". But Google is continuing with Google Chat (started 2023).

YouTube

The original video sharing site. Now owned by Google it attracts more users and views than Google Search. At first videos were limited to 10 minute time slots. Now whole movies are loaded. Like all intelligent advertising going where the market exists means YouTube attracts potential business. 

Vimeo

Vimeo followed YouTube as a video sharing site. Its potential attraction is that it offers a video hosting platform for businesses. It has prising plans but with easy to use features. As video is a tool which helps educate people about your company and product then this is has always been a viable option.

Vine

RIP - TERMINATED BY TWITTER JANUARY 2017

As a memory only...
Vine  was founded in June 2012, and acquired by Twitter. It provided an alternative video sharing opportunity. The system worked through Vine's free mobile app where videos were shot using smart phones and tablets. Each video was restricted to six seconds playing time. Its commercial usage was for quick catchy ads where products were generally promoted to a target "younger" audience.

Instagram

Instagram  is a free mobile app which facilitates sharing images and videos among followers and friends. It was acquired by Facebook (now Meta) for one billion dollars deal in 2012 when it had 100m users. Current estimate of user accounts (2023) is in excess of  2.35bn.

Once just seen as the "video equivalent" of Facebook it is the de facto leading social media application for business. Its ease of use and ongoing development in mobile and video makes it an attractive resource for businesses (2m approx.) to inform customers and developing new accounts. Refer to "Instagram for Business" for use and pricing.

Whatsapp

"WhatsApp"  has been one of the most popular mobile app and communication devices with 2 billion + users. It allows users to message each other free of charge. Companies are using it to communicate with employees as a faster more effective medium than email. You can also use it for making mobile calls even when abroad. 

Pinterest

Pinterest is ostensibly a photo sharing site with little obvious commercial features. However the site has become an opportunity primarily in the retail sector for sharing product images. Currently more women than men use it with mobile usage at some 75% of all users. Pinning your product images to this site can help drive sales for businesses ranging from local to national.

Snapchat

​An image messaging and multimedia mobile application with some 191 million daily active users (June 2018). It gained notoriety for apparently condoning explicit private images and messages - "sexting". Main feature is that any image or message sent will be deleted 10 seconds after view. Changes allow personal archiving ("memories").

To monetise public content is offered together with advertising. Surveys in 2016 showed 71% of users preferred the app for personal interaction, comprising: chat, messaging and images. Only 5% chose public content as their reason for using the app. Whatever the preference estimated views for ads are placed at 500,000 to 1,000,000 times a day.

Main users are the "millennials", so also form the main target for advertisers. Shows an interesting development in social media where users like the "in the moment" aspect of interaction. 

Foursquare

Foursquare is a site for advertising local services. Users will check it to see where to eat, visit, go shopping, or just have some fun. Again it is primarily a mobile app which ties into the rapid rise of mobile technology as the prime means for users making a search. Users can and will share information, and their opinions, about your business. 

Tumblr

Tumblr is a social network website and micro-blogging platform now owned by Yahoo. It receives a lot of views and has some potential for a business where small consistent flows of information, technical or otherwise, is a key part of the sales process. Users post everything from TV clips, to funny photographs, to porn. the strength of its reputation is that many meme posts go viral.

Its recent reported usage is 456.1 million blog accounts (January 2019). 

Wordpress

Wordpress  is the most popular blogging platform and the biggest. Development of a content management system based on an open source platform has enabled it to be used to develop websites and have developers create many applications which can be accessed by users. Technically it is free to use as blog. Realistically you pay £85 per annum to access its better features.

Slideshare

Slideshare is often overlooked but one of the easiest methods of "doing something useful" with your Power Point or Keynote presentations. You can also post PDFs, Word Documents and videos. All of which can be combined for use in an online webinar. As it is part of LinkedIn, you can gain access if you have registered there.

Ultimately the power of social is to whom and how many shares you receive.
The failure to gain any traction comes down to lack of promotion and a sustained effort.
Please note:  posts and likes on Facebook, Twitter et al. do not assist your Google ranking.