How to Choose the Right Social Media Platform

Below is a blog post I wrote for October 17 Media. You can view the original article here.

Choosing which platforms to join is the classic question businesses ask themselves when they decide to enter the realm of social media.

Facebook? Twitter? YouTube? LinkedIn? Pinterest? Instagram? This is just the beginning of a long list of networks which is growing longer as we speak.

 

You only need to look at 3 points to know the answer: 

1. Objectives Is your goal to drive website traffic? Increase sales? Create a forum for customers to interact and share their brand experiences? 
2. Available Resources Do you have an in-house social media manager or will you be outsourcing? What’s your budget and availability? Remember, no account is better than an inactive account! 
3. Target Market Who are they? Where are they most likely spending their time online?

Here are some general guidelines when it comes to choosing the right platform:

• Facebook is about connecting with people. We don’t go to Facebook for news, but to participate in conversations. Are your updates worth talking about? 
• Twitter is mainly an information resource. It’s a great place to announce updates and share other industry leaders’ content.
• YouTube should only be used if you plan to upload new videos regularly. If you only have a few videos, consider uploading them to Facebook instead. 
• LinkedIn is about widening your professional network. Is your brand B2B? Are you B2C, but heavily dependent on suppliers or certain groups to thrive. 
• Pinterest users are not interested in socializing or updates. They are looking for inspiration on what to buy/try, tips and tutorials. If you can't offer these regularly, don't join. 
• Instagram is a mobile app only available for Apple and Android users. Thus, it is only worth investing in if your customers are active mobile users. 

We hope these guidelines help! If you have more questions or want our professional opinion about your brand, give us a shout! We provide free social media audits, followed by a proposal if you’d like to take the relationship one step further!

xoxo
Mae