Choosing The Right Social Media Platform
Making use of social media is now the most interactive and most cost efficient form of marketing. That sounds great, but now with social media being popular among almost all age groups, there are so many different platforms to cover and choose from. Many factors and details about your small business go into choosing the right platform. Of course you could make dozens of accounts and have an internet presence on every corner, but that would take away careful planning into building accounts, pages, and profiles that accurately represent and showcase your brand and business. Take time to research and choose a select, strategic amount that you can focus energy on.
Questions to ask yourself:
Who is the customer I am trying to target?
ages, gender, location, mindset, etc.
more simply, highlight your target market
What is the most effective way to showcase my products or services?
What businesses (big or small) have captured my attention through social media in the past?
What type of content will I want to post?
photo albums, blog posts, product information, etc.
Once you've answered these questions, it's time to create a social media plan. If choosing more than one platform, you need to keep them related, but still with separate and different content. This will cause "followers" or consumers to become interested in your page and want to learn more through your other platforms. Running social media accounts requires work. Sometimes just snapping a picture and pressing post is not enough (despite contrary beliefs). You need to come up with promotions related to the seasons and trends, add some whit, edit content through computer programs, and many other additive details to boost your content quality. You need to show off and post things that people will actually want to watch and learn about. It's all about showing off.
Different platforms and how to make use of them:
Facebook
used by the most wide range of ages
better platform for older audiences
easy to make use of content you already have by sharing links to business website in interactive posts
can share related topics not relating directly with your business but complementing your brand and stance
easiest to set up because it is an older platform than others
have endless options and tools for business pages
can connect to personal Facebook account and recommend to friends in an "internet word-of-mouth" type of way
very interactive platform, followers will often comment and react to your posts more than other platforms, sparking discussion and easily gaining feedback
can sell products through the platform
Instagram
wide range of age usage, but mostly younger (teens and young adults)
revolves around photos
revolves around amounts of followers and likes
other businesses want to gain these followers and likes, so it is a perfect opportunity for cross-advertising
more "artsy" meaning if you are showing off a product, photos should be aesthetically pleasing to look professional
easy to promote your posts to be viewed by more potential followers
Twitter
mostly used by young adults
used more for whit and giveaways
hard to compete with bigger, corporate businesses
most "sharable" platform because of the retweet feature
can use as a customer service or feedback account because it is a conversational platform
can tweet or respond to celebrities or bigger businesses to get noticed
can search hashtags or certain words that relate to your services or business and reply to people who could be potential customers
Pinterest
catering to more private accounts
post content people can relate to other things on their "boards"
home improvement, health & wellness, recipes, new clothes, etc.
can easily link products to purchasing site
make your own "boards" so followers understand your brand and products and services even more
Pinterest posts can pop up in browser searches without any type of paid promotion
can see what followers are associating your posts with (adding to their boards) to easily gain feedback
mostly women demographic
Snapchat
much younger demographic of older children, teens, and young adults
post real time content
gives followers and "friends" a view into your business
can promote website links
can create a filter graphic (paid) that others can use in their snapchat photos
can receive fast and simple feedback from followers
more personal of a platform
fun job for your team/employees boosting your company image
can talk directly to your followers about your products or services
least amount of work, no professional photos or videos needed
Here at Creative TK, we have wide knowledge and experience with all social media platforms. We help to create a marketing plan that utilizes these platforms to your highest benefit. Every business is different, and we recognize the importance of brand and personalization. Reach out with any questions!
