Social media can be an extremely effective tool for your business, but there’s always the risk of too much of a good thing. With so many channels to choose from, it can sometimes be overwhelming to figure out which ones are worth your time and energy to focus on. Read on to figure out which platforms work best for your business and its audience.
Does your business need to be on every platform?
No, you don’t need to be on every social media platform. While it may seem like the best way to reach your audience, the reality is that it takes a lot of time and resources, and if time is tight, it’s worth ascertaining which one or two platforms work(s) best for your business.
What is your product?
This is key when it comes to working out which platform(s) will benefit you. If you are an image-led business selling, for example, jewellery or furniture, you’ll need a visual platform such as Instagram. You can play around with colours and styles to make an eye-catching grid, researching hashtags to lead your audience to your content. If you want to post information or lengthy, wordy posts, Facebook is a better option (although please don’t make your content dull!). Video content can convert on most platforms, so you’ll either need to find out where your audience hangs out (see below), or post across Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram and study which works best.
Where is your audience?
Demographic data is gold when it comes to figuring out where your audience spends time. For example, if your audience is young, you may find them on Instagram or TikTok rather than Facebook. Capturing data from existing customers will give you a clue – at the point of contact/sale ask them how they found your business and which social media platforms they regularly use.
What about LinkedIn?
If you’re running a B2B enterprise, LinkedIn could be the platform for you, giving you the opportunity to place yourself as an expert within your field.
Trial runs
If all else fails, post tweaked content on each platform, and see which performs the best. It will take a month or two to get strong enough data to enable you to go ahead with confidence but is worth the time and effort. Do ensure that you post correctly sized imagery with each post – one size does not fit all in the social media world – and optimise your copy according to the platform (Twitter: punchy and concise; Facebook: longer form; Instagram: chatty with hashtags; LinkedIn: more formal).