Social Platforms & Your Business
Have you ever sat in front of the same social media platform every day and thought, “Is this the best platform for my business”? Today, we’re giving you 3 questions to ask yourself to help you narrow down the best social media platforms for your business.
What are your goals?
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When it comes to social media for your business, you should set goals that you’re working towards. Selling products? Building awareness? Becoming a thought leader? You could accomplish all of these goals on any platform, but some are better than others for specific goals. Selling products works well on platforms that allow you to sell directly in the platform, like Instagram. Building awareness is great in a place where an algorithm will get you in front of new customers, like TikTok. Being a thought leader can be accomplished effectively through Twitter or LinkedIn, depending on the topic that you’re an expert in. Pop culture – Twitter. Business analytics –LinkedIn (although I’m sure there are some great 240-character quotes about analytics)!
Where do you already spend time?
Along with understanding your goals, understanding where you already enjoy spending time. If you’re reading articles on LinkedIn and Facebook, then you’re likely already more familiar with the type of posts that you would click on. Your potential customers may not be exactly like you, but there are bound to be some similarities including using similar social media platforms. Additionally, learning new social media platforms can feel overwhelming, so using platforms you’re already comfortable with will make you more confident when posting and engaging on social media. There is a caveat to this method…
“...using platforms you’re already comfortable with will make you more confident when posting and engaging on social media.”
What platform complements your business?
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If you’re in an industry that generally does better on a specific platform (e.g. photography for Instagram), you should aim to be present on that platform. You can work on building your activity on that platform after you’ve established a solid plan for the platform you picked in step 2. People may think “why be where everywhere else is? Wouldn’t it be saturated?” True market saturation is pretty hard to find in social media given algorithms, explore pages, and hashtags that users can follow. It could benefit your business to be on a platform where others in your industry are already present so new, already engaged customers will find you easily. For instance, if you host a podcast and decide other hosts are on Clubhouse, you could pop into rooms of other hosts and join in on the conversation (especially if it’s a topic you’re an expert in). Similarly, posting on Instagram with hashtags that already have a following means that at some point your content will get in front of individuals that already show an affinity for that particular hashtag or type of post.
Ask yourself these 3 questions to determine which social media platform you should be on. As always, reach out if you’re having trouble – your first consultation is free!