We’d like to think that this is a question our clients often ask us, but in reality businesses often feel unjustified pressure to join every single social media channel that they can in an effort to target as much of their audience as possible. By taking this approach, businesses then often find themselves having to think of relevant content for every channel on a regular basis, rushing to post things and not giving social media the attention it deserves. In some cases it can be forgotten about altogether whilst business owners rightly focus on the day-to-day.
So we thought we’d put together a quick guide on each of our favourite social media channels to help you decide which one is best suited for your business.
Facebook
He may have had some bad press in recent times, but Mark Zuckerberg struck gold when he launched Facebook. The channel has over 1 billion active users every day so surely some of your target audience will be included in that number? Sure! But how do you reach them? Facebook ads. It’s no secret that Facebook’s algorithms are difficult to crack unless you have a large paid advertising budget to skip your way through them. We’ve all had that experience of talking about getting new windows and then suddenly Facebook is showing you ads for new windows – spooky! But having a healthy paid advertising budget is a sure fire way of reaching exactly who you want to reach with your business information. Having said that, content is king and if you’re savvy enough to create some amazing imagery, interesting video content or share top article fodder then Facebook could just be the channel for you.
Pros: large audience reach, targeted advertising, top analytical tools, good customer interaction
Cons: Often requires ad budget, requires consistent engagement to see results
Instagram
Another hit with over a million users signed up within its first month of launching in 2010, now boasting similar stats to Facebook. This channel is extremely visual as it relies on photos or videos posted to a grid or through the stories function, more recently launching a ‘reels’ function allowing to create videos with ease. It’s an excellent platform for businesses to literally show their products in great detail. And that’s the key, we think this channel is heavily product led, it can be really difficult to use Instagram if you provide a service where images and video content aren’t readily available and you’re in a hurry.
Pros: highly visual, created for mobile
Cons: followers don’t equal engagement, highly frequent posting schedule
Twitter
Their marketing strategy is to limit characters within tweets, giving everyone a voice but putting a lid on the ‘noise’. There was a time where everyone was on Twitter and some still are including journalists, celebrities and even the President of the United States! In order to stand out from the crowd, this platform requires consistent engagement, adding valuable content by watching key trends and having a lot of time on your hands. We think you often need to plan for multiple tweets a day that are achieved by engaging in actual conversations, making it time consuming in order to be effective.
Pros: easy to engage, free targeting with hashtags
Cons: cutting through the noise is time consuming, lots of tweeting required
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a fantastic networking tool. You can reach potential business contacts anywhere in the world at the click of a button or a quick search. Originally launched as a tool exclusively for professionals, its seeing more and more personal content being shared. It’s a highly efficient channel for those working in a more B2B environment used by those looking to learn more about their industry, ask for professional help or search for career opportunities. It also has the option to use it via a business page sharing key messaging and content or indeed to use via your personal profile for the same reasoning – you’re now able to follow individuals as well as pages, paving the way for LinkedIn influencers.
Pros: promotion of business-related content, great networking tool, good for recruitment
Cons: Not designed for eCommerce, not as many users as other platforms
Our list of tips could go on forever, we haven’t even touched on YouTube or TikTok and the benefits of using either of those channels. If you want more details or to chat to someone about what social media channels are right for you, contact us today or take a look at our social media management packages.
