I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “quality over quantity,” right? Chances are you have, but have you ever wondered why this phrase is so prevalent? It’s because it’s true. This also rings true of the marketing industry—particularly in terms of social media usage.
What does this actually mean? It means that just because your business can be on every social media platform doesn’t mean that it should be on every social media platform.
Rather than try to have a lackluster presence on all of the big social media platforms, consider paring it down to having a good presence on a handful of platforms (or dare I even suggest a stellar presence on several platforms?).
Moreover, your business should focus its efforts on the social media platforms that provide the best return to your business. By making this your focus, you won’t be wasting business resources. Need suggestions on how to choose which platform(s) is best for your business? Consider these tips.
Take the time to identify what social media sites your customers are using
Chances are your target customer base is using 1 (or 2) social media platform more than the others. These platforms are where you want the bulk of your resources going. One aspect to consider when trying to pinpoint which platform to use is the age base of your audience.
For brands that have a foothold in the younger generational markets, Gen Z in particular, spends the bulk of their time on Instagram. In fact, 73 percent of Gen Z prefer the platform. If your brand attracts Baby Boomers, you’ll likely want to stick with Facebook, where 78 percent of Boomers interact with the brands they enjoy.
Take an inventory of your content
The types of content your business has to share can also dictate which social media platform you choose to use. For the most part, all social media platforms have a niche for content that works for their site. If your business goes against this niche with its content, then you won’t receive the customer engagement you need to succeed.
Take Instagram, for example. Instagram uses photos and videos as their content of choice. To succeed best on Instagram, you’ll need to utilize eye-catching photos. By comparison, LinkedIn utilizes informational content, including articles, slides and videos packed with data.
When in doubt, go with what you know
Going into your social media platform decision, if you (or your marketing team) have more experience with a particular social networking platform, choose that platform. There’s no sense in having to learn a whole new platform when you can probably adapt your content to what you know. Furthermore, if you’re already using a particular platform, chances are you already know its trends.
If your target audience isn’t finding your content on your preferred platform, you can enlist the assistance of a marketer experienced in social media or a marketing agency to develop (and even post) content for you on a platform that your audience is using.
The numbers don’t lie
If your business is already on numerous social networking platforms and you’re looking to make a change, take the time to analyze your metrics and see where you should be focusing your marketing budget. The platform that provides you with your highest return on investment is your best bet. After you’ve narrowed that down, you can start building a strategy that will address the content that will best help you meet your goals.