Have questions about social media? Not sure where to get answers?
I’ve pulled together 12 of the most common social media questions I’ve been asked over the years.
Whether it’s the benefit, how much time you should spend, or what type of content to share on social media, here you’ll find answers to your top questions.
If you’re a business owner, brand, influencer, or entrepreneur, these are the answers you need to successfully use social media.
1. What are the benefits of social media?
Social media has changed the way businesses communicate with consumers. It’s no longer necessary for a consumer to pick up the phone to learn about your products or services.
Today, they can find the information they need with the click of a mouse or the swipe of their phone.
Creating a social media presence for your business allows you to connect with an audience eager to engage in a more personal way than traditional media allowed for.
It also lets you meet them on their terms and where they feel comfortable spending time.
Beyond that, social media can:
- Boost awareness
- Create an emotional connection
- Drive word-of-mouth
- Build influence
- Establish trust
- Open doors of opportunity
2. How much time should I spend on social media?
If you’re using social media to market your business, results matter. And results only come when you consistently spend time on social media.
However, spending every waking moment is not necessary. Instead, use your time wisely, rather than falling into mindless swiping, liking, double-tapping, and lurking.
DO THIS!
Spend 15 minutes in the morning, and then the same amount of time on social media at the end of your day.
That’s right, this is all you need to see results. Although, the plan I outline below assumes you already know the value of scheduling your content ahead of time.
An editorial calendar based on your business themes, events, and topics is a strategic way to keep your content fresh, relevant, and timely.
Once you’re posting consistently, here’s how to spend your time on social media:
- 3 minutes checking mentions and comments. Respond to your top 3-5.
- 5 minutes reviewing and scheduling content from your favorite bloggers, news sources, educators or brands.
- 7 minutes networking with 5 people, 2 minutes of this is responding to any replies from yesterday’s outreach. (this SHOULD NOT be spammy)
Now come back at the end of the day and rinse and repeat. I guarantee the last act alone will make all the difference in your social media results.
3. How can I use social media for my business?
Share content, be passionate about your business, and let that shine through across your social sites.
Connect with influencers, ambassadors, past clients, and new customers.
Be consistent in your efforts and never ever engage in negative or disparaging conversations. Social media and negativity are like a moth to a flame.
Create boundaries and know what conversations you’ll get involved with. Always remember, people are watching what you’re doing and saying.
Don’t make a faux-pas you can’t recover from.
4. What are the top social media mistakes I want to avoid?
We’re all human and will fumble. Mistakes are bound to happen. But there are some social media mistakes you can avoid.
- Not double-checking content before it’s posted (edit for errors)
- Forgetting to post and letting days or weeks go without a tweet or post from your business
- Not creating a social media calendar containing your content strategy
- Not having measurable goals in place before getting started
Set aside time throughout your week to plan, schedule, and manage your social media content.
This gives you focused, quality time to work on social media.
Instead of rushing, posting for the sake of it, or worse yet, sharing something that does nothing to support the health of your business.
5. How do I manage my time on social media?
Using tools to help manage your time on social media will help you build your online presence without losing your mind.
Social media automation, when used in moderation, is a smart way to get more done in less time.
Here’s a few of my favorite management tools:
6. How do I choose which social media networks to use?
Social media marketing has revolutionized the way we do business, but that doesn’t mean you need to be on every single one of them.
First, research your market and determine where your target market spends its time.
If they use Facebook, stick with it until you’ve mastered it. Then branch out.
Taking on too many social networks simultaneously will leave you overwhelmed, frustrated, and ready to call it quits long before you see results.
7. How do I create a social media content calendar?
The short answer is yes. The lengthier answer is, no matter the size of your business, you can and will benefit from a content calendar.
Planning your content will help you:
- Maintain consistent posting schedules across channels
- Avoid last-minute rushing to find content to share
- Stop missing out on trending topics due to poor planning
There are two ways to build a social media calendar. One is with a spreadsheet, and the other is with an app like CoSchedule.
Either will work as long as you commit to working your plan.
8. Should I market my business on Instagram?
As we all look to social media for answers to top questions, spending time where our audience is hanging out is imperative.
While Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn might have been your entry point, expanding into Instagram can be equally beneficial to your bottom line.
Why use Instagram for your business?
- Create a personal experience
- Engage through visual marketing
- Tell a better story
- Increase sales and revenue
- Drive traffic
- Gives your audience a destination
Don’t let the idea that you must master photography stop you. The days of perfection on Instagram are long over.
Embrace who you are and what you love!
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Rebekah Radice (@rebekahradice)
(Video) Experts Answer Your Questions From Social Media | Asking for a Friend | UT Health Austin
9. What’s the difference between a Facebook profile and a business page?
A Facebook “Profile” also known as your personal timeline is the standard Facebook experience, representing one person, his or her interests, and his or her connections with other Facebook users.
A Facebook Page is used to brand a product or represent a company, community, or special interest group.
Maintaining a Facebook Page gives you a variety of ways to interact with the users that choose to connect with or “like” your page.
If you’re a business marketing on Facebook, you need a Page. If not, you’re missing out on important tools like Insights, Ads, and Targeting.
10. Is YouTube important to my business?
This question is somewhat related to whether or not social media impacts SEO. While there isn’t a direct impact, it does help in a variety of ways.
- Connects you with the right people
- Gets your content in front of potential customers
- Allows others to support and share your content
- Helps establish authority and credibility
All of that can lead to a larger online footprint, expanded audience awareness and reach, and links back to your content.
So why wouldn’t you want to use a site with over 1 billion hours of video watched every day to grow your business?
YOU DO!
And it doesn’t have to be difficult to produce videos for YouTube.
Whether you sell cupcakes and share how to make a perfect cupcake every time like Cupcake Jemma:
Or you own a landscaping company offering a tutorial on lawn care like the gang at Lawn Crack:
YouTube can bring a whole new audience to your business. Don’t discount the power of video!
11. Why should I use Twitter for my business?
Twitter allows potential customers to interact with you in an informal and casual setting. It’s as if they’re immediately given a VIP pass into your world.
It also enables your business to follow and connect with a specific target audience. Using listening tools like Brand24, you can engage and interact with Twitter users that share common interests.
Think of the information you could gain if you’re asking the right questions…
TELL ME: You’re looking to buy a product and have 2 options:
1. A brand you follow online.
2. A brand recommended to you by someone you trust.Which one do you choose and why?
— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) February 9, 2020
What type of content should you share on Twitter?
- Tweet answers to FAQ about your business
- Share interesting or little-known facts
- Debunk myths that stop your audience from making a buying decision
- Give insight into who you are, what you do, and how you help
- Sneak peek into an upcoming product launch or new service
- Answer common questions about your industry
- Ask fun, engaging questions to get the conversation started
What movie could you watch over and over again?
— Rebekah Radice (@RebekahRadice) February 11, 2020
The sky is the limit!
The most important thing, like all social media, is that you show up often and consistently to build loyalty and trust.
12. How do I use LinkedIn?
While Instagram, Facebook, and other social sites boost visibility and awareness, LinkedIn has a unique business focus.
Creating a LinkedIn profile where business professionals and consumers can find details about your work history, talents, and skills will build credibility and inspire transparent conversations.
It’s also an excellent forum to create thought leadership. Think about the most important topics to your business and translate them into posts.
And no, they don’t all have to be business-related. They only need to be on-brand for you.
What question about social media do you hear the most? I’d love to hear it in the comments below!
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Full disclosure: Links on this page may be affiliate links which means that if you decide to buy, I will earn a commission. 3 things you need to know:I only recommend products I use within my own business, am extremely happy with, and can confidently promote.
FAQs
What is social media answer? ›
What is Social Media? Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. The Office of Communications and Marketing manages the main Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts.
What is the impact of social media in our society nowadays? ›Social Media is relatively a newer technology, hence, it is a little difficult to establish its long-term good and bad consequences. However, multiple researchers have concluded a strong relationship between heavy use of social media platforms with an increase in risk of depression, self-harm, anxiety, and loneliness.
How social media affect our life essay? ›If the use of social media is not monitored, it can lead to grave consequences. It is harmful because it invades your privacy like never before. The oversharing happening on social media makes children a target for predators and hackers. It also leads to cyberbullying which affects any person significantly.
How social media Affects Students Education? ›Past studies have found that students who spend more time on social media sites are likely to demonstrate poor academic performance. This is because they spend time chatting online and making friends on social media sites instead of reading books.
What social media starts with t? ›Twitter – Twitter at its most basic level, is a platform for posting short messages of between 140 – 280 characters. There are around 326 million active Twitter users. Tweet – the name given to messages posted on Twitter.
Why is social media is important? ›It is a valuable communication tool with others locally and worldwide, as well as to share, create, and spread information. Social media can influence consumer's purchase decisions through reviews, marketing tactics and advertising.
How social media affect your personal life? ›However, multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Social media may promote negative experiences such as: Inadequacy about your life or appearance.
How social media controls our lives? ›The purpose of social media is to share your best memories in life to others that you add or follow. But sometimes social media can get out of the user's control and can lead to problems such as drama, bullying, trolling, harassment, and much more. The problem is that we are faced with stress over what they see on IG.
How does social media influence people? ›Social media only continues to grow as a form of communication and entertainment, meaning social platforms get more powerful as their memberships rise. Due to this, social media impacts society in the following ways: Generating visibility around social, ethical, environmental and political views or issues.
What is the most popular social media platform? ›With nearly 3 billion monthly users, Facebook is inarguably the largest and most popular social media platform in the world.
Does social media improve or hurt our society? ›
The truth is that social media can also be beneficial for society. It can help individuals connect and deepen their relationships. Social media also encourages students to learn and grow. And it can empower businesses to build their audiences and boost their bottom line.
Is social media helpful or harmful? ›Although there are important benefits, social media can also provide platforms for bullying and exclusion, unrealistic expectations about body image and sources of popularity, normalization of risk-taking behaviors, and can be detrimental to mental health.
How media is affecting people's everyday life? ›Emotion. Multiple studies have shown that unlimited use of social media causes stress, bad moods and negative mental health. Many people wake up in the morning and immediately check their Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter.
How do social media change the everyday life of a student? ›It is easy to become addicted, and research shows that students who spend too much time on social media can suffer from poor sleep, eye fatigue, negative body image, depression, anxiety, cyberbullying, and more.
How much time do students spend on social media? ›Time spent on social networking sites
As Figure 1 shows, the majority of students (almost 60 percent) spent between one and five hours on online social network websites in a typical week during their first college year. Nine percent reported that they spent more than ten hours a week on them.
Social Media Addiction Statistics Amongst Young Adults
Young adults tend to be the most affected by social media addiction. It is significantly higher amongst young single women. 90% of people aged 18-29 use social media in some form. 15% of people aged 23-38 admit that they are addicted to social media.
Facebook
With nearly 3 billion monthly users, Facebook is inarguably the largest and most popular social media platform in the world.
As a way of creating a different sort of privacy, many teen social media users will obscure some of their updates and posts, sharing inside jokes and other coded messages that only certain friends will understand: 58% of teen social media users say they share inside jokes or cloak their messages in some way.