30 Top Social Media Sites to Market Your Small Business Locally


30 Local Social Media Sites to Market Your Small Business Locally

The coming of social media has really been the game changer in the way we carry out business marketing and related activities. Their birth has made custom targeting of prospective customers a breeze. It has enhanced our ability to communicate directly with those we seek to reach.

However, are all social media websites best for business use? Below we disclose to you some of the best platforms to use for your business. Here goes the list.

Local Social Media Sites

Facebook

This is by far the most popular social media website, boasting more than 1.5 billion active monthly users. This platform is particularly great for small business that are looking to advertise products or events.

Yelp

Yelp is the king of reviews. While it might not be structured like may other social networking sites, Yelp has more than 140 million active users. It is widely trusted and having positive reviews and ratings on the site might actually see you acquire lots of new business.

Google+

While it’s no Facebook, the fact that it is a Google product makes it quite attractive. Google has also put in more and more resources into the platform. Its SEO value makes it a must-use tool for any small business.

AngelList

Looking to raise some extra funds for your startup? Well you need to try out AngleList, a social network that connects startups with investors.

Twitter

Twitter’s value lies in its ability for your posts to go viral. You can use the platform to post your business updates, recent news and more. Hashtags play an important role in building your posts momentum so ensure you use relevant hashtags.

LinkedIn

Consider this as your online resume. You can list your business history, core objectives and skill as well as a recommendations from customers. A sound LinkedIn profile might see you win incredible business offers.

Instagram

This platform helps you to eliminate clutter, highlighting your products and services in a very visual way. While it works best with products, you can still use the website to show business accomplishments such as involvement in charity, travel, parties and so on. Use the platform as a push tool to other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Pinterest

Like Instagram, Pinterest is another interesting visual sharing platform. Pin clickable images that lead back to your website. With more than 100 million users, you don’t want to ignore its marketing power.

Tumblr

Though a bit confusing for first timers, Tumblr is a truly interesting tool that allows you to post videos, photos, chats, audio messages and quotes. You can also reblog your favorite posts.

Foursquare

Foursquare is a location “check-in” service that allows your customers to tell the world that they are in your place of business. They can as well share this info with their friends. Like Yelp, this is a must use platform for all small local businesses.

YouTube

Besides being the second largest search engine, this site is also owned by Google and so when it comes to search engine optimization, their videos are more likely to appear on Google’s top search results. Use it also as a feedback platform.

Affluence

Are you an accomplished businessman looking to connect with other industry experts, then you need Affluence. This is more of a private social network where industry experts connect, share information and engage in meaningful conversations.

Quora

This question and answer platform allows you to set yourself as an expert in your field. Offer consistent, credible answers and see traffic to your website increase.

Meetup

Are you trying to extend your event marketing campaigns, network with industry professionals or launch new products? Well, you need Meetup. With millions of users, Meetup is a powerful local networking and organizing tool for small businesses.

EFactor

This is an online community that’s specifically designed for entrepreneurs. It is the largest network of entrepreneurs and boasts over 25,000 vetted investors.

Biznik

Biznik is a community of small businesses and entrepreneurs dedicated to helping each other succeed. It is one of the very few online communities that advocate for collaboration rather than competition.

Ecademy

This is network is dedicated to businesses that are looking to create contacts and share knowledge. It offers offline and online networking events as well as global networking groups. The platform has been around since 1998.

Gust

This site is solely dedicated to professional investor relations right from pitch all the way to exit. The platform provides the right infrastructure for identifying opportunities and managing the investment relationship.

JASEzone

Looking for a business partner? JASEzone is the right platform for you. This platform makes it easy to find both potential customers and business partners.

PartnerUp

Like JASEzone, PartnerUp is an online networking community that allows small business owners and entrepreneurs to find the resources and expertise they need to grow their business. Use the platform to connect with potential advisers and partners.

Focus

This website focuses on helping businesses to make decisions as well as share expertise in functional areas of business.

Reddit

This is a social news and entertainment platform where you can submit content such as text posts and direct link. The site users also to determine the best posts by voting submissions up or down. The best submissions appear on the main page.

Snapchat

Snapchat is an image processing application that has quickly grown in popularity. You can use this application to share promo codes, demo your products or even partner with influencers as a strategy to increasing your brand awareness.

WhatsApp

Use this widely popular instant messaging client as a customer service tool. Use it to quickly pass on internal communication or create a group as a way to advertise your products or services.

Periscope

This is a live video streaming app. Use it to advertise your products, announce new products or as a means to collect feedback from viewers. You can as well use it for tutorials.

BizSugar

BizSugar is niche resource as well as a social networking site for small business owners, entrepreneurs and managers. Use the platform to share blog posts, podcasts, videos and articles among other content. (In the interest of full disclosure, BizSugar is owned by Small Business Trends LLC.)

StumbleUpon

This is a social media bookmarking site that allows users to “like” websites and add them to their profile. This site could help you generate good traffic but you have to make sure you deliver great content that will earn you likes.

Delicious

This is a social bookmarking web service for discovering, storing and sharing web bookmarks. It could prove to be a highly reliable site for tracking all mentions of you or your business in the press or even monitoring competitors.

Digg

This is a news aggregator with a curated front page that selects stories specifically for the Internet audience. Use it to get business news that directly impacts your business.  Digg also supports sharing of content to other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Plaxo

This is an enhanced address book tool for networking and staying in contact. Use it to grow your business contacts.

Laptop Photo via Shutterstock



Antony Maina Antony Maina is a staff writer for Small Business Trends and has been a member of the team for 8 years. Antony covers business and technology and is also a successful freelance writer.