Social media is a vital marketing tool, particularly for small businesses, however, not all social media platforms are created equal. Each platform attracts a different kind of audience, all with their own ways of using and engaging with social media.
So how do you decide which platform is right for you and your business? Here are some things to consider.
1. Your audience
Your audience is the most crucial element of your social media. Knowing who your audience is and their social media preference is key to growing an engaged and interested following. Once you’ve identified your audience – You can read more about that here – it’s worth looking at user demographics and activity for each social media platform. This will ensure that you’re not wasting your time on the wrong platform and enable you to create an account where your content will have the most impact.
2. Your business
The nature of your business, your products or services as well as your brand voice and what makes sense for your business are all things that need to be considered when creating a social media profile. For example, brands with a strong visual aesthetic will perform better on sites such as Instagram, while businesses targeting other businesses (also known as B2B) should prioritise LinkedIn.
3. Your competitors
Auditing your competitors’ social media will give you an idea of what platforms they’re using, how successfully they’re using them and how engaged their audience is. If a competitor is underperforming on a particular platform then it can give you an idea of what to avoid. Similarly, if they are doing well on a platform then it’s worth investigating the platform’s user demographics and activity to see if you can achieve similar results.
4. Your social media goals
It’s important to choose the social media platform that best aligns with your social media goals. To do this you need to think about how you want to use social media to help develop your business.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Do you want to drive sales and attract new customers?
- Do you want to grow your audience and raise brand awareness?
- Do you want to generate audience engagement?
- Do you want to spread a message?
- Do you want to use social media as customer support?
Knowing your social media goals will help you choose the most appropriate platform to achieve them. For example, if you want to use social media to drive brand recognition then Instagram would be your best option, but if you want to use social media as a way to communicate with your audience and provide customer support services then Facebook or Twitter would be more appropriate.
“It’s important to remember that you don’t need to be posting everywhere. It’s better to save your time and energy, and focus on posting onto a platform where you know your audience are spending time – so don’t feel pressured into using platforms just because.
– Social Media Manager, Chloe Hales
Struggling with your social media? Charlie Puffin Digital can help. Drop us an email at [email protected] or call 01462 558537 to book your FREE discovery call today.