How to Pick a Social Media Platform for Your Business

Should I be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram? Or should I be on Snapchat, YouTube or Pinterest?

There are so many social media platforms to choose from. And there are more than just those few. Many more.

Whether you are new to social media or not, it certainly can be confusing. Which social media network do you choose and how many social media platforms should your business be on?

Just remember when it comes to social media (and just about everything for that matter) keep it simple.

Start by doing some research. Determine which networks your customers are using?

How do you do this? Ask them.

Do a survey of your existing customers or put it out to the business community. SurveyMonkey or Google Forms are both good resources for creating surveys. Once you have gathered the feedback from your surveys you can make a decision about which social network you should be on.

Something else to factor in before making a decision is your competition. Take a look at their social media presence. Research what channels they are using and which ones are doing well. How do you know if their social media pages are doing well? Look at their metrics such as number of page likes or followers and how often they post and how many likes, comments and shares each of their posts receive. This isn’t the full picture but is a nice amount of intel to get started.

Also, keep in mind what your business does and if it lends itself to the network. For example, Snapchat and Instagram perform well with younger generations. Twitter works well if your industry moves quickly and it’s important to be aware of up to the minute news. LinkedIn is ideal for business-to-business.

Once you have gathered all the information you can make your selection.

However, just pick one network to start. More than one can lead to feeling overwhelmed. When you feel overwhelmed your social media presence will suffer.

Whichever network you decide to start with, make sure you learn it inside and out. Learn all its quirks. Learn all its best practices. Learn all the hacks and shortcuts. Get good at it and then look at starting another account on a different network after that.

Summary

Start with a survey of your current customers or the business community. Look at what your competitors are doing. Then consider if your business fits with the network. Finally pick one network to start with.

Have you just started a brand new social media account for your business? Or if you’ve been in the social media game for a while think back to when you first started. What has your progress been like? Tell me about your successes and challenges in the comment section below.

________________________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Scott Trites is a Social Media Consultant and Owner of Knockout Social Media