How to Choose the Right Social Channels for Your Online Presence

Whether you have only recently set up your business or have dragged your heels in bringing your company to the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, honing the power of social media is a logical step for your business. It could be rewarded with new custom and stronger brand loyalty.

However, social media sites have grown so significantly in number that you might remain uncertain which of them you should use. Heeding these tips could help you in relieving your indecisiveness.

Consider where your target customers are active

Time and money spent on social channels where your intended customers are scarce means essentially wasted time and money. For this reason, you can benefit from carefully assessing the user demographics of different sites before deciding which of them to use.

If you are pursuing a younger crowd, for example, consider that Snapchat attracts 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds, as Forbes notes. Meanwhile, for business-to-business (B2B) firms, LinkedIn is responsible for 46% of social media traffic generated to company websites.

Which channels are naturally suited to your brand’s values?

Each brand has its own philosophy that will fit more easily with certain social media portals than others. A beauty brand, for example, could benefit from using Pinterest due to its visual interfaces and appeal to relevant female audiences. The site also has a range of e-commerce-friendly features.

If you remain unsure exactly where your business should be, look at where your competitors are active. A good rule of thumb is to avoid a site where your firm could come across as an outsider.

What exactly do you want to achieve on social media?

Do you simply want to increase brand awareness? If so, choose somewhere that lets you easily track likes, shares, comments and impressions. You might not struggle with finding such a site, but if you want to provide customer service, consider a site with a strong messaging interface, such as Twitter.

If you are in the tech field, you might want to regularly upload video content including ads and tutorials—in which case, YouTube would be a fitting choice of social media platform.

Resist running before you can walk

You might already be well aware of the need to take precautions with many aspects of your work. For example, tradespeople could take out public liability insurance to help financially safeguard themselves in case they make a blunder that inflicts damage on a client’s property.

You should also tread carefully with your social media strategy—by, for example, starting with just one platform if you are new to using social media for business purposes, Business News Daily says.

Consider switching up your strategy over time

As many social media platforms come with analytics tools allowing you to monitor various metrics, you don’t have to struggle to see how your social media marketing efforts are faring.

If you’re considering taking up a new channel, Business 2 Community has a rundown of different social media sites and how they can especially effectively be used.