{"id":2345,"date":"2016-02-23T15:04:57","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T20:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/umaine.edu\/undiscoveredmaine\/undiscoveredmaine\/?page_id=2345"},"modified":"2026-03-23T22:07:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T02:07:15","slug":"social-media-tools","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/undiscoveredmaine\/small-business\/resources\/marketing-for-small-business\/social-media-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social media is rapidly growing, offering small businesses an affordable way to reach a wider audience, strengthen their brand, and connect with their community. According to Sprout Social\u2019s 2026 Social Media Statistics Report<\/em>, social media has reached a 93.8% penetration among internet users, with 5.66 billion global users averaging 6.75 platforms monthly. By leveraging these platforms, rural businesses can enhance their visibility, attract new customers, and remain competitive in the digital marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are just starting out on social media, we recommend not purchasing promotions until you have well-established your page. The social media you use highly depends on your target audience, industry, and human capital. If you are unsure where to start, Facebook is a great place to begin, as it has the most users across all platforms and is often a go-to destination for people to discover a business and view up-to-date information on their hours, products, or services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We do not recommend creating a profile across all platforms immediately. Start with one or two, depending on the time and resources you have, and then build from there. In other words, it is essential to maintain consistency across all platforms. Having outdated or no recent posts may indicate to some customers that you are no longer in operation or are not well-established.<\/p>\n\n\n