If your brand has officially decided to join the 40 million other small businesses that are on social media, congrats! Your business is already one step closer to building awareness, driving revenue, and increasing exposure for your brand. However, the next step is often the most daunting: deciding which social media platform to join. It’s a basic question I am constantly asked, with a not so basic answer.
In a perfect world, a business should establish a presence and be highly active on all platforms. However, just because each platform has its own array of benefits does not mean it will necessarily compliment a brand’s goals, or the kind of content they are sharing. So before you put the massive amount of time and energy needed into creating a strategy for every current social media platform, I always suggest to my clients that they begin with the platform that best enhances their business’s strengths. Become a master of one before you move on to dominating another platform to avoid getting overwhelmed. Before you know it, your business will be seamlessly utilizing a multi-channel digital strategy that ensures that you reach your clients on the various channels that they engage in!
So the question is, which social media tool is right for your business? Checkout my breakdown of the big 5 Platforms:
TWITTER
Twitter is extremely valuable when it comes to staying up-to-date with what's happening in the world. You can use Twitter to build connections with a relevant audience. These connections can lead to actions across a network of loyal customers for your business.
FACEBOOK
It’s a great opportunity for a company to make online sales, get a following around the brand, create a platform where customers can discuss the products. If tracking installs or purchases is something you need to do, this is where you want to post content.
INSTAGRAM
Instagram’s highly curated and personal environment, the content is seen as trustworthy, authentic and relevant, and subsequently, more likely to inspire action. This is where you want to invest your dollars if you're looking for high quality content you can repurpose on other platforms or your company's website. You can hire influencers that are motivated to create content their hundreds of thousands of followers are going to appreciate.
TUMBLR
Tumblr is the best place for creators to find an audience for their content. There are over 200 million blogs publishing 80 million posts per day.
Pinterest
Pinterest is an online tool for collecting and organizing images, has become important for some, particularly designers. It's the ideal medium for any company that wants to sell fashion, home products or other things to people sitting at their computers.
Whichever social media channels you choose to participate in, you must be active, engaged and consistently put out quality content. Without giving it your best, you won’t succeed, regardless of how well the channel meets the criteria above.
Still not sure which platform is right for your business? Feel free to contact me, and I would be happy to discuss what social media strategy will be most effective for your brand.
