More teenagers are leaving Facebook for other online platforms that feature images or videos and give them more control over who can be their friends. Based on a new Pew Research Center survey, only 51% of US teens are using Facebook. By contrast, 69% of US teens were reported to be using Snapchat, 72% Instagram, and 85% YouTube.

To truly understand their customers’ purchasing habits, all content marketers have to do is follow the clues left on social media platforms. By doing this, they can send the right content to the right audience and increase conversions and sales. Here’s what you need to know to utilize social media to your business’s advantage.

Businesses in the digital age rely on a strong online presence to stand a chance against stiff competition. This explains why many SMBs are turning to social media marketing. And with platforms like Facebook with a global audience of 1.8 billion users, the time to leverage the right tools to your advantage is now.

Many small- and medium-sized businesses are abandoning traditional marketing methods in favor of social media platforms, and for good reason. Take Pinterest, for example, whose latest product “DIY Promoted Pins” allows businesses to promote their Pins to increase click-throughs, improve reach, and potentially drive more website traffic.

Many small- and medium-sized businesses utilize some type of social media or content marketing strategy. But since your competitors are possibly using similar platforms, you have to constantly find new ways to make your company stand out. Here are some tips to leverage the power of social media and content marketing to your business’s advantage:

Come up with and implement a media crisis management plan
It’s normal for businesses to go through a crisis or two.

The 21st century is the age of social media, with a plethora of outlets available, users are spoilt for choice. Business owners are faced with the same dilemma, between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and about thirty more - which one should they invest in? It’s important that the platform is simple, interactive, and touches base with numerous users with every post.

Behind the application is the business, and behind the business is the need to drive revenue. With Stories, Instagram aims to capitalize on their platform and the enormous consumer reach it has -- an impressive following of over 600 million monthly active users.

Failure to understand your customers’ needs and wants could result in ill-informed marketing strategies. And when your company can’t satisfy their demands, they’ll likely turn to your competitors instead. To prevent this, deploying a customer relationship management (CRM) system can make a world of difference.

Small business marketing has often been a difficult endeavor for small business owners. Marketing involves a great deal of time, effort, and can require significant financial investment. For a long time, marketing automation was something only enterprise-level businesses and corporations could afford, but with new technology, that’s no longer the case.

The use of social media for marketing is practically inescapable at this point. And for good reason: companies gain access to increased visibility, more sales opportunities, and more opportunities to define their brand. But why limit your business to a few of the most well known options? The internet is full of useful social media platforms, and we want to let you know some of our favorites.