There are so many social media platforms to choose from – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Tumblr, Snapchat…it almost looks like new social media platforms are emerging on a daily basis!
If you are in the process of creating your social media strategy, your first instinct might be to simply choose all of them. We are here to tell you, don’t. Chances are you won’t have enough time or resources to commit yourself properly to each social media profile, so you might end up having a mediocre representation on all of them, instead of excelling at a chosen few.
Whatever your choice is, here is a detailed guide to get you started on your social media management journey, through a series of questions and answers.
Will you oversee your social media, or will you pay a professional to do it for you?
If you are in charge, then you should choose the platforms you are familiar and most comfortable with. Or, at least at first. As you gain experience, and more importantly – the routine to be active on selected channels, you can easily incorporate more profiles into your social media strategy. And yes, you WILL need a strategy.
Paying a professional will probably yield better results, but that is largely dependent on your budget, naturally. On the other hand, you will get their expertise, knowledge, and the benefit of having free time on your hands. Twenty3Media is more than happy to help you with that, of course.
What is the type of content you will be distributing?
Each social media platform has a type of content for which it’s better suited than the rest. Visual content should find its way to Pinterest and Instagram, and videos are certainly best hosted on YouTube and Vine, while short, concise updates are for Twitter. Facebook supports all formats successfully (but, the overall trend favours videos).
Twitter is a very in-the-moment channel, which demands a lot more attention (and a very good response rate) which means that if you have up to date news to share with the world, Twitter is the way to go. If your posts aren’t time sensitive, and would benefit from being shown to a highly-targeted audience, then you should choose Facebook. Determine the type of content you will be creating and choose the platform accordingly.
What is the main purpose of the chosen channel?
If you want to increase sales, achieve better ROI and have more conversions, then your social media strategy should also reflect that. In this case, it’s not really about the traffic. While traffic is important, it shouldn’t be the ultimate goal. But if you want to increase brand exposure, attain a loyal following and form connections, then traffic is of importance.
Choose the main purpose you wish to achieve and then select the channel best suited that will bring you results.
Stay tuned for more useful advice about social media platforms, community management and pro tips on how to become the very best social media marketer your brand deserves you to be!