A Cheat Sheet for Choosing your Social Media Channels

Often when I meet new clients, the first thing they will say to me is “Oh, I want to launch a Facebook page”.

And that’s typically it. The entire marketing plan hinging on one platform.

My next question will always be: “Why?”

This is usually met by surprise or confusion.

Facebook is the biggest social media platform in the world. Shouldn’t we all be there?

Don’t get me wrong, Facebook can be an incredibly powerful tool for your business, and I still recommend it to many of my clients, but while it may be useful to most, it is not the best for all.

Depending on your business and the stage of your business and challenges, Facebook may play a role in helping you achieve your objectives or it may be a nice-to-have, whilst other activities should take precedence.

But how do you know? How can you decide?

In this post, I’ll break down what you need to know about each of the major social media platforms so you can choose the ones that are best for you.

Before we get there though, there are a few basic rules that apply across the board. If you have any other tips to share, add them in the comments below!

The Rules of the Game

• Use an appropriate strategy for each platform; every channel is different and your posts should be too!
• Make your posts visual across channels. Images or video is a must!
• Optimize image sizing and post length for each platform!
• Always add value with your content; don’t post for the sake of posting!
• Make sure your copy is really good. Don't get lazy with one-liners!
• Always engage your audience with a call to action in each post! Otherwise, what’s the point?
• Hashtag as appropriate! For Instagram a must, for Facebook not so.
• Test, test, test! Experiment with different images, audiences, landing pages and copy to assess what works best.
• Keep it social and actively engage with other people’s content.

As these overarching rules show, effectively managing your social media means to be hands-on. Free… Easy... It doesn’t exist!

Each channel you choose will require commitment to get results, so you’ll need to decide which channels you can really devote resources to, and which ones you can skip.

With these social media fundamentals in mind, let’s get into what you need to know about each channel.

Social Media Channels Cheat Sheet

So, now that you have a quick overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, ask yourself these questions to identify which channel is right for you:

1. Is the platform designed to achieve your goals?
2. Can it reach your target audience?
3. How does your target audience use the channel?
4. Is that in line with what you need?

Remember: If the channel doesn’t help you achieve your goals, it’s not the right channel! If the channel doesn’t reach your audience, it’s not the right channel! If your target audience doesn’t use the channel in a way that serves your purpose, it’s not the right channel!

Still need help? I’m running a marketing strategy workshop with WeWork on 21 February 2019. Join me and we will work through this step-by-step. To find out more and sign-up, go to https://bit.ly/2UEqQyp.