From millennials to baby boomers worldwide, social media is a valuable resource for business advice. With so much content available, it can be overwhelming to find valuable insights. We’re here to help you navigate the most popular social media sites for the best advice.
Facebook Is by Far the Most Popular Social Media Platform for Entrepreneurs
If you’ve been an entrepreneur for any length of time, you know by now that Facebook is about so much more than just cat memes, friends’ baby pictures, and political squabbles between your relatives.
First of all, if you’ve listed yourself as an entrepreneur, CEO, business owner, or the like on your Facebook profile, you’ve probably already been met with the litany of B2B advertising reserved especially for small business decision-makers.
Once you’ve officially let go of any naive notions of separating personal from business on your Facebook newsfeed, check out a few of our favorite pages worth following.
1. Cleverism
Whether you need a daily dose of inspiration or simple and practical advice. Cleverism’s Facebook page is an excellent go-to for entrepreneurs in the startup scene. Check them out to gain practical insights into business planning, marketing, and even product development tips.
2. Fast Company
Fast Company believes innovative businesses can change the world. Follow their Facebook page for the latest business and tech news, expert analyses, and trends affecting your industry.
3. Gretchen Rubin
In business, success relies on habits. Building great habits is key for entrepreneurs. Influencing customers’ habits is crucial for product integration. Online, Gretchen Rubin provides tools for creating effective habits with a calm and serene approach.
4. Jay Baer
Jay Baer is a prominent entrepreneur with a strong online presence across various platforms. His Facebook page serves as the central hub for his top work and valuable insights. Known as an expert in digital marketing, Jay is a reliable and helpful friend to have.
5. Seth Godin
Entrepreneurs should read Seth Godin’s blog daily for valuable insights in short posts under 300 words. His blog has inspired and guided many to make significant changes in their businesses.
Seth is not active on social media but shares daily blog links. Despite this, he is popular on social media and his discussions on Facebook and Twitter are insightful.
6. Strive Masiyiwa
Econet Wireless CEO Dr. Strive Masiyiwa is a top social entrepreneurship expert, offering guidance for entrepreneurs aiming to make a positive impact. He focuses on supporting African Philanthropreneurs and provides a platform for networking and learning on his Facebook page.
Bonus: The Secret Team
If you dig around, you may or may not also find a group somewhere on Facebook. Where some pretty brilliant entrepreneurs are gathering to network and share insights that aren’t always available on their public profiles. But of course, if such a group existed, we wouldn’t link to it—because it’s a secret.
LinkedIn: Social Media for Professionals, Where Entrepreneurs Should Be
We get it—LinkedIn is kind of boring. The audience is pretty straight-laced. There are very few cat memes, and the entire platform tends to reek of stuffy corporate America.
But LinkedIn is a valuable platform that has its place in popular social media. And there’s actually fantastic content being shared and connections being made on the site. Here are a few groups and influencers worth checking out on LinkedIn.
7. Angel Investor Group
If you ever hope either to be an angel investor or to find an angel investor for your business, LinkedIn’s Angel Investor Group is highly regarded as a very worthwhile resources for an inside look into the world of angel investors.
Although the group can be selective about who it accepts. So be a conscientious contributor and don’t spam with product or investment information. But if you take the time to thoughtfully participate, this LinkedIn group offers incredible opportunities to learn about financing and make valuable connections.
8. Band of Entrepreneurs
We all know that entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. Whether you’re starting out the journey solo or have a few team members but feel the isolation of being “in charge,” it can be helpful to have a group of peers who just get it.
Band of Entrepreneurs is a non-profit organization on LinkedIn that provides resources in various areas like public relations, technology, finance, marketing, and legal assistance. They also offer mentoring and training for aspiring entrepreneurs. Join this group to be part of a supportive entrepreneur community.
9. James Altucher
The internet has countless business experts sharing tips for starting and running a business, but few are as candid as James Altucher, who openly discusses his mistakes and failures.
Altucher creates valuable content for entrepreneurs by mining his most challenging life experiences. His LinkedIn page features his top writings and a supportive community of followers eager to engage with his insights.
Instagram Isn’t Just for Influencers and Food Photos, It Can Be a Great Tool
Out of all the most popular sites for entrepreneurs, Instagram stands out as its own special breed. A departure from the traditional industry news, case studies, and expert advice found on Facebook, Twitter, Medium, and more, Instagram’s focus has a decidedly motivational twist.
When you’re all worn out on the “how to” pieces and just need some good ol’ fashioned encouragement, check out these Instagram accounts to get your inspiration on.
10. Andrew Cashin
Instagram user @cashy911 shares humorous and insightful content about business and success. Despite using cliches, the motivational memes are powerful. Show us data proving otherwise.
11. Andy Frisella
Andy Frisella is a no-nonsense entrepreneur with a blunt and gritty social media presence. Follow him for a raw perspective on business and motivation. Check out his Instagram for cool cars and funny bulldogs.
12. Zig Ziglar
Sometimes being an entrepreneur is hard, and you just need a good inspirational quote to get yourself through the day. Zig has those in large supply on his Instagram feed. And since he’s “one of Earth’s most quoted leaders,” you can bet these kicks in the pants will probably do the trick.
Mediums
Recently, Medium has revolutionized blogging by making high-quality content from entrepreneurs and influencers easily accessible to everyone, unlike in the past where you had to subscribe to individual blogs.
Here are a few of our favorite influencers and brands you shouldn’t miss on Medium:
13. Biz Stone
Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, is now the CEO of Jelly, another company he co-founded. He shares valuable insights and experiences on Medium, making his content a must-read for fellow entrepreneurs.
14. Buffer
This startup is setting a new standard for transparency in business management. Joel, Leo, and their team openly share their successes and failures, making them a valuable resource for entrepreneurs.
Want to know what other CEOs in Silicon Valley make, or what they pay their employees? Not sure how to define your business values, or what the fallout of that process may be? Buffer has been there, done that, and written about it—both on Medium and on their own Buffer blog.
15. Robert Scoble
Do you want to see the future, and know how it will impact your business? Infamous Apple collaborator Robert Scoble is always on the up-and-up with what is coming in tech—not just in the next two years, but in the next two decades!
If you want to imagine what innovation will bring to the next decade of tech and the world at large, let Robert Scoble’s Medium blog be your personal crystal ball.
Periscope: Live Social Media Interactions
Periscope stands out for its live interactions. You can connect with business influencers in real-time, getting a raw and unfiltered look at who they truly are.
Unfortunately, that can make for quite a few Periscope channels that are flat-out boring or hard to watch. However, here are a few notables worth following.
16. Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca’s Periscope channel is a valuable resource for those interested in investing or attracting investors. As an early backer of Twitter and Uber, and a regular on Shark Tank, Sacca is an expert at recognizing and nurturing successful business ventures.
17. Kim Garst
Kim Garst, a pioneer of Periscope, shares tips on using livestreaming for business growth.
18. Mark Shaw
Mark Shaw, with a British accent, is known for his blunt advice on business and social media. Unlike other influencers, he doesn’t follow a strict schedule, only going live when he has valuable insights to offer.
Snapchat Has a Wide User Base That Is Often Overlooked by Businesses
Like high school, social media has its own Prom Queen, and this year it’s Snapchat. Influencers in startups are now embracing Snapchat to offer a genuine peek behind the scenes after pressure from early adopters.
Here are a few of the originals that helped build Snapchat into what it is, as well as a few more recent advocates of the platform who can demonstrate how to make use of its spontaneous and authentic interactions to elevate your brand.
19. Brian Fanzo
An early Snapchat user, Brian Fanzo is a friendly expert with a loyal following for his brand, iSocialFanz. He offers authentic social media insights.
20. Gary Vaynerchuk
Follow Gary Vee for inspiring entrepreneurship stories on various social media platforms like Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, and Medium. His candid and unfiltered content will make you smarter and more motivated.
21. Peter Shankman
Peter Shankman is a new Snapchat user who shares fitness tips, social media advice, and glimpses into his life as a solopreneur. Don’t miss out on seeing his cute toddler in his snaps.
Twitter Is Used for Everything: Politics, Jokes, Trolling, and Even Marketing
Depending on who you talk to, Twitter is either the internet’s best 24/7 cocktail party—or that obnoxious roach that just refuses to die. Even as someone new pops up every 6 months or so to announce Twitter’s impending doom, a strong faction of loyalists are eager to defend the value of sharing a vision of the world in 140 characters or less.
If you’re an entrepreneur who happens to also be a Twitter apologist, you’ll be in good company following these fellow enthusiasts:
22. Ali Brown
A serial entrepreneur, business mentor, and mom to twins, Ali Brown is an incredible resource for women launching their own businesses. On Twitter, Brown shares success tips, offers highlights from her women’s entrepreneurship podcast, and discusses topics relevant to female business owners.
23. Heather Whaling
Heather Whaling is a valuable person to follow for women in entrepreneurship and public relations. She shares expert tips on marketing and PR in the digital age, providing a real-time view of running a growing business.
24. John Jantsch
As a long-time marketing consultant for small businesses and the author of the popular Duct Tape Marketing blog, John Jantsch knows a thing or two about bootstrap marketing for up and coming businesses. Follow him on Twitter for a steady stream of his best marketing advice.
25. Rand Fishkin
To succeed in promoting your business online, learning about SEO is essential. Follow Rand Fishkin on Twitter for valuable tips on web optimization and insights from his tech startup journey.
26. Tony Hsieh
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh tweets controversial business ideas challenging traditional structures. Opinions vary on whether his ideas are genius or nonsense, but they highlight different approaches to running a business.
YouTube Is the Cornerstone of Marketing With Millions of Active Users
When you’re an entrepreneur, time is money. So if you’re going to spend some time kicking back and watching TV, you might as well learn a thing or two for your business!
From business tips and training to building practical skills, here are some of the best YouTube channels out there for entrepreneurs.
27. Adorama TV
When starting a business, you probably know you need strong visual imagery to convey your brand—but you might not necessarily have the budget for a professional photographer!
New York’s Adorama offers tutorials on their YouTube channel Adorama TV for beginner photography, including tips for using just an iPhone. These tutorials are a valuable resource for content marketers and entrepreneurs.
28. Behind the Brand
Behind the Brand is a YouTube channel offering expert interviews and behind-the-scenes tours for entrepreneurs to learn from successful businesses.
29. ProjectManager.com
A good idea is not enough for success. Tools like Trello and Asana can help with project management, but the person using them is key. ProjectManager.com’s YouTube channel is a valuable resource for new business owners.
30. Savvy Sexy Social
Learn social media for business with Amy Schmittauer’s Savvy Sexy Social. Her videos are entertaining and informative, making it easy to stay engaged and learn.
31. The Rise To The Top
David Siteman Garland, a “mediapreneur,” assists individuals in developing and selling digital products and programs online through his YouTube channel, The Rise to the Top. His practical advice helps users expand their online audiences, produce quality content, and monetize their digital offerings effectively.
If your product or service is primarily digital and you’re building your target market almost exclusively online, this is a channel worth checking out.
Keeping Up With the Most Popular Social Media Sites for Entrepreneurs
“Wow,” we hear you saying, “with so many awesome resources for entrepreneurs on so many different social platforms, how can I possibly keep up with them all?!”
We’ve listed top social media sites for entrepreneurs to follow, featuring favorite influencers, publications, and resources with presence on multiple platforms. Don’t panic!
You don’t need to check every social media platform for great advice. Follow these experts on your preferred channel for valuable resources to help your business.
