From being an emerging app that allows sharing photos of puppies in vintage-themed filters, Instagram has transformed into a marketing tool that savvy businesses ought to have. The photo-sharing giant now has more than 500 million users, making it an ideal online marketplace.

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.

Facebook has been used by people to connect and share information for a long time. However, until now Facebook struggled to break into the world of business. The good news is that starting today, the launch of Facebook at Work will make it possible to incorporate social media into your company’s workflow.

Considering the most recent stats of Facebook’s daily usage -- an astounding 1 billion daily mobile users, to be exact -- it’s time to take another look at your company’s page. Even if you’re actively managing your page, changes and updates are so frequent at the social media colossus that there’s likely a feature or opportunity you’ve missed.

Small- and medium-sized businesses are famous for creating innovative solutions that allow them to compete with much larger, better funded competitors. One of the most useful tools to accomplish this is the immensely popular iPad, which with its widespread developer community, has limitless possibilities for SMBs. If you feel like you could be getting more out of your Apple mobile device’s business potential, we’ve created a list of the five best solutions -- let’s take a look.

500+ LinkedIn connections can seem like a lofty goal. You have a business to run, and probably don’t have much time to dedicate to the platform. However, carving out the time to grow your LinkedIn network can prove invaluable as it will provide social proof to yourself or organization and presents the opportunity to connect with new clients.

Social media marketing can be time consuming. You may spend hours upon hours trying to get it right and still see little growth in your followers. So what can you do to be more effective and save time in the process? Here are ten tools that can streamline your social media efforts and even offer guidance.

There’s more to social media marketing than using Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. YouTube has rapidly grown from a small video sharing website for amateurs to the largest online video platform in the world. It offers an incredible opportunity for businesses to reach out to their current and potential clients through personalized, engaging videos.

What would you do if you couldn’t access Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any of the other social media platforms that you rely on to keep you up-to-date with the ins and outs of your friends’ lives, current affairs and celebrity gossip? Would you miss it or would it be a blessing in disguise? If you’re tempted to think the latter, think for a moment about those countries where their citizens don’t have the choice.