There are a lot of social media outlets right now. Some
businesses have the means to put their all into each and every one of them. For
a lot of businesses, though, it’s not feasible or even really worthwhile to put
that much time, effort, and content into every single social media platform.
Which ones are right for you? Well, that depends on a lot of things.
Time & Effort
Social media is, by its very nature, social. If you have a
very recognizable brand, or you’re trying to build one, you’re going to want to
engage frequently with those who are engaging with you. The thing is, depending
on the platform, that this takes time. People make careers out of monitoring
social media. Some outlets, like Twitter or Facebook, may require a little more
interaction than others, like Instagram or LinkedIn. That’s not to say you need
to spend every hour of every day in front of your computer screen or on your
phone replying to tweets, but the interaction aspect of social media is what
makes it a great marketing tool. Pick the platform that fits into your schedule
best.
Your Business
Different social media platforms work better for different
companies. If you run a restaurant, for example, Twitter and Facebook are great
means for sharing menu updates or daily specials with your followers. If your
business strategies are focused on B2B, then LinkedIn updates may be a better
way to go. In either case, the social media outlet that’s right for you is the
one where your customers are. Trying to push your customers onto an outlet
where they aren’t already is a lot like herding cats: a lot of work for very
little payout, and it’s really just not effective. If you don’t know where your
customers spend their time on social media, just ask them. Whether it’s an
informal email survey or a face-to-face conversation, they’ll be happy to share
with you.
New Platforms
It seems like there are new social media platforms launching
every week. That means more time and effort to learn the platform, figure out a
plan for it, and see if it’s effective. At the same time, those new platforms
may take a long time to build up a good number of users, so your time up front
may not pay off immediately. For new platforms, it’s up to you to determine the
value in it. Take Vine, for example. If you’re a B2B business, will a six
second video really help you sell or market yourself in any way? It might, but
you’ll likely be better sticking to LinkedIn or Twitter. However, if you sell
small HD cameras that are used in extreme sports, for example, throwing clips
into a Vine video makes perfect sense. Invest some time to learn new platforms
as they come out, but don’t worry if you don’t see it as a good fit. If it
doesn’t fit well for your business, there’s a good chance that your customers
won’t be there anyway.
