There are lots of different social media channels available for small businesses to use in promoting their business. There’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat, to name a few.
So how do you decide which ones to use?
For small business owners, it comes down to knowing your audience, knowing your brand, and knowing what you can handle.
Know your audience
Who are you trying to reach? What is the age group? Are they mostly male or female? What type of business are they in? These are basic questions you should be answering for your company, but they’re especially important when it comes to social media. Once you’ve defined your audience, research the channels you’re most interested in. Pull in some basic stats on the demographics of each platform’s users, and think about whether your target audience is using that channel. Like anything in marketing, it’s about knowing your audience and meeting them where they are.
Know your brand
Is your brand visually engaging? If so, Instagram might be a great fit because it’s a visual platform. Is your brand strictly professional and focused on sharing information with a business audience? Then LinkedIn is more likely to be your primary channel with some Twitter and Facebook in the mix as well. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have a lot of flexibility in how you share information. For instance, it’s easier to share links with these channels while also including some photos or graphics. Instagram is much more visual and not a good place to share links, though there are some third-party services that can help with integrating links. Facebook and LinkedIn both allow for groups that can help build community around a brand or a topic.
Know what you can handle
As we’ve discussed in prior posts, consistency matters in social media. You want to choose tools where you can be consistent and feel comfortable managing your social media. If finding or taking photos for use on Instagram feels overwhelming and it doesn’t really fit your brand, then don’t feel pressured to get on Instagram just because everyone else is doing so. If you find Twitter overwhelming and their user demographics don’t align with the audience you’re trying to reach, then skip it. Bottom line? We think every small business should have a social media presence of some kind, but a consistent presence on one or two channels is better than an inconsistent (or completely abandoned) presence on all of them.
Need help keeping up with your social media content? We can help. Contact us today to talk about social media packages.