How to Decide which Social Media Platforms to Be On
Diving into the world of social media can be a daunting task, especially if you aren’t sure where to start or what social media platforms are right for your business. As a social media agency in Lansing, MI we see a few different scenarios:
We see the company that is on multiple social media platforms but isn’t sure why.
We see the company who claimed all their social media handles years ago, but their feed looks like a ghost town.
We see the company who cross-posts all their social media content across all social media platforms.
We also see the company who knows their audience and is active on a select few social media platforms.
Depending on where you’re at with your company’s marketing strategy, you might fall in one of those scenarios – or somewhere in-between. Having a strong social media strategy means that you must be intentional with the platforms you’re active on and have a clear understanding of who your audience is on each platform.
Not all social media platforms are the same. Each serves a different purpose and because of this, your social media strategy cannot be the same for Facebook as it is for Instagram and LinkedIn. Much of your strategy depends on what you do as a company, who your customers are, your messaging and the motive behind having the account created in the first place.
So, where do you begin?
Define your goals
Before you start creating (or deleting) social media accounts, you must first decide on what your overall goal is with social media. There’s no wrong answer here! The beauty of social media is you can be as selective and specific as you want. You don’t need to have big-harry-audacious-goals for social media, but you do need to know what you’re aiming for:
If your business is an online boutique, you might have the goal to sell more products and drive traffic to your online store. (Instagram might be a good platform for you!)
If your business is a local restaurant, you might have the goal to increase sales during the weekdays and get more customers in your doors. (Facebook might be a good platform for you!)
If you are a business coach, you might have a goal of increasing brand awareness, positioning yourself as an expert and connecting with local business owners. (LinkedIn might be a good platform for you!)
Define your audience
Find your sweet spot. Just because you can sell to anyone, doesn’t mean you should market to everyone. To the contrary, just because you sell to someone very specific, doesn’t mean you should have such laser focus that you prevent yourself from building brand awareness. When it comes to social media, there is a sweet spot to having a focus on your ideal customer and building general awareness. To define your audience, consider answering these questions:
Age: Age will play a big factor in selecting your social media platforms. It will also help you create your brand voice and form your messaging. What is important to an 18-year-old will most likely not appeal to someone who is 35 or 65 years old.
Location: Is your audience local? Online? Scattered throughout the country (or world)? Understanding where your audience lives will help you cater your messaging to your audience. It will also help you with the time you publish posts and even run ads.
Interests: What are their likes and dislikes? What other brands do the like and follow? What appeals most to them? Are they price conscious? What are their hobbies? How do they spend their free time?
Education/Career: What level of formal education do they have? Do they have a job? Do they work a typical 9-5 job? What does that look like for your audience? What does their work/life balance look like?
Family: Do they have kids? Grandkids? If so, how hold?
Selecting Your Social Media Platforms
Like we mentioned, every social media platform is a little different. Facebook, for example, is a great platform to build relationships, engage with others in local community groups, and even promote products and services. While you can do all of those things on Facebook, you might determine that your ideal customers and audience really spends most of their time on LinkedIn.
Should you disregard Facebook all together then? Maybe, maybe not. But you can be creative with it. Maybe you determine that the majority of your social media efforts should be spent on LinkedIn for building relationships and connecting with your ideal customers, but the purpose of your Facebook page is to promote your company culture and community engagement. We’ve now defined two different social media platforms, each with their own specific purposes.
We’ve picked our top three favorite social media platforms to dive into:
Facebook is an ideal platform for businesses to make announcements, promote their products and services and create a dialogue with their customers. This is also a popular platform for individuals to build personal relationships with business contacts.
We peg this social media platform as a place to find out what is happening, what is about to happen and what has already happened. This platform has become an ideal source for people to gather news and learn about upcoming events.
Something we are personally finding out (with our own social media experiences) is that what was once a platform where individuals wrote on each other’s Facebook walls and tagged friends constantly, is now more of a listening platform where we go for news and community events.
75% of Americans between 19-49 years old use Facebook.
Most popular social network in rural areas.
Seniors are the fastest growing age group using Facebook.
(Source)
LinkedIn is an ideal platform for businesses and individuals to position themselves as industry experts in the corporate world. This is an ideal platform for CEOs and managers to connect with one another, and also an ideal platform for recruiting new talent. LinkedIn is also known for serving as the “online resume” for many individuals.
Because LinkedIn is known for being the professional network, we don’t recommend posting photos of food, pets and even family vacations. Leave the personal stuff for your Facebook and Instagram pages. LinkedIn is really geared for adding value to those in the professional world, so consider your posts to be more about quality vs quantity. Many people will use LinkedIn to build up their personal brand and reputation and make it a goal to consistently comment and engage with their connections.
61% of LinkedIn users are between 30 and 64 years old.
75% of LinkedIn users have incomes over $50,000.
50% of B2B buyers use LinkedIn when making buying decisions.
(Source)
Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) is all about the photos and videos. Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, Instagram posts don’t have a place for including links – we’d rather see photos of what’s happening! Instagram is a very visual platform and is geared for building connections. Instagram Stories tend to drive profile views, so as you’re considering Instagram as a social media platform, think about how you’re going to use Stories. Look at all the features and tools that Instagram has and decide your plan of attack.
In many cases, individuals use Instagram to gain insights and feel connected to celebrities and brands they don’t know personally. Additionally, Instagram is a popular platform for individuals and businesses to be a bit more candid and show some personality. Showcasing behind-the-scenes video footage and photos is a great way to let people in and see the faces behind the logo.
Most active users are between the age of 18 and 29 years old
60% of people discover a new product on Instagram
More than 25 million business profiles on Instagram
(Source)
After all is said and done, the big point we want to drive home is to think through your social media strategy and make sure you have a purpose for the platforms you choose to be active on. Creating social media accounts and leaving it dry can do more harm than good. Over posting on social platforms can drive your audience bonkers, especially if the content is all over the board. Regardless of your business, we believe you have a special place in the social media world. Need help figuring out your social media strategy? We’d be delighted to help you!