How to Choose a Social Media Platform

So–you’ve decided to dip your toes into social media for your business. Great idea! There are a ton of reasons  why social media benefits brands all over the world. If you’re currently weighing your options on which one to choose for your business, you’re in the right place! Keep reading to learn how to choose a social media platform.

What’s The Best Social Media Platform for Business?

Well, that depends on your business. What works for one may not work for another. So, let’s take a step back. What you really should be asking is—who is my target market?

Who’s Your Target Market?

Your target market designates almost all your marketing strategy, from how you craft your message, to where you place it and when.
You can probably define your target market(s) already, but for an effective social strategy, try to be as specific as possible. What age? Gender? Where do they live? What are their hobbies? What are their spending habits like? Are they price-sensitive? You get the picture.

A Breakdown on Social Media Platforms

We all know about the most popular social media platforms—pretty much everyone from your niece to your grandma is on Facebook; LinkedIn is for the professional folks; Visual learners live off of Pinterest; millennials can’t peel their eyes away from Instagram and Snapchat.

If you want to leverage social media for your business, it’s important to see your brand through the eyes of your target market. These stats from Pew Research Center will help put things into perspective:

So Many Choices, So Little Time!

We live in a world where social rules the internet, and the internet rules the world. There are a lot of social avenues for businesses to reach people. You don’t have to choose just one social platform for your brand, but you also don’t need to have ’em all. Just choose what’s right for your business or organization, whether it be starting with one or two and working up to three or four or starting with five (as long as they’re relevant to your target market).

Not All Platforms Are Created Equal

If you decide to go with multiple platforms, we advise against pushing out the same content at the same time on every platform. Remember—each platform is a different. Treat them that way.

Experiment with the best time to post to each network. Take a look through your social analytics to see when your audience is online and what time they’re engaging. Optimize your copy for search engine optimization (SEO) by using some good keywords. Don’t forget to use relevant hashtags on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+.

Okay, So What’s Next?

Now that you’ve defined your target market and chosen your social media platform(s) for your business, you can create your profile/page and start pushing out your awesome content!

Plan your content 3-6 months in advance and put it in an editorial calendar.  When working through your social media editorial calendar, don’t forget these three key social mantras:

1. What’s your message? You’ll need to adapt and communicate this appropriately for each platform and target. Your message will define your tone and support your brand image.

2. What are your business goals? Always tie your social strategy back to your overarching business goals. This will help you plan and structure your content.

3. What is your budget? Promoting your brand content to a specific target group (by geographic location, job title, interest group, etc.) is imperative for content visibility and social SEO. We recommend allocating a budget at least for Facebook ads. Your business may also benefit from: LinkedIn ads, Twitter ads, Yelp ads and Pinterest ads.

If you’re looking for a recommendation on a social media platform for your business, or anything on social media content, budget or strategy, drop us a line! We’re always happy to chat.