How to Choose the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Brand
There are loads of social platforms out there – LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok – just to name the giants. So how do you keep up with all of the social platforms without wearing yourself thin? Simple: choose the right social media platforms for your business. Here’s how to do it.
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If you try to maximize every social platform there is, you’ll find yourself giving very little to each one because there are only so many hours in a day. Instead, start by figuring out which platforms are worth your time and then prioritize where to start.
Where is Your Target Audience?
The first thing you want to do is nail down your target audience so you can choose the right social media platforms to connect with them. Who are they and which platforms are they using? You should also consider what they’re using each platform for. For example, your target audience may be on LinkedIn, but why? Are they just looking for jobs or looking for products to buy? Find out where your target audience is and where they normally buy products like yours.
Determine Your Goals
If your goal is direct sales, you may not need to be on Twitter. Maybe Facebook, Instagram or TikTok is better for you. If your goal is to build brand-to-brand relationships, you may want to be on LinkedIn. Once you know what your goals are and who you are trying to reach, you can pick the platforms that work best for your business.
Work with Your Content
If you have very visually appealing imagery, you can and should be on Instagram. If you have loads of blog content, then you need a social platform like Facebook or Linkedin to help you feature that content. Big on videos? Then you need a YouTube channel or even TikTok. Choose platforms that maximize the resources you already have so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Next Steps
Once you have determined which platform(s) work for your needs, make a list to prioritize them. You can’t run them all at once. Instead, put them in order of importance and start with one channel at a time. Focus your efforts into one channel and maximize it. Instead of running four platforms at half their potential, get each platform optimized before you add more to the mix.
Helpful Tips
If you’re running on multiple platforms, repackage your content for each one. Users receive content differently on each platform since they use them for different reasons. Give your readers the content they want on each platform rather than trying to post the very same thing across all channels. It’s a more time-consuming practice, but it will help you grow your following and then… your business.