Which social media is right for your brand?

Each social platform is very unique and needs an individual strategy.

It’s 2020 and there’s an abundance of social media channels that may or may not benefit your business. So how do you determine which ones will work for you, and know that you’re not wasting time? There’s no perfect formula telling us exactly what we should and shouldn’t do, but these beginner’s insights from our Social Media Manager may help a little.

Sometimes I find myself writing strategies for clients with existing social media channels, only to realise, that part way through they may not need all of the channels they are using.

You may think the more the merrier, right?! Any potential exposure is good exposure. Well, not really. Just because a platform exists, doesn’t mean it’s always going to have a place for your brand. In fact, sometimes putting your brand in the wrong place can send the wrong message to your target audience.

Each social platform is very unique and needs an individual strategy. So on top of juggling content creation, email campaigns, SEO, digital advertising (the list goes on as you know) you’ll need to develop, implement and adhere to a fair few guidelines. 

The point is, if you’re going to be on a channel, getting it right is going to require effort. A whole lot of it, which is why choosing the right one(s) is so important.  

There are many things you should consider when finding the right fit or your first choice. 

Here’s a few of the big questions you should be asking. What industry are you in? Who‘s your target audience? What kind of content will you / can you be sharing? What’s your objective? What’s your current data telling you? And finally, how much time do you have?

Let’s break down the main social players (and the ones we currently recommend most to clients) so you can have a think about which of those may be right for you.

Facebook – the people’s new news

Ever heard of FOMO? You probably should have it, if your brand is not on this channel. Almost a third of the world’s population frequent this bad boy, so some, if not all, of your potential customers are bound to have a profile. I’d recommend Facebook to almost everyone. Facebook is easy, works for nearly all kinds of content, and their advertising option is still the most cost-effective form that reaches the largest audiences. However, if you want to see strong results using Facebook, it requires a damn good, well considered plan. With over 60 million active business pages, it’s also a little competitive.

Twitter – the informant

This is the channel for real-time news, entertainment, sports, politics, and more. It’s also a great avenue for first contact customer service. You have got to be quick, constant and clever on this one. If it’s not the channel for your brand, it can still be a great place for social listening.

Instagram – the visual storyteller

Got good photos and videos? Welcome to the ‘gram fam. Content is key on this super popular platform and it must be visually engaging. The majority of Instagram’s users are still under 25, so it’s a great platform to attract younger demographics that could potentially turn into life-long customers or fans. This is the platform where you tell your brand’s story, through photos, videos and clever captions to build rapport and connections with your target audiences.

YouTube – the video engine

While YouTube has the second-largest amount of users as a social platform, you need to ask yourself a very obvious question before you set up a business page – am I going to create quality video content? As a Social Media Manager I would suggest video content to every client. It’s engaging and we know it. However for some it’s not plausible, especially not YouTube standard plausible. Besides being a super popular channel for a younger audience, YouTube is also used as a search engine. In fact it’s the second biggest search engine behind its parent company, Google. It’s a great place to talk to your customers through video, and be exposed to potential new ones, but it also requires a lot of time, resources and commitment.

LinkedIn – the industry leader

What started as your online CV and job search engine is now its own little professional world. This is where you will establish thought leadership and authority in your industry to generate meaningful leads. It’s also a great way to attract talent suited to and interested in your business. It’s the perfect platform, unlike some others, for B2B conversations, with the ability to target organisation leaders and influencers.

Remember there are a lot more channels out there that can be attractive to businesses. There’s chat platforms that can take customer service up to whole new levels of care, Pinterest, which is proven to drive sales and traffic for certain industries, and now the super fun Tik Tok, which at its current growth rate may one day move to the list above (Hint: If your target audience is Gen Z it’s totally worth a look now). 

There’s a lot of Social Media options, both niche and mainstream, and it’s constantly changing, growing and presenting new opportunities for brands. 

If you’re still feeling lost, feel free to get in touch. I’m not just a Social Media Manager – I am also a Social Butterfly who loves coffee, helping solve human’s problems and doggo spotting. 

I best be off now, so much learning, testing and adapting to do!

Sasha Aranyi
Social Media Manager
[email protected]