Which Social Media Sites Should You Really Be On?
You know by now that social media is a must for business. It’s not just nice to connect with potential customers online, and showcase your company culture – it’s absolutely essential. However, you’re busy with running 
a department or even an entire facilities management company. How can you fit a social strategy into your already packed schedule? By wisely selecting only the platforms that will bring you the highest ROI for your time. Social doesn’t have to be a time-consuming beast. Here’s a brief overview of the top six most popular social sites we think you should consider.
Who Is Using What?
Your main goal is probably to reach potential customers, current customers and to connect with your employees. However, it’s nearly impossible to reach those goals if the sites you’re on don’t line up with the sites your target audience is on.
Here’s a breakdown of the number of monthly active users for each network as of March 2015.
- Facebook: 1.4 billion
- LinkedIn: 330 million
- Twitter: 285 million
- Instagram:300 million
- Google +: 300 million
- Pinterest: 70 million
You also should take into consideration the age group of the largest number of active users for each site.
- Facebook: 25-34 years old (30%)
- LinkedIn: 30-49 years old (30%)
- Twitter: 18-29 years old (35%)
- Instagram: 16-24 years old (40%)
- Google +: 18-24 years old (40%) also (80% male)
- Pinterest: 18-29 years old (30%) also (80% women)
Some additional statistics to consider is how often each platform is being accessed by its users.
- Facebook: 70% use daily
- LinkedIn: 15% use daily
- Twitter: 35% use daily
- Instagram: 50% use daily
- Google +: 10% use daily
- Pinterest: 15% use daily
What does all of this mean? Before you stop reading and go update your Facebook, there’s more to consider than just numbers. Clearly Facebook is the winner when it comes to solely selecting based on statistics, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the BEST choice for your business. While this information should be taken into consideration, your own brand and industry will weigh heavily on the decision you make. Here’s a bit more on what makes each platform great.
The King of social media has been around since February of 2004, this power-house social site is one that most businesses have at least a small presence on. Facebook is used by many to present their lives to the world, and showcase who they are and what they do. This also applies to facilities management businesses. Facebook is the perfect place to share albums of that office renovation, or to share updates and notices of construction road closures or holidays observed. Even though Facebook isn’t as business-oriented as the next site on our list, if you don’t have a presence here it can often lean negative. Social users have come to expect some sort of activity from reputable businesses on here in particular.
Deemed the professional’s network, LinkedIn is great for those working to advance their career or their company. Since most people use the site for strictly networking and business relationships, you’re going to reach people when they’re already in a business mindset. This is the ideal site to share job openings, your facilities management skills or links to your previous work. As a FM company trying to reach other businesses, this is probably a site you should seriously consider. From LinkedIn Groups to finding potential customers through your current connections, LinkedIn is a strong contender.
Twitter almost came out of nowhere. Originally, people we’re confused as to the platform’s purpose. Who 
wants to hear your every thought in 140-characters or less? However, Twitter turned out to be one of the best ways to send out information quickly. Users found that they received news and updates faster while using the site than by checking the actual news. Twitter has become a place to share the latest content and what’s happening in your industry. While some experts suggest business users should tweet upwards of 10X per day, simply tweeting on a regular basis that’s more realistic to your situation can also ensure your followers you’re dedicated to them. Try tweeting twice per day instead.
The youngest of our top six, Instagram is owned and operated by Facebook. Heavily visual, Instagram is popular with a much younger audience, and brands who are marketing to teens and twenty-somethings find it very useful. Facilities Management companies shouldn’t shy away from it completely. The site is the best in the business at showcasing images. If you find your Facebook page is completely image-based, Instagram may be worth the extra effort. This may be a site you consider adding later on, once your social following is strong.
Google +
Relatively new in the social world, Google + is a bit trickier to define. While great for improving your search results through organic search, Google +’s social impact is still being determined. This site is mainly young working males, so if that’s who you’re tying to reach – it could work! It also depends on the industry you’re serving. For example, 95% of top US law firms have a Google + page. If this is a common client of yours, this is a platform you should definitely be active on.
A favorite among women, Pinterest is rapidly becoming a place where people come to search for things (sometimes before they even go to Google!). With rich visuals and an interactive display, it’s easy to see why people spend so much time on the site. However, for a facilities management individual, it may not be your best bet. It is worth noting that Pinterest does beat many of the other options in terms of how long visitors spend on the site, and how long posts are seen. With Facebook & Twitter, posts are seen by those individuals who are on the site at that very moment, up until about an hour later. With Pinterest, people constantly repin your content, so it is circled back through the feed reaching new audiences.
Which ever sites you choose to invest your time in, remember you can always experiment to see which is the best fit! Social demographics and usage rates can change, so staying up-to-date will only help you expose your company to more potential tenants.
