There are many social media channels available for businesses to use and a common question that I am asked is how do I manage to be on all those social media accounts?
My answer is usually, you don’t! You just pick the most relevant social media channels to your business and you do those well!
Pick your channels
First you must look at your customer and try to figure out which channels they are using. For a B2B the channel of choice might be LinkedIn. If the customer base is females 18-24 then Snapchat would be more appropriate. The idea is to go where your customer goes.
Decide on your goals.
Once you have decided which channels you will work with then you must decide what your goals are and set objectives. Is your goal to create brand awareness or showcase a new product? Then this will determine what your strategy will be on the social media channel you choose. Showcasing a new product might involve images of it in use, a video showing how it works or an article explaining why it is so different from other products. Your objectives may be to generate interest and a certain number of leads.
The popular social media channels
Facebook. With over 2.6million Facebook Accounts in Ireland and 500 million+ worldwide this social media channels is still growing. It is the third most trafficked site in the world (Google and Yahoo are the first two in case you were wondering). 67% of Irish people use Facebook and having such a wide range of ages and demographics you can be sure that your customers are on Facebook
Instagram. This is a great channel to use when trying to humanise a brand and show the culture behind it. An ideal place to showcase your products especially if they are visually attractive. It has 300 million daily active users worldwide and is popular with women from 18-34.
Twitter. Used mainly for relationship building, this channel is similar to a networking event where you can meet potential customers and interact with existing customers. A good channel when you are trying to get website visitors, listen to what others are saying about your brand and for promoting events.
LinkedIn. This Business to Business social media channel is a professional networking platform and used for strategic networking. Having both a personal profile and company page is key and when your team adds their profile it builds a picture of your company for potential B2B clients. Can also be used to post jobs, update followers on expansion or new projects and drive traffic to a website. LinkedIn groups are great for conversations to get connections that may turn into leads and clients
Google+ . Google my business is a platform that is sometimes forgotten about but shouldn’t be. When you are hoping to attract organic visitors to your website (those that found you using the Google search engine) then you want to give yourself every advantage. Having your premises on Google maps will help you be found when somebody is searching for your shop on their smartphone nearby.
YouTube. Video is a powerful tool, it enables a brand to tell a story that can be easily digested by a busy person. Decide on what type of video you want to create and why you are doing it. Publish and measure the results. From YouTube you can also share it from your website and over other social media channels.
Snapchat. 28% of Irish people use this new platform, and with 85% of 15-18 year olds being on it, it’s where the younger people are hanging out. 70% of all Snapchat users worldwide are female. Great for using at product launches, trade shows or events. It’s a real view of what is happening, behind the scenes showing your company or team in action. Snapchat stories for engaging. Since stories expire after 24 hours it’s a good way of running a short offer or giveaway to create interest.
More platforms
There are even more platforms that you could consider for your brand or business and you could spend all day every day tweeting, posting and sharing. Again, my advice to you is this –
- Pick the channels that your customers are using
- Only pick the amount of channels you have time to look after
- Post, tweet or share consistently. Engage your followers and give them a reason to stay with you.