You’ve probably heard me say this before, but one of the most common Social Media Marketing mistakes I see small businesses make is trying to be everywhere. The truth is, one or two well-managed platforms are better for your business than five or six neglected platforms.
So how do you choose?
3 key factors to decide on your social media platforms
1 – Where is your target audience?
Think about how your target audience feels when they need your posts most – which platform are they turning to? And yes, that’s quite a tricky question, but let’s break it down.
Firstly, who is your target audience? Who are you talking to? Who are you trying to help? For me – small business owners who are doing their own social media marketing.
Secondly, how are they feeling when they need you? For me – overwhelmed, frustrated, behind.
Finally, which platforms are they NOT turning to in their moment of need? For me – Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, I love the platform, but when my target audience needs me most, it’s the first app they’re closing!
2 – What’s your skill set?
What kind of content do you find easiest to create? Are you more comfortable writing copy, taking pictures or recording videos? Yes, ultimately, most platforms nowadays allow you to post in all kinds of formats – but which one are you most comfortable with? For me – I love writing!
Why is this relevant if you’re going to go on to create content in different formats? Because on those days when your to-do list is running away from you, when you haven’t posted for a week or more, and you’re feeling that pressure to show up, you need to be able to fall back on your comfort format.
3 – Where do you enjoy hanging out?
Social media is, first and foremost, social. That means that you could get better results from posting sporadically but spending more time on the platform engaging with your target audience, than you would from posting daily and not having those conversations.
My first and second points obviously need to hold more sway in your decision, but I wouldn’t ignore this third point entirely.
My main platforms are Facebook and LinkedIn. My secondary platforms are Threads, Pinterest and Zzatem. What does that mean? What is a secondary platform? Keep reading.
Platform breakdown
Don’t worry, I don’t want to bore you with a long list of statistics, but I do want to share a few fun facts about some of the most popular platforms to help you decide what’s right for you.
- This is actually the most popular platform in the UK!
- This is probably the most well-rounded platform. Any format can be powerful, and there’s a niche (and a group!) for everything.
- Most Facebook users aren’t here for business, so don’t forget to share value and to connect with people on a human level.
- Instagram has recently joined Facebook in the 3-billion monthly users milestone!
- Most people on Instagram are lurkers, and the most common form of engagement is sending it directly to a friend via DM. This means it can feel quite quiet.
- Each piece of content needs some media; you can’t post text only.
- Over 75% of users are under the age of 34!
- Everyone on this platform is in a business frame of mind. Yes, there are more personal posts and some very unserious content, but when it comes down to it, this is a business-first platform.
- Most users aren’t connected with their family, friends, old schoolmates and random colleagues from years ago – this means they are more comfortable having conversations.
TikTok
- This is a platform where people are open to having difficult conversations!
- It’s about quick content and real talk rather than picture-perfect content.
- The algorithm is designed so you could blow up and reach thousands even if you’re just starting out and/or have few followers.
- 89% of Pinterest users are looking for purchase inspiration!
- This is the platform with the longest shelf-life. That means that if you post today, it could still be popping up in people’s feeds months or even years down the line.
- Quality over quantity really is key here!
Lesser-known Social Media platforms can give you the space to reach your ideal client without so much “competition”. And, you never know, you could be building your account on a platform that is about to become super popular! Today, I want to talk to you about a platform called Wisdom. For all you podcast lovers and mentors, this is definitely for you! Keep reading.
Still unsure?
If you keep talking yourself into using more platforms than you can manage, and you can’t narrow down which platforms to focus your energy on, do you need a professional opinion?
Why not book a Powerhour with me for £35? We can discuss your strengths, your weaknesses, your goals and ambitions, so go away knowing that you’ve got a solid plan and achievable targets to work towards!
Everybody needs a power hour Tesni!
Not only did Tesni share her expertise about the various socials, but she gave me a great opportunity to rethink what I have been posting.
She encouraged me to go back to basics, to turn 180° and think again about where my focus should be, about what my readers and audience will benefit from my interactions, and therefore how to make creating content more fun for me to do. We looked at all the usuals, we looked at a couple of smaller platforms -all of which have value, and I now have some work to do, but I know what direction I want to go in.”
I help passionate small business owners with their social media so that they can create a powerful and supportive space to promote their business.
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