How to decide what social media channels you should use

Entering the social media game.

With so many social media sites available today, it can be overwhelming figuring out which ones your business should use. In an ideal world, every single social media platform would be perfect for your business and it would bring in tons of traffic to your site. But lets be honest, it is not a perfect world and some social media channels are not for everyone. Just because a site is popular, doesn’t mean it is a good fit for your business (Patel, 2014). Some businesses choose to dabble in every single channel, while others focus on one or two. Neither of these strategies is “wrong” but neither strategy is perfect for everyone.

Here are some things to consider when thinking about playing the social media game:

> Social media is now the number one activity on the web and is one of the fastest growing areas as well. It totally makes sense to want to be where so many other people are. It gets your product or service in front of more eyes.

> You have a direct link to your customers. Not only does social media allow you to interact directly with your customers, it allows you to do so in so many different ways in since many apps today offer notifications, messaging and tagging options.

> Social media allows you to increase brand awareness, share news in a timely fashion, interact with customers, and so much more.

> Many people use social media. Since about three-quarters of all Internet users are on at least one social network, it is likely that your target audience is on a platform you wish to use.

So how do you choose a social media platform?

When it comes to choose which social media platforms you’ll utilize, you want to select those that offer the best potential for reaching your ideal target audience and that allow you to share your content in a way that best aligns with your businesses goals (Levy, 2013). So how do you decide what platforms meet your businesses needs and objectives?

Define your needs: We’ve all heard stories about how other businesses were able to utilize social media to effectively open up a wealth of marketing opportunities, but before you decide to use social media, you need to decide how relevant these objectives are to your business model. Do you want to increase traffic to your website or interact with customers more? As stated earlier, social media is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution and clarifying your needs is important to tailoring social media to your business (Interact Marketing, 2012).

Decide how you will use it: All social media tools share the common goal of connecting you with others, but different types of social media have different functions so it is important to decide how you are going to use it and what content you are going to share before you choose a platform. Are you going to share visually rich content? Do you have videos you want to share? Do you want your social media efforts to foster camaraderie between your employees, or do you want social media to be another communications tool to use with your target audience? Figuring out how you want to actually use your social media channels within your business will help you narrow down the field of viable platforms (Interact Marketing, 2012).

Identify your audience: Maybe it’s obvious to others, but you need to have some idea of whom you are going to be talking to in social media. Looking at the demographics of who is on which channel and the features and culture of each platform will help you decide if you can integrate well with the types of users who frequent those channels.

So once you’ve defined your needs, identified your audience and decided how you would like to use social media, you can then choose what social media platforms are best suited for your business.

Facebook is right for you if… you are building a community presence or want to reach as broad a network as possible. With more than 70% of online adults actively participating on Facebook, it remains the most popular social media site by far. It demonstrates a high level of engagement because it is the most frequently used and has the most users, but this may not be the primary criterion for your business.

LinkedIn is right for you if… you are a B2B, in another industry or role in which you can provide useful insights to people who are thinking about their work and are seeking to make business connections. LinkedIn is optimal for peer networking and industry-specific information.

Pinterest is right for you if… you are a highly visual industry with customers who will naturally look to express themselves through a more visual manner. Are you an industry associated with fashion or decorating? This is an ideal platform for businesses such as those.

Twitter is right for you if… you want to reach a large population of people, especially a much younger age group. It is especially appealing to “information junkies” and therefore if your content is data and information rich, this could be a good platform for you. It is however way more effective when there is two-way engagement (Manafy, 2014).

Want another great resource to help you figure out which social media platform is best suited for your business? Here is a great Infographic that gives you just that information.

Content vs. Conversation

Content vs. Conversation is another part of the social media equation you need to consider when figuring out how best to utilize social media in your business marketing efforts. We’ve all heard the phrase “Content is King”, but lately a new phrase should be entered into your dialogue: Conversation is King. While producing great content is still important, generating conversation and engagement around this content is the key factor in which many business should focus their marketing. Remember “Content is just something to talk about” (Novak, 2012). Content without conversation just broadcasting. It goes to the ears of the listener/reader/viewer/visitor and stops there.

So why is this all important? Developing the right content to help engage your followers will be what makes your venture in to the world of social media more effective. Deciding the type of content you want to produce will help you decide where in the social media world you want to be. Everything is connected.

How did you decide which social media channels you wanted your business to be a part of?

How relevant is content vs. conversation in your social media game plan?

Sources:

Interact Marketing. (2012, January 27). Choose the Right Social Platform for your Buisness. Retrieved from http://www.interactmarketing.com/choose-the-right-social-platform-for-your-business/

Levy, S. (2013, December 2). How to Choose the Best Social Media Platform for your Business. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230020

Manafy, M. (2014, July 9). How to choose the Best Social Media Site for your Business. Inc.com. Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/michelle-manafy/how-to-choose-the-best-social-media-sites-to-market-your-business.html

Novak, C. (2010, July 27). Why Conversation, not Content, is King. Social Media Today. Retrieved from www.socialmediatoday.com (WVU IMC 642 Week 3 Readings)

Patel, N. (2014, September 5). Which Social Media Platforms are Best Suited for your Business [INFOGRAPHIC]. Quick Sprout. Retrieved from http://www.quicksprout.com/2014/09/05/what-social-media-platforms-are-best-suited-for-your-business/