The ability to instantly share news, opinions, images and more through social media has had a major impact on the way people live. It’s also changing the way that companies do business. Today, social media marketing can deliver fantastic results and should be considered as a vital aspect of any marketing strategy. However, like any marketing strategy, it needs to be handled with care and forethought. Did you know there over 100 social media platforms globally?
The first step is deciding which social media platforms your business should be active on. With a continually expanding range of options, how do you know which ones are right for your business?
Considerations When Selecting Social Media Platforms
Creating and deploying effective content takes time and resources, so you’ll need to choose wisely when selecting the platforms to utilize in your social media marketing.
There are five main considerations.
- Identify your audience. Determine where your prospective customers are when they’re online. After all, the best content in the world will do you no good if no one who’s interested sees it.
- Define your goals. What do you hope to accomplish by employing social media for business purposes? Some possible goals include improving customer service, learning more about your clientele and their desires, and expanding your audience. Or is it sales, sales, sales. These goals are vastly different.
- Find your audience. Each major platform is different. Some platforms allow text to thrive. Others are more visual. For the best return on your investment, choose a platform that offers your preferred types of content a chance to shine.
- What type of content works best for your business? If images are a major part of your business, then choose a platform that resolves around images. (such as Instagram or Pinterest). If your business is to share information out to your network, then Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn would be a good fit. Of course, we can’t forget about videos. YouTube is a great outlet for videos, but look at us here now. Facebook wants part of that market share also. LOL
- Lastly, which social media platform do you resonate with the most? You can’t force social media. You need to be authentic. If you hate Twitter, then don’t use it. If you can’t stand Instagram, then don’t use it. You’ll come across as a poser and no one wants that for their business.
Exploring the Possibilities
After determining your goals, identifying your audience’s favored locales and considering content types, it’s time to explore the possibilities. Each successful social media platform has carved out its own niche:
- Facebook counts its active monthly users in the billions, which means that it provides potential access to a massive audience. There’s a lot of competition for attention here, but Facebook is ideal for many types of content and a great platform for building relationships.
- Twitter is another platform with a big following, but its real power is immediacy. It’s perfect for reaching out with real-time announcements, breaking news and important messages. Text that’s easily digestible does best on Twitter.
- Instagram has a wide reach, and in the hands of a savvy social media manager, it can be a great branding tool. However, it isn’t easy to redirect users to your website, and the algorithm the site uses to display content can make determining how many users will likely see your content tricky. Instagram is all about the picture, so it’s best reserved for those who can offer quality images and videos.
- Pinterest is another visual social media platform. If your business is well situated to help others visualize your product offerings, then Pinterest should be one of your social media platforms. Engaging customers on Pinterest is easy since you can add descriptions to each image as well as link back to your website.
- YouTube is great for all types of videos. Instructional, informative, educational and so much more. Uploading is easy from many types of devices. Just click the start button and you’re ready.
Are you ready to make social media marketing part of your company’s success story? Design 4 Dot Com can help. Contact us today at 407-491-5214 to find out which social media platform will work best for your business.
