Choosing a social platform for your business
Do you remember the good ole’ days, when social media was composed of grainy food photos, “pokes” on Facebook, and unedited selfies?
The early days of content creation were like an anything goes environment.
The wild west of social media vibes were fun while they lasted - you could post anything on any platform, and it would more or less work. The lines between social media norms were more blurred, so it wasn’t a wild idea to copy and paste your content across every social platform and call it good.
But it's 2022, and things have changed.
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok all have distinct audiences, which means that even if you’re developing one piece of content, it will have to be repackaged in multiple different ways, depending on the platforms you’re using.
Social media is overwhelming for most people - trends change and you’re still just trying to keep your head above the water.
Add in trying to become an Instagram guru for your business? Forget about it.
So at this point, every business owner has a choice.
You can try to create a presence on every platform, which could look something like:
Making accounts for your individual platforms
Building up your following through specific content geared toward trends on each platform
Carving out a chunk of time to engage in each of these different spaces
It might sound like a lot of work, and that’s accurate.
The upside of creating content for so many social media platforms is that you can learn a lot about your brand in the process. Making TikToks is different from creating Instagram reels and writing tweets is different from crafting Facebook posts. As you stretch your creative muscles, you’ll get to explore new facets of your business that were previously untouched.
Social media is a tool for engagement and outward growth, but don’t miss how useful it is for internal growth as well. Use the varied platforms to your advantage as you learn what works and what doesn’t for your company.
Maybe that all sounds overwhelming to you, and you know that the majority of your target audience is already engaging with you on Instagram, per say.
Focusing on one platform will:
Help you discover your audience and connect with them intentionally
Dig deep into your core offerings
Become an expert in that platform and focus your energy in one place
So, you can go broad in your online marketing. But you’ll inevitably end up spending more time on one platform over the others, and we’d advise that you lean into that natural inclination and really focus on making your presence on that platform great.
If you’re just starting from scratch, here’s how to choose the best social platform for your business:
Learn your audience
Maybe you know your audience really well already, or maybe you’re in the early stages of your marketing and you’re just now figuring it out. Digging into a social platform is a great way to either - engage with your audience more deeply, or discover who’s in your audience in the first place. This will take some time and maybe some trying and failing. Don’t be afraid to change course if you realize your message might be better suited for a different platform.
Look at your competitor’s habits
Say your business does leadership development. If every single leadership development firm you compete with has a robust following on Facebook and no engagement on Pinterest or Instagram, it's safe to say that you should start growing your platform on Facebook, too. That’s where the majority of your audience is already hanging out.
Consider what you enjoy creating
Like we’ve said, every platform is vastly different. You may find that your brand and your personal sense of humor aligns best with Tik Tok, or maybe you’re really good at writing short, pithy tidbits for Twitter. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you dread creating content! If you find what feels natural to you, the odds are that your business will align with that as well.
These points are a helpful starting place, but here’s a caveat to consider:
You don’t have to take an all or nothing approach to choosing your businesses’ optimal social media platform.
For example, our social media strategy has really changed at Murphy Marketing over the last few years, as our company has grown and we’ve gotten more specific about our audience.
While we used to focus on Instagram as our primary social platform for generating sales, we’ve found that LinkedIn is actually the most productive place to spend our time.
What that doesn’t mean is that we’ve ditched Instagram entirely.
Why? Because while Instagram isn’t our most productive platform for sales, it’s still invaluable as we establish our presence and authority in the market. Our target audience may not be looking to make a purchase as they scroll on Instagram, but they are still on the app. Our goals for Instagram are different than they used to be, and now it’s a space we get to inhabit with a more relaxed approach.
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do for your businesses’ life on social media is to just start, and to be okay with making adjustments when needed.
Waiting until your strategy is perfected will get you nowhere fast, because your strategy will never be perfect. The online world changes quicker than anyone can keep up, and at the end of the day we’re all just doing our best with what we know.
One thing you do need to have a grasp on before you start creating social content is what your message actually is, and that’s what we’re here for. If you want to get in the social media game but you don’t even know what words are right for your business, we’d love to help get you started.
Book an appointment today and we’ll figure it out together!
