The Social Media Shuffle
Social media isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. With new platforms growing in popularity and existing platforms expanding their capabilities for users, resisting the urge to be on every social media outlet is a challenge for businesses. It’s hard to be active on all of the platforms all the time while giving them the attention needed to get results you want. So, which platforms are best for your business and marketing efforts?
Social media offers the ultimate opportunity to be the catcher's mitt in pulling in audiences and leading them down the marketing funnel. Before you dive headfirst into each social media platform, take note that not every social platform is going to be needed for your business. Identifying the right fit will always result in more success than jumping in without a strategy or tactical plan.
Start by identifying your limits. Social media is a large ecosystem that demands new content to be distributed, two-way community management, and paid advertisement. Consider your responses to these questions:
What content library (pictures, graphics, video, gifs, blog posts) do you have?
Is there enough content to fulfill the needed frequency of communication? Can you curate content to build up your posting schedule?
Is there time to not only reply to comments but engage with other profiles?
The more platforms your business decides to join the level of commitment is multiplied. Starting off slow with the plan to ramp up your social isn’t a bad idea - it’s about building up consistency. Pick your top one or two channels to focus on. As you start to have success, expand to other channels.
We’re breaking down the different factors in considering where your business needs to be and where it can thrive best. If you get the feeling that you are missing out on social media opportunities or need platform-specific strategies, give us a call and we’ll figure it out together.
Ask yourself: What are Your Expectations?
Why are you on Instagram, Tik Tok, or Twitter? Are you there just because everyone else is? Or are you focused on building up your customer base or distributing your content to loyal audiences?
Ask yourself: Who is your target customer?
From your business plan, you should already have an idea of exactly who your target customer is. When it comes to selecting what platforms your business needs to be on, take the time to analyze where your target customer spends their time in the social space.
Are they a trade audience member who participates in trade-focused Twitter Chats?
Are they young moms looking for recipes, life hacks, and DIY projects on Pinterest?
Building up a social page from scratch or getting your page to the first 10K can be an uphill battle. As a strategy, tap into the gatekeepers and influencers that have built up a dedicated social audience. Observing influencer and successful competitor accounts showcase the standard level of content quality, posting frequency, community engagement plus tonality within the copy. A better way to brainstorm this, is to consider who is my target audience already talking to? Why do they like this profile so much and how can I apply that best practice to mine?
Ask Yourself: What are the Challenges and Benefits of the Platforms?
Laying out a strategy and building up multiple solid social media profiles is not an easy task and requires time and energy - that you could be investing in other areas of your business. The Sunday Brunch team is skilled in content marketing and social media management and we are here to help!
Contact CEO, Rachel Svoboda at rachel@sundaybrunchagency.com