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There have been controversies on whether businesses should appear on every social media platform. Well, the question is, is it really important that you have a presence on every social media platform? Is there a limitation? And does it influence positive growth for my business?
The answer is NO!
While every social media platform offers varying different features, it is not crucial that your business has a presence on every one of them. Building a social media marketing strategy is about finding out what platforms work best for your business and focusing on them – NOT appearing on all social platforms. In this post, I will share some tips to help you pick the right social platform (or platforms) for your business.
What Social Media Platform Is Your Audience Using?
Just like you don’t personally use every single social media platform that’s out there, neither do your ideal customers. We all have our favorite platform(s) for some reason or another. So, knowing which social media platforms your target audience uses is very important. If you don’t know where they are, you could be talking to the wrong audience. And, there’s nothing I hate worse than wasted time!
Do some testing!
It’s easy to think that joining every other social media platform would generate leads and foot traffic for your business – but that is not always the case. As a busy business owner, you simply don’t have enough time to manage every other social media platform. Sure, you can hire someone to help you, but paying them to maintain a consistent presence on multiple platforms can also add up. Creating and building a social media platform is not an overnight process. It takes time to build a following and good engagement. If you are still not sure where your target audience hangs out, you can consider doing an experiment.
As a marketing strategist, I recommend testing Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Specific recommendations would vary based upon your specific business and industry, but these are a great starting point to do some posts and community engagement to find out on which platform generates the most interest. When you get favorable results on one or two platforms, you can just focus your time and effort on these platforms to market your business.
Instead of appearing on all social platforms, you can now maximize on the ones that produce better results. Focus on creating quality content and engage your customers for a positive ROI for your business.
A New Social Media Platform
As a business owner, I can’t deny that whenever a new platform comes out, I have to go try it out. After all, my clients look to me for advice about if THEY should join it too. But just keep in mind that sometimes, always jumping to the next new thing may just be harmful to your business instead of being helpful. When a new platform is launched, you can do some research and learn more about it before you sign up.
Don’t join every new platform that comes out just because everyone else is doing it. You can ask other people who are already using it for their feedback and see whether you need this platform for your business. Make sure it makes sense for your business and that you have time to put proper effort into it. Since it is a new platform, you also need to learn the ins and outs of this platform first to maximize the use of it.
Are you comfortable with the platform?
If you find a social media platform that you think will be helpful to your business, it is also important to note that you should be comfortable using it. You cannot just sign up for a new platform without knowing how to use it. If you don’t know how a platform works, you can always learn more or ask a marketing strategist for help.
What type of content do you want to post?
Are you posting photos? Videos? Text? Certain content performs better on particular social media platforms than others, so you want to keep this in mind while setting your social media strategy. You need to have the right content for the right social platforms.
For instance, if you are running a travel and hospitality marketing campaign, visual content would do better on social platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. On the other hand, written content would work great on LinkedIn, and news updates would conform well to the culture on Twitter. Likewise, you cannot afford to post editorial content on Instagram – the response/ reaction rate would be a disaster.
Consistency is the Key
When you have found the right platform for you and your business, you can now focus your energy on maximizing it. Consistency on the right platforms is more important than trying to be in too many places and not doing any of them well.
You should make your target audience feel that you are there for them, and you need to post content and engage with them consistently. Being consistent with the messages that you convey to them is also very important, as it helps to build trust in your business.
Social media platforms are there to help with your brand visibility and marketing strategy. I know that in today’s world of digital marketing, it can be tempting to try to be everywhere all at once.
But, you don’t have to be everywhere.
With research and some trial and error, you will be able to realize which social media platform will be the most beneficial for your business. Just like in so many other things, your content and overall online presence should be quality over quantity. Now, get out there, connect with your target audience, and build your online presence!
