Is your social media presence still reaching who you want to reach? Are the platforms you're using still representative of your values? Should you be thinking about changing platforms?
These are questions that businesses should ask themselves occasionally as part of their overall marketing strategy. Depending on what your business is, some social media platforms may not be a good fit for your company. The audience you're after may not be where you think it is.
In the web development business we see all sorts of companies looking to have an online presence, and social media is a pretty big part of that presence. Where to focus that social media presence is going to heavily depend on the audience trying to be reached. A photographer and a general contractor may have a similar set of social media presences, but they are going to have very different audiences and where they focus their social media input is likely to be very different too.
A photographer is going to focus on Instagram where they can showcase their photography and gain a following for their work from an aesthetic perspective. They will also likely have a LinkedIn account so that they can keep in touch with other professionals in their industry and be available for other companies looking for their specific skillset. Their social media interaction on these platforms will likely lean more heavily toward the Instagram side since they are producing a lot of material for this platform.
A general contractor running a company will also likely have accounts on both of these platforms, however their business focus is going to be very different. Unlike the photographer, the Instagram platform is only occasionally going to be updated with images of finished jobs in order to showcase the quality of work, but since these jobs take a lot of time, the photographs may simply be a few quick snaps from the camera phone. The focus of the contractor will likely be more on business related networking with other contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers who would be looking on a business platform like LinkedIn. This platform is designed to allow people to interact on a business networking level rather than a social level.
As you can see from the examples, social media platforms can be used by everyone. The thing to remember is when using them, especially from a business standpoint, is where the effort should be concentrated.
Another thing to keep in mind is how the platform is viewed overall. Ten years ago this was not a real consideration, however today the perception of the platforms, who is running them, and the audiences on them may make the decision to use them more difficult.
Some things to consider when choosing social media platforms for your business:
- Do we want to be political?
- How do we want to handle negative interactions?
- Is our desired audience found on this platform?
- Does the platform focus make sense for our business?
- Does our business want to interact on this platform?
Some social media platforms may not be the best fit for a business, especially if the business doesn't have the time or budget for the interactions required. For example, does an accounting firm want to be making TikTok videos of making their accounts balance? Is a dance instructor going to be spending their social media time interacting on LinkedIn? Businesses should choose their platforms to best suit their needs.
So at this time of year, when businesses are winding down for the holidays, and thinking about the coming business year. It may be time to reassess how they spend their social media time and money to help their business find focus.