Social media platforms can help startups cultivate their brand and expand their reach to customers that may not have otherwise reached through more traditional marketing means. But different social media platforms require different approaches.
Although there is no formula that guarantees companies a strong social media presence, there are some platform-specific tips that can be helpful. Here, co-founders from four Wayfinder startups share their experiences building and maintaining their companies’ presence on the internet.
1. Instagram: Constant content with a mission
Companies and users on Instagram are constantly competing for attention. One way to stand out, according to Kristine Smith, co-founder of Brevvie, a rental services company, is to educate users about a startup’s greater mission with a constant stream of content.
“Producing valuable ongoing content is a tedious task but a necessary one,” said Smith. Rather than only posting information about the company, Smith said that Brevvie uses its Instagram to promote sustainability and the benefits of renting and returning products versus owning them.
2. Facebook: Engaging specific audiences
Unlike other social media platforms, Facebook allows users to create and join online communities based on their interests. This, according to Roland Polzin, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Wing — an artificial intelligence-powered digital assistant for small businesses — can be advantageous for startups looking to build their social media presence.
“Facebook groups are a great way to engage with very specific audiences,” said Polzin, as such a feature can help companies more directly communicate with their target audience.
3. LinkedIn: Online networking
A feature unique to LinkedIn is the ability to see other users’ activity on a general news feed. If a company tags a person or organization in a post, users who follow those people or organizations will get notified, putting the company’s post in the news feed of potential customers. Liliana Montes, co-founder and CEO of Coast, an app designed to help users organize and find ideas for day trips, expands her company’s reach by using this particular LinkedIn feature to Coast’s advantage.
“We reach new audiences by tagging organizations, locations and people to tap into their LinkedIn networks,” said Montes. Collaborations between other companies and LinkedIn users can help drive traffic to an account, she added.
4. Twitter: Finding balance
Twitter’s immediacy lends itself to occasional informality, even from accounts that belong to companies and professionals. Esteban Alvarado, co-founder of Project Unicorn, an app for startup networking, said that his company reflects this culture in its Twitter account.
“By creating organic content that shares the mission of what our company believes through fun casual tweets as well as informational and professional tweets, we are growing our following by giving our followers something they can truly get behind,” said Alvarado.
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Main graphic: Kate Wokowsky