Are you tired of researching which social media platform to use? Is your current social media platform not giving you the results you’re looking for? Do you find yourself spending too much time on social media and neglecting other areas of your business? Finding the right social media platform is like finding your favorite restaurant. It has to have the right ambiance, it has to offer the food you’re looking for, and it has to be affordable. With all the options out there, however, it can be a little daunting deciding on which social media platform works best for your business. Well, I’m here to help!

Finding your social media soulmate

First things first…let’s talk about why it’s important to use the right social media platform. Social media is a domino effect. Without knowing your business goals, you won’t know who your audience is. Without knowing who your audience is, you can’t know what social media channels they’re using. And if you don’t know what social media channels you should be on, then there’s no chance of you creating an effective marketing strategy. If you’re not properly marketing your business, you are wasting your time and money.

Ask yourself the following questions to start narrowing down a social media platform…

• How much time am I willing to dedicate to using social media?
• What platforms do my competitors use?
• Where does my audience hang out?
• What is my ultimate business goal?
• How much do I want to spend?
• What type of content do I want to create?

Below is a helpful tool that compares different social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest) Hopefully, it brings you one step closer in choosing the right social media platform for your small business.

Now that you have a better idea of which platform suits your business best, I’d like to leave you with one last piece of advice…

It doesn’t matter if the social media platform you choose checks off all the boxes. If you’re not enjoying the content you’re creating and not doing what you’re good at, then you might want to reconsider the social media platform you’re operating in. If this means going against the grain, then so be it. If you absolutely loathe Pinterest, by all means, stay away. Who cares if you’re a wizard at DIY projects and would be considered crazy for not posting on Pinterest. If you prefer Twitter or Instagram, do yourself a huge favor and use them. You have a better chance at your content and business growing organically simply because A) you’re spending more time on that platform anyways and B) your audience will feed off your enthusiasm.

In the end, this all might take some trial and error. Do your research, go with your gut, have fun, and I assure you, you will be just fine.

Need a little extra help making this decision? Read this TSO article that provides you with questions to ask yourself when choosing the right platform for your small business.

Category: Blogging, Integrating with Traditional Marketing