How To Choose The Right Social Media Platform For Your Business

Social media is unarguably one of the most effective marketing methods for every business that wants to remain visible in today’s active online world. However, not all social media platforms are created or operated the same. Every platform has its group of users that interact a certain way and promote certain goals with content. So, you must learn how to choose the right social media platform for your business.

By 2020, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion in 2025. Social media will get you in directly in front of your users, but there are several social media channels you could use. Remember, the goal is to make the most of your minor efforts to achieve more.

The good news is, you can start narrowing down the many options by using a few tips to maximize your marketing efforts. Before we get right to these tips on how to choose the right social media platform for your business, we should answer an important question.

Honestly, the answer is NO. A hospital can be just as successful on Instagram as a clothing store.

Just as there isn’t a ‘wrong drink to pair with your meal, and there’s no ‘wrong’ social network for your company or business. However, the goal is to maximize your minor efforts to produce the best results. Now, you can achieve this by understanding your business, your audience, and how social media fits into your digital strategy. Once you have a full grasp on this, you can create the kind of content your audience wants, and the best platform for your company will become an easy decision.

Following these steps and recommendations should help you make the right decision;

#1. Consider the Nature Of Your Business

Is your company a business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C)? For B2C companies, be looking to get more visibility and engagements from customers. In that case, Facebook and Instagram are the best tools to visually engage and interact with customers. However, for B2B, LinkedIn is more advisable for target current and potential clients to builds a personal connection. Also, for all business types, YouTube is important to interact and share. Plus, it’s Google-friendly and adds validity to your brand.

#2. Define Your Target Audience

Every business aims to avoid failure while advertising, so you need to ensure that your advertising budget is maximally utilized. Instead of simply pitching your tent with the platform that has the most users or the newest and most popular social media property, you should spend time understanding your audience and where you can find them.

Additionally, you should ask yourself what you know about your clients’ demographics? Are they older, younger, male, female? Start by doing a bit of research on this. When you get thorough with demographics, you’ll narrow down your platform and find the most beneficial one to pursue. Most times, Google search will deliver the best return; Facebook or Instagram may also perform well.

Whichever social media platform you choose, give it some time and solid effort. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to manage multiple platforms at once. If you are experiencing some challenges in this regard, ask your audience with a simple survey. You can ask how they come to hear of your product or your business.

Choosing the right social media platform to focus on is heavily determined by your social media goals. To enhance customer care, Twitter is likely most beneficial, as it is a top platform for customer feedback. Brands in the travel and hospitality industries may go for Instagram since this platform avails them the opportunity to showcase their offers and properties visually appealingly.

For your business to prosper in the social media space, you need to engage in activities that will generate the highest ROI. Also, you can let your product or service guide you. An example is, if you’re building a consumer-facing small brand, start with Instagram. But, if you’re focused on generating quality leads, post-value-add content on LinkedIn. The audiences on both platforms appreciate and interact with content differently. Aligning platform benefits with business goals is key.

#4. Research Your Competitors

Look at the social media pages of all your top competitors. Check to see what content they are posting, how often they are doing so, and how many engagements they get with each content. This will help you predict the kind of content to put up and how many engagements you stand to get.

When you decide which social media platform is yielding the greatest results, select that one. However, don’t just jump to it yet. Start by setting achievable goals and KPIs that relate to those goals.

#5. Match the Platform with Your Audience

It’s normal for businesses to feel the need to push content to every available platform and stretch themselves too thin. Your company could have an Instagram page but that doesn’t necessarily mean it should.

Evaluate your company’s goals and find your right target audience. Then, research social media platform demographics and create an account or accounts where your content will have the biggest conversion.

#6. Take Part in Forum Discussions

Blogs, Medium, LinkedIn, and Reddit allow you to share your content and remain relevant to many people. Don’t underestimate that advantage by sharing low-quality, or boring content. Hit with your best shot, know your audience, choose a catchy title, and engage in discussions frequently.

Conclusion

Social media is a significant tool for content marketing. But the secret to choosing the right social media platform for your business is pretty easy. Know your business, your goals, your target audience, and where you can find them. Go there on that platform and make some money.