Social media is among the most effective marketing methods that a small business has at its disposal. However, not all social media channels are created the same. Each platform has its particular set of users with their own quirks as to how they interact with content. Businesses need to be aware of these nuances when deciding to invest in social media marketing on a platform since it could impact how well their marketing efforts do.
What Exactly Are You Trying to Achieve?
Before dedicating your resources to a social platform, it’s important to define some goals. Your company’s goal might be:
More traffic.
More sales.
More inbound links.
A viral marketing campaign to increase visibility.
Of course, you might want to achieve all of these things, which consequently work hand in hand: a viral marketing campaign can lead to more inbound links, which subsequently leads to more traffic for your site and ultimately to more sales.
How Much Traffic Can You Handle?
Different social media sites bring in different levels of traffic, and this can vary heavily according to your company’s niche. As of April 2010, Facebook was towering over other social media platforms in terms of total unique visitors, with 500 million as opposed to under 100 million for both Twitter and MySpace. In less than one year, however, Twitter has increased to 190 million users (nearly doubling) while Facebook now has 600 million users (20% growth). Of course, these are only raw user counts, and they don’t necessarily indicate how much of this traffic will actually see your company.
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING THE BEST SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Consider The Nature Of Your Business
It depends on whether the company is business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). For B2C companies, Facebook and Instagram help gain visibility, visually engage and interact with customers. For B2B, LinkedIn helps target current and potential clients and builds a personal connection. Also, every business should use YouTube to interact and share. It's Google-friendly and adds authenticity to your brand.
Focus On Your Core Target Audience
Small businesses can't afford the luxury of failing often, so they need to make sure that their advertising budget is working hard for them. Instead of running after the newest social media property, they should spend time really understanding their audience and where they can find them. In many cases, Google search will deliver the best return; in others, it might be Facebook or Instagram.
Research Your Competitors
Research all your top competitors. Check each of their social media pages and see what content they are posting, how often they are doing so, and how many users are engaging with that content. Once you conclude which social media platform is yielding the greatest results, choose that one. However, before you start you should set goals and KPIs that correlate with those goals.
Understand And Align On Your Social Goals
Choosing a platform to focus on is dependent on understanding your goals for social. Prioritizing Twitter to enhance customer care may be beneficial, given it is a top platform for customer feedback. Brands in the travel and hospitality industries may consider Instagram to showcase their offerings and properties in a visually compelling way. Aligning platform benefits with business goals is key.