By 2019, experts estimate there will be around 2.77 billion social media users around the globe. There’s little question that social media has become an integral part of our everyday lives. We use it to stay connected with friends and family, learn more about the brands we do business with and stay abreast of what’s going on in the news and the world around us. But social media can do so much more than that. In fact, here are seven things you can use social for that you may not have even thought about.
Get a job
When you visit a company’s social media profile, you can do more than just learn about its products or services. You can also learn a lot about their culture and what it’s like to work there. This helps job seekers find roles with organizations that align better with their values. Likewise, hiring managers are turning to social media now more than ever before, not just to share job openings, but to get a better picture of the applicants that are applying.
Manage your time
Ever feel like social media is pulling you away from other important things in your life? You’re not alone. But thanks to recent enhancements to some of the more popular platforms, you can now better manage the time you spend social surfing. For instance, both Facebook and Instagram recently rolled out new features that allow users to track the amount of time they spend using the app, set limits and timers to manage usage and suppress notifications to help stay within those limits.
Launch or grow a business
These days there are companies whose entire online existence is on social platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Other brands use social networking to build connections, create and increase brand awareness, provide additional avenues to receive support or sell products and more. At last check, some 70% of small businesses were using social media. Why? Because it’s easy, it’s affordable and it’s effective.
Support your favorite charities and causes
Social media makes it super easy to support the causes that matter to us, whether it’s through raising awareness or raising funds. Every day, people are leveraging platforms like Twitter and Facebook to share information about the charities or causes they support. And given the fact that the average user has over 300 social connections, this strategy can be highly effective in getting the word out and generating more involvement.
Experience far-away places (without actually traveling)
Most people have a list of places in the world that they’d like to visit at some point during their lifetime. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or resources to be able to travel to all of those places. Social media provides a glimpse into other places and offers the ability to experience different cultures from the safety, comfort and affordability of one’s own home. So, if travel isn’t in the budget, a virtual vacation might be the next best thing.
Learn something new
We tend to think about social media as a fun, relatively mindless pastime, but in reality it can be so much more. For example, students can use platforms like Facebook to create online study groups with their peers. Pinterest is chock-full of educational material, like infographics, that can be pinned and used as a reference. YouTube can be used as a resource to learn more about a product, service or how to do just about anything. There are so many different ways social media can be educational.
Connect with others in real-time (Facebook live)
Ever wish a long-distance loved one could be with you in person for a special event, like a holiday or social gathering? Want to share that concert or event you’re attending with others in your network? Social media platforms like Facebook now offer the ability to stream live, which means you can bring others into whatever it is you’re doing and let them experience it as if they were right there with you.
As you can see, social media can be so much more than just a place to share selfies. With an open mind and a little creativity, the possibilities truly are endless.
What about you? What creative or unusual ways to you use social media in your life?