By: Collin Riley
Are you having trouble trying to decide what social media platform to use? Wondering how you’re supposed to keep up with your platforms while also running your business? These are just a few struggles the majority of new business owners or small business owners face all the time. The key is finding what social media platform is really worth your time. Some questions to start with are: who is your ideal customer? What are your goals? Which platform fits your style? Social media is one of the most effective marketing methods that a small business can utilize, but the key is making it worth it.
What Social Media Platforms Are Out There? Where Do I Start?
Before you even think of ideas for your social platforms, you need to learn the major social media sites and their format. While there are various social media sites out there, there are essentially only six social media sites that are used by the majority of all people. The top 6 social media applications are:
- YouTube
If you happen to have been living in a cave the past ten years, Facebook is the largest platform with over two billion monthly users and allows them to connect with friends using text, images, or videos. YouTube comes in second with just below two-billion monthly users and only allows video posts on the site. Instagram averages about one-billion users monthly and allows you to share videos as well as photos with your friends. LinkedIn is more of a professional setting social media platform. It averages five-hundred and ninety million monthly users and only allows text and photography posts. Then you have the growing platform Twitter which has three-hundred and twenty-six users allowing strictly text posts spanning only one-hundred and forty characters. And lastly Pinterest, which averages two-hundred and fifty million users and is only used for pictures and photography. More details on these applications and platforms can be found at SocialMediaToday.
What is the Nature of your Business?
To effectively utilize any social media platform you must first recognize who you are as a business and who your customers are. What is your core target audience? Determining your target audience gives you an understanding of the age and demographic you are trying to reach with your business. Once you determine your target audience you can effectively customize your social media marketing campaign. Are you a B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-customer)? If you are a B2B you are more than likely going to be using LinkedIn more than anything. LinkedIn is specifically built to connect you with other business professionals, generating leads, and recruiting. If you are a B2C you will use more broad and open-format platforms. It seems like a waste to create various social media accounts if only one or two of them are actually grabbing attention.
Finding Your Customers
When you choose a social media platform it’s less about your business and more about your target audience. Start by doing some research. Who is this business or service for? What age is my target audience? As stated before B2B mostly use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is specifically used to connect the business community and establish networks. If you are a B2C e-commerce store, it’d be smart to use Instagram. Why? Instagram has features linking your product photos on your page to your business or commerce site, taking customers directly to your page. Where is your target audience frequently spending their time? It is also important that you start with empowering business advocates or current clients to support your business on social media platforms. See where you grab more traction.
Maintain a Consistent Strategy Across All Platforms
Maximize your reach with minimal effort! What is more important than focusing on one social media platform, is keeping consistency. Before you create your account on any platform, create a social content strategy that can be used across all platforms. The strategy should align with your business goals. Why are you using the social media platform in the first place? What product or message are you trying to send to customers? These questions should be answered before you open the browser to create an account. Align your social media presence with your overall business goals.
Stay Connected With Your Customers
After you have figured out what social media platform you will use, it is KEY that you continually keep up with your account. Whether you create daily posts on products or services or you are replying back to a customer via the comments, you need to stay up to date with your account. You should be viewing or posting on your page daily. It is so important that your target audience knows you are consistent with your social media presence and keeping the same mentality of the business goals.
Contact BRMC Today!
Are you ready to take your business and social media to the next level? Reach out to Blue Ridge Media Company in Cleveland, OH today for your social media marketing needs! Call us at (216) 233-3009 or contact us on our website to learn how our social media marketing services can help your business be more successful!
