4 Questions to Help You Determine Which Social Media Platforms Are Right for Your Business
Many new business owners spend hours trying to understand each social media platform and how to reach potential clients on each through differing platform specific content. There are so many social media channels out there (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube, etc.) that it’s impossible to utilize your energy in a constructive way when focusing on all of them.
Here are 4 questions to ask yourself to determine which platform(s) are right for you so you can spend less time focusing on posting to social media and more time on doing the work that you want to be doing – improving the lives of others.
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Who are your ideal clients?
First, start by removing all of the “shoulds” and “coulds” or what the influencers or experts have told you to do and ask yourself “who are my ideal clients?” Write down everything you know about them. Age, gender, occupation, location, industry, interests, lifestyle, etc. If you’re having a hard time thinking of these details – is there a client you work with that stands out as the type of person you want to attract? Use them as inspiration for this exercise.
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What platforms are you interested in?
When you think about all the different social media platforms, which feel most appealing to you? Perhaps you have less resistance toward a certain channel or feel one allows you to express your creative side more than others. Write down each platform you’re interested in and then rank them in order of which you prefer most.
- Where are your ideal clients?
After you’ve identified who your ideal clients are and what your favorite social media channels are, go through your list of top social media channels and ask yourself which of these platforms your ideal clients would use based on the information you uncovered. For example, if they are a middle aged professional who focuses on building their professional network, Linkedin would be the right place to find them. For more insight into how demographics align with different platforms, take a look at this breakdown from Sprout Social.
Using this information, look back at your list of platforms and determine which would give you the most “bang for your buck” – meaning which would allow you to reach the right people while also being on the platforms you want to be on. Then reorder your rankings based on the information you’ve uncovered.
- How much time do you realistically have to devote to managing your social media presence?
When you look at your current client roster and the amount of time you need to devote to admin, networking, professional development, etc… how much time do you realistically have to give to your social media marketing? An hour per day, a few hours per week, a post every other week? Take some time to get real with yourself and what you can actually devote to this portion of your business. You don’t need to do what everyone else is telling you to do, do what is sustainable for you. Showing up consistently is more important than strong pushes every now and then.
Once you decide what’s realistic, go back to your list. Knowing the amount of time you have to devote to your social media marketing and how long it takes you to create content – how many channels is realistic for you to focus on? Circle the ones that you know you want to spend your energy on and let the others take a back seat. You can return to them if/when you have time, but these others will be what leads you down the path of reaching the right people in a consistent way.