4 things to think about when choosing a Social Media Platform
Melanie Johnson
Marketing Strategist | Social Media Trainer | Email Marketing Strategy | Working in partnership with you and your business to create realistic strategies that drive conversations offline and into your business.
Welcome to the fifth edition of my weekly newsletter. ?? Writing it has definitely been a great anecdote to the rain. ??
I'm hoping the information I have shared over the past few weeks is helping you to:
? Understand: What your social media goals should be, and how do they align with your overall business objectives?
? Identify: What's working for you on social media??
? Think: How you can connect with and attract your ideal client.?
This week I wanted to share some of the things you will need to think about when choosing which platforms to market your business on and some considerations for each.
1) What's already working:
If you've reviewed your progress and performance on social media recently, then you will have an understanding of what's working for you and what needs refining. Your progress also needs to align with your business objectives.
You might be getting a lot of engagement and new followers, but if your objective is building your email list, you may need to rethink your tactics. If you are doing well on the platforms you have chosen, then that's great news - if it ain't broke, don't try and fix it'.
Although I would recommend assessing whether those platforms have any new formats or ways you can reach your audience - social media platforms often focus on pushing out new formats and features, so embracing some of these could be a great way to reach more of your audience.
2) Who are you targeting:
You might love Instagram and loathe Facebook, but ultimately, you need to focus on the platforms and formats your ideal clients uses and also understand what they are using it for.
Think about your audience's online habits and where they go to find information about the types of products and services you provide. This will make it easier to identify where you might have the most success and shape your content accordingly.
This can be tricky if you are marketing your business yourself and feel a bit scared or have a particular aversion to the platform your audience is using. If this is you, then do try and remember that:
??This is about your audience, not you.
?? Your content is helping you and them.
?? If you are in the right place at the right time -you will start getting results, and that will make you feel more motivated to continue.
3) Understand what each platform does and how this relates to your audience.
It can be super-tempting to embrace the next big trend and jump ship to try something new. But if that trend isn't right for your audience or it's not where they go for the products and services you provide, then you will make your job harder.
After all, there are a lot of choices when it comes to marketing your business on social media and that's before we even factor in the traditionally more search-based channels that are becoming increasingly social: Pinterest, YouTube and even Google.
So here I have included a low down of the Big Five (social media channels that is not African Animals ????).
The Big Five Social Media Platforms...
Facebook:?
Love it or loathe it, Facebook is still the global market leader when it comes to social media. It is brilliant for business-to-consumer marketing and for local businesses.?
Its capabilities include groups, running events, booking appointments, retailing through the Facebook shop, and sharing short and long-form video content.
Facebook pages enable you to share a lot of information about your business, including reviews, services and a dedicated newsfeed. It's still a good choice if it's right for your audience or your website could be better.
The downsides are that there are an awful lot of business pages: 80+ million at the last count. So if you are thinking seriously about making Facebook a core part of your marketing, you will need to think about investing in paid advertising - now or in the future.?
Instagram:?
Instagram originally existed as a photo-sharing site and became the number-one social media site for photo-sharing and influencer marketing.?
In the past two years, we have seen a shift towards the algorithm favouring short-form video content in the form of Instagram reels (these can be up to 90 seconds in length). It is still possible to share longer-form videos via the desktop or in the form of lives.?
If creating short-form videos feels a little out of your comfort zone, then make sure you think about the following:
TikTok:
TikTok is the relatively new kid on the block. And morphed in popularity over lockdown. It's video only with a maximum video length of 10 minutes. If short videos aren't right for you or your audience, you may want to discount this one.?
The current audience is relatively young: 70% of users are under 39, with the largest proportion being aged 10-19, so if you are targeting a younger audience, this is a serious one to consider.
It's also worth noting that sometimes there is nothing wrong with being an early adopter! When I started working in social media in 2017, the perception was that Linkedin was for job hunters and Instagram for kids!
领英推荐
Linkedin:
The next platform on our list is Linkedin (if you are reading this, you are probably fully aware of the benefits of using it for your business). Linkedin also morphed in popularity during the lockdown as more traditional means of reaching other business owners were restricted or shut down.?
It is the number one platform for business-to-business marketing in today's modern world and the ever-growing importance of personal and employee branding. A strong Linkedin presence is crucial if you are looking to work or build alliances with other business owners.
It is also interesting to note that Linkedin can be great for Organic reach, as less than 1% of users regularly share content on the platform.
Your Linkedin profile is also a great way to showcase who you are and what you do, as it contains reviews, a service section and a features section so people can easily find out precisely what they need.?
Useful features also include Linkedin Newsletters and Linkedin lives. As the take up of these features is generally quite low - utilising them can be a fantastic way to grow your brand and increase your reach.
Twitter:?
Twitter has seen a lot of news coverage recently. Unfortunately, not much has been positive since Elon Musk took over. I have always loved Twitter for the simplicity of its set up.
Traditionally it has worked well for a variety of brands, particularly as a customer service tool.
If you are just getting started with your marketing, then it is probably one to avoid until things settle down a bit. And if you are active on Twitter and worried about losing your posts and data - then make sure you download your data.
4) The time and resources you have available
Social media can be time-consuming, so once you have done your research, focus on the 1-2 platforms that are right for you.
It is also essential to consider the time, money and resources you have available. So you can identify the additional resources you might need to invest in.
You don't need to spend a fortune on resources. It could be as simple as some professional photos, a better microphone, a ring light or some on-brand social media templates.
It is also crucial to decide how much time you can dedicate to all aspects of social media so you can develop a realistic, solid and measurable plan that will keep you on track and that you can stick to.
Linkedin Live Series Update
Last week I was due to go live on Linkedin with??Pip Evan-Cook?to discuss:??How knowing your ideal client can help you nail your messaging.??Sadly we had to postpone due to a lost voice, So this will now be taking place on Wednesday 23rd November at 1230.
When we will be discussing the following:
??The importance of creating user personas - and why there is so much more to it than finding out where your clients buy their socks.?
??3 key questions you need to ask yourself to understand who you should target as clients.
??How to identify the transformation you offer your clients.
??How to build an emotional connection with your customers.
To register for the live and or watch the replay. You can click the link here
Networking or Prospecting?
I was thrilled to be the latest Guest on the ONLE Networking podcast with Kelly West and James West last week.
We discussed the importance of building your relationship via the power of networking, how to extend that online and of course some social media tips for small businesses.
There was a lot of conversation about Green Bananas ???? and Crystals ??. To find out more you can watch the video above or listen using the links below.
Finally if you would like to find out more about how I can help you develop and implement a solid, realistic and measurable social media strategy and plan then do get in touch for a a free, no-obligation chat. You can book a call here, DM or email me: [email protected]
Have a great week.
Best wishes,
Mel x
Co-founder ONLE business networking | Networking educator | Connector of people | Business mentor | Carer for our daughter
2 年Thank you for sharing, Mel. Very useful!
Career Uplift Coach ??Helping Jobhunters, Entrepreneurs & Coaches Leverage LinkedIn to Achieve Their Career or Sales Goals??LinkedIn Expert & Profile Optimizer??Job Coaching & Career Development Coaching
2 年Thank you Melanie for a very insightful article! Being active on LinkedIn and optimizing your LinkedIn Profile is a must for most business-owners and solopreneurs to boost their client base and build cooperation with like-minded colleagues.