Which social media platform is best of my business is a question I am always asked. Don’t tell me you haven’t asked yourself that question.
Your business is personal to you, it has it’s own characteristics and values so your business needs are different to the next one, even your competitors.
Two Factors That Help You Choose The Best Social Media Platform
There are two factors that will help you answer the question, “which social media platform is best for my business?”
Your Customers
Ask yourself where your customers hang out the most. For instance, if you have a product that is going to be desired by teenagers, it’s hardly a good idea to start on LinkedIn. And conversely if you are looking to sell digital services to a large company, Snapchat is not going to be the place to start. So ask yourself, “What social media platform do my customers use?
You
Look at the platforms you already use. It may be you have a lot of contacts already who will help to give your business a good start. Also you are familiar with that platform and therefore find it easier to use.
All social media platforms take time and mental energy. You sometimes need to dig deep for ideas of things to post or how to reply to people. Some platforms take more time than others and running multiple platforms takes a lot of time, or money to pay someone to do it for you.
So, now we have that out of the way, let’s have a look at “the big four” platforms and see if they are for you.
This really is the place we all think of first. However, you may be surprised to hear a lot of businesses don’t have a business presence.
Facebook is good for …
Businesses that don’t have a website. Use your Facebook page as your website, so that it is your go-to destination. People will use Facebook to book appointments, call your business, ask for a quote, send an email or simply message you.
Facebook is also good if your businesses is arts and crafts or entertains. So music, art, crafting, food and animals all do well on Facebook.
You can also create a group that will funnel work to you. It is very labour intensive though.
Facebook is not good for …
Being found. If you don’t already have friends on Facebook who will follow your page and share your posts, it may take some time to really get your page off the ground. Even sharing a link to your page can be troublesome and send people to their browser in their phone instead of the app. ( I do know a way around this so please ask if you would like to know.)
You can of course boost your posts or advertise on Facebook to increase your reach.
Twitter is good for …
Creating awareness nationally and globally. If you like a good chat and lots of notifications, Twitter is the place for you. There are competitions you can join and tweetchat hours (hashtaghours), all of which help you become part of a community and meet fellow business owners.
Use Twitter to direct people to your website or Facebook Page (remember I know how to do the link thing) and build relationships.
Twitter is not good for …
Selling to teenagers (they think it’s antiquated). Or if you want to post once or twice a week. Tweets have a very short shelf-life therefore you need to constantly post to make it work for you.
Instagram is good for …
Visual businesses. Art, craft, food, house and home all do well on Instagram. It is a lot easier to build awareness because you can follow other businesses who may follow you back. You can also use hashtags to make yourself move visible to non-followers.
Instagram is not good for …
People who have a lot to say. You can post an image with lots of text underneath but seriously, very few people read it.
LinkedIn is good for …
Meeting other business owners. I used to be scared of LinkedIn thinking it was all suits, but it isn’t any more. (I don’t think some of the suits are so happy about that.) It is also good for learning about being better in business as there are plenty of people on LinkedIn dispensing free advice.
Once you start commenting on posts you will soon be making connections.
LinkedIn is not good for …
Cute animal videos, moaning about your life (too much) or posting just to sell. It doesn’t work that way and you will get sidelined.
My Recommendations For Social Media
By now you have probably made a few conclusions. My recommendations are; if your business is visual and you have a website, start with Instagram. If you don’t have a website start with Facebook and Instagram.
Business that offer services to other business owners, will do well on LinkedIn.
If you like a good natter and are new to social media and really need to raise awareness to your website head over to Twitter. It’s easy to set up. If you follow me I will follow you back, let me know you have read this and I will introduce you to some communities to start out.
I Can Help You Decide Which Social Media Is Best For Your Business
I provide social media assistance to small businesses, artists, tradesmen, writers and property professionals in particular. Give me a call or email and feel free to ask “Which social media platform is best for my business?” I am sure that after a chat you will have an answer. Or pop over and visit my page Social Media Done For You (there’s a link to my rates on that page too).
And as you have read this far – here are the people who will help you direct straight to your page in the Facebook app – Urlgenius. You have 500 free clicks for starters, after that, it is very affordable.