Social media is a powerful and cost effective marketing tool for small businesses.

However, not all social media channels are created equal and each platform caters to different needs.  Understanding the variations of each channel will help you chose which one will fit your goals.  In this post I reveal my best tips that show you where to pay attention in order to chose the right social media platform for your business.

Before getting into the nitty gritty, I want to take a moment to remind you to start small.  You are a master in your field and your social media should reflect that; do not spread yourself too thin by being on too many social media channels.  Keep this thought in mind as you hone in on which social media platform is going to serve you best.  Aim for quality, not quantity.

Tip 1 | The nature of your business

This is specifically what you do and how you conduct your business.  Are you product based or do you provide a service?  Are you a brick and mortar shop or are you solely online?  Do you serve businesses (B2B) or consumers (B2C)?

Tip 2 | Your target audience

Defining your ideal customer is crucial, not just to your online marketing efforts, but your entire business success.  Don’t get caught in the spider’s web of the newest or trendiest social media platform, you will literally be wasting your time if your audience isn’t there.  A Google search will often give you an idea where your audience is hanging out.

Tip 3 | Your goals

Ask yourself what you want your business to achieve by having a presence on social media?  Do you want to build an audience (follows and impressions), generate leads (comments and outbound clicks) or strengthen your relationship with your existing customers (in app engagement)?

Tip 4 | How you want to socialize

Understand how you want to show up on social media.  Instagram is very visual and could elevate the way you showcase your product.  Twitter on the other hand is all about communication, so this could be a preferred platform for establishing customer care.  Aligning platform benefits with your business goal is key here.

Tip 5 | What’s your style?

Most of the decisions we make in business are all about our customer, but every now and then you should consider what also makes sense to you.  Choosing the right social media platform is one of those things.  You should find a channel that you enjoy spending time on.  If you hate being there you will procrastinate and therefore won’t be consistent, and this will hurt your business.

Click this link to take a look at the key statistics of some of the biggest social media platforms.  Numbers shown are from 2020 Q4 data.

In summary, you should be able to answer the following questions before you can chose the right social media platform for your business’

• Who is your ideal customer?
• What platform fits your style?
• What are your goals for social media marketing?

You should now have an obvious choice in front of you.  Focus most of your time and energy on that specific platform.  Investing a little money in a social media manager who specializes in your chosen platform can also get you off to a great start.  I myself specialize in Instagram and Pinterest, so come on over and follow me for more tips and hacks!

See you on the social…