Social media was not as common a term 15 years ago as it is today; however, social media has revolutionized how we communicate, receive information, and the way that we interact with one another.
What started as a way to share more about your life online has now become a part of our daily lives and a considerable part of business. Social media platforms can be used to benefit your business in many different ways and especially your reputation.
Using social media to interact with customers gives them a behind-the-scenes look into your business operations and a place for customers to feel seen and heard, giving you significant leverage over your competitors.
However, just as much as social media can benefit your business and its reputation, it can also be harmful. The internet has given everyone a voice; some use this to criticize businesses, leave negative comments, and destroy reputations.
Reputation is a big deal in today’s world. It can make or break a business, and maintaining and monitoring your online reputation is extremely important because of the speed of the spread of information.
Social media platforms, when used correctly, can significantly benefit your online reputation. Each platform offers something different, so learning how to use them and which is best for your type of business is critical. Misusing social media will only hurt your reputation.
Below are the top seven social media platforms of 2022 and how they can help your reputation.
The Top 7 Social Media Platforms of 2022
The list below is based on the number of monthly average users and how much revenue each platform brings in yearly. Not all platforms are great for business, but it allows you to think of new and exciting ways to have your customers more involved in your business and give you greater leverage online.
1. Facebook
Facebook was one of the first social media platforms and has since evolved from a place to share your latest updates to now enable businesses to have their pages and profiles.
With an average of 2.9 billion monthly users and $85.9 billion in revenue, it is a great platform to start your business group page.
A business group on Facebook allows users to interact with your brand through liking and commenting on posts and getting the latest update about your business.
You can also record live videos on Facebook Live, giving you another way to interact with customers and put a face to your brand.
Interacting with users following your page can help you improve your reputation as you gain their trust. If you think of fun posts or unique ways to involve your customers with your business, they will likely talk about it with their friends, which can be a great way to advertise.
Lastly, Facebook groups allow users to leave reviews for your company. Reviews are critical to managing your online reputation, and Facebook reviews play into that.
2. YouTube
YouTube is one of the most popular video platforms and is often filled with promotional videos, entertainment, and tutorials. Anything you search online will likely have a YouTube video to answer your questions.
YouTube has 2.2 billion monthly active users and generates $28.5 billion in revenue annually. Videos rank high on search result pages and can be a great way to get information across differently.
No matter the type of business you run, creating a simple ‘About Us’ video can give customers a better understanding of your business and what your team is all about. This is just one idea for a video for your business, but the possibilities are endless, and videos will significantly improve your online search results.
3. WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a less traditional social media platform; some may not consider it social media at all. However, it has revolutionized the way that people communicate internationally.
WhatsApp has 2 billion monthly active users and generates $5.5 billion in revenue yearly. It is a communication channel that allows many to communicate via messaging, audio call or video call through wifi or data.
This platform is commonly used internationally, so businesses don’t have to pay expensive international phone fees. It doesn’t benefit your reputation like other social media platforms do, but it is still one of the most used platforms, so if you want to try using it, put your marketing team’s creativity to the test.
4. Instagram
Instagram has the same monthly active users as WhatsApp but generates $25.8 billion in revenue yearly, which is significantly more than WhatsApp.
It is very similar to Facebook because users can comment, like, and interact with posts, but it has some unique features that can generate greater profits for businesses.
Many businesses use the stories feature on Instagram to create a unique interactive experience for their customers where you can link products, use polls, have customers ask questions, and so much more.
Instagram is one of the only social media platforms allowing in-app purchases. So if you have a clothing boutique, there is a tag that you can put on the post of your model wearing a new item, and users can purchase it right from their Instagram feed.
This brings a unique social media marketing approach and can significantly benefit your reputation. Creating a following where people trust your company and find you reliable will benefit your reputation. Also, social media sites, mainly Instagram, rank high on search engine results.
5. TikTok
TikTok is a recent social media platform with a unique algorithm that generates content based on the trending videos and the content you typically watch as the user. Its never-ending scroll is a captivating platform typically filled with a different age demographic than other platforms.
Videos on this platform vary from 15 seconds to 10 minutes, allowing social media marketers the freedom to decide which kind of content will be best for their target audience.
TikTok has 1 billion monthly active users and generates $11 billion in revenue. This is a great platform to turn to if your target audience is younger, and it can be a great place to find influencers who are willing to endorse your products.
It will rank high on search engines like the other social media platforms and creates a unique opportunity for a video to rank in the video tab and on the main page of search engines.
One warning with TikTok is that you have to stay very relevant and trendy. Different videos and audio are trending for only a few days or weeks at a time. It is a fast-paced platform, so hiring a TikTok expert will significantly benefit your company.
6. Snapchat
Snapchat is a social media platform that allows you to take photos and communicate through photos and short video clips that eventually disappear.
They also have a story feature where users can post, and it will stay live for 24 hours. This is not a very common platform for businesses; however, it still has 538 million monthly active users and generates $1.1 billion in annual revenue.
7. Pinterest
Pinterest has 444 million active users and generates $575 million annual revenue. This is an excellent place for businesses to post to, and users can save posts to their own personal board where their friends can see them.
It’s also a great social media platform for paid advertising as the ads look like another post instead of a 10-sec commercial on your video or an annoying banner ad. It is a very organic way to advertise your brand.
Many different users use Pinterest, which can benefit your reputation as much as the other platforms do. It creates a community online for others to follow along with, giving your customers something to look forward to, and it ranks well on search engines.
Anytime you have harmful content trending on your search engine results, posting to your social media or backlinking to social media in other articles and blog posts can help you to get rid of negative search results.
Other Platforms That Can Help or Hurt Your Online Reputation
There are a few other common social media platforms that many users frequent each month. Some of these include Reddit, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Twitter is a great channel to use when communicating essential updates for your company, breaking news, or press release-type information. It’s a fast working channel that allows you to spread information to many people quickly.
LinkedIn is an excellent platform for posting relevant blog-type articles about your company. This is a vital platform for a more professional environment like venture capital, tech industries, large corporations, etc.
Lastly, Reddit can benefit your company, but in many instances, it has been a significant burden for many businesses as users will post one thing, start generating a harmful conversation around your brand, and be subject to internet trolls.
However, with all social media, there are precautions businesses can take to prevent reputation mishaps. Focusing on creating community, generating positive atmospheres, and allowing your customers to be more involved in your business will help you maintain an excellent online reputation.