Does your business suffer from under-listing?

If you feel like your marketing team is doing everything right and still failing to produce the results you (think) it deserves, perhaps you’re not speaking to the right crowd.

Make that crowds, actually. See, Internet users aren’t monolithic. Just as every independently owned business has a unique mix of customers and fans, every social media platform and business directory has a slightly different mix of users and viewers. Your company — and its principals, in many cases — need to get in front of as many different groups of said users and viewers as its resources allow.

Start with these six widely followed platforms and sites. You’ll be glad you did.

1. Facebook

Facebook needs no introduction, and it’s not particularly controversial to say that you need a viable Facebook profile or company page to keep your audience on ice. What is important is that you do more than pay your Facebook profile lip service.

Whether you’re a mom-and-pop business with a single storefront or one of the world’s most popular apparel brands, your Facebook is a versatile enough medium to supplant your company website as your main digital hub. Like any fertile plot, though, it won’t bloom without continuous tending.

2. Medium

Medium is the place to share longform content with committed followers. If you’re pursuing a concerted content marketing strategy, make a point to post at least one original article or multimedia production to your Medium account each week. Yes, even if you have to contract someone to handle the work.

3. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the United States’ top digital B2B marketing property, bar none. If you haven’t already done so, flesh out your company profile and ensure that your key employees’ profiles are linked up too.

4. IMDB

Not a film person? Don’t discount IMDB just yet. This industry platform has far less restrictive listing requirements than most laypeople assume. If your company (or a related entity) has been even tangentially involved with commercial film productions in any form in the past, it may well merit an IMDB profile.

5. Quora

Your followers have questions. You have answers. Your Quora profile should sell your subject matter expertise, no matter your line of work or personal interests.

6. Wikipedia

Wikipedia is among the most widely respected sources of information on the planet, full stop. While you’ll need to follow the platform’s self-editing guidelines closely, there’s no reason not to invest in a professionally produced Wikipedia profile at your earliest convenience. Follow the lead of the Wikipedia page for moviemaker David Mimran’s father by including a detailed bio and comprehensive reference section.

Stay on Those Listings

The actual act of listing your business on these six platforms shouldn’t take very long. You, or whomever you’ve tasked with getting it done, can probably turn up rudimentary profiles on all six in the course of a single morning.

The real work comes on the back end. If you want your organization’s social and directory profiles to have real, lasting impact, you’ll need to work hard to keep them current and lively. That means posting regular updates, media content, and original posts created with your customers in mind. It means updating key company information whenever a change warrants. And it means staying on top of best practices for each platform, or tasking a marketing manager with the same.

No one said it would be easy. But that doesn’t make it any less essential.