Our clients often ask us this question, 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. With this approach, businesses then often find themselves having to think of relevant content for every channel on a regular basis, in a rush to post things and not giving social media the attention it needs. Some business owners can forget about it altogether, whilst rightly focusing on the day-to-day.
So we have put together a quick guide on each social media channel, to help you decide which one is best suited for your business.
Mark Zuckerberg may have had some bad press in recent times, but he struck gold when he launched Facebook. One billion users are active every day, so surely some of your target audience will be included in that number? But how can you reach them? Facebook ads. It’s no secret that Facebook algorithms are difficult to crack, unless you have a large paid advertising budget to get through them. We’ve all had that experience of talking about getting new carpets and then suddenly Facebook is showing you ads for new carpets – spooky! But having a healthy paid advertising budget is an easy way of reaching exactly who you want to reach with your business information. Having said that, content is important and if you’re able to create some amazing imagery and video content or share interesting articles, then Facebook could just be the channel for you.
Pros: Reaches large audience, targeted advertising, good customer interaction, top analytical tools
Cons: Requires consistent engagement to see results and often requires ad budget
Another big hit with over a million users signed up within its first month of launching in 2010, now with 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, with more recently launching a ‘reels’ function, so you can create videos with ease. The platform is excellent for businesses, to literally show their products in great detail – and that’s the key. We think this channel is heavily product led and it can be really difficult to use if you provide a service where images and video content aren’t readily available.
Pros: Created for mobile, highly visual
Cons: Highly frequent posting schedule, followers don’t equal engagement
With the marketing strategy limiting 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 celebrities and even the President of the United States. In order to stand out from the crowd, this platform requires consistent engagement, valuable content, 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 conversations, making it time consuming in order to be effective.
Pros: Easy to engage, free targeting in hashtags
Cons: Time consuming, lots of tweeting required
LinkedIn is a great networking tool. You can reach potential business contacts anywhere in the world at the click of a button. Originally launched as a tool for professionals, it’s seeing more and more personal content being shared. It’s an 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 job opportunities. It also has the option to use it as a business page, sharing key messaging and content – you’re now able to follow individuals as well as pages, paving the way for LinkedIn influencers.
Pros: Business promotion -related content, great networking tool, good for recruitment
Cons: Not designed for eCommerce, not as many users
Our list of tips could go on, we haven’t even touched on YouTube or TikTok and the benefits of using either of those. 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.
