You don't need 3,000 graphs to decide where to spend your time on social media.
Any business can benefit from using social media. I'm active on Facebook and Twitter, for instance, because they work best for my business brand, but you might choose another platform entirely. When determining which social media platforms will benefit your business most look at your target customer first. How and when are they utilizing social media? Don't use Facebook because you like Facebook, use FB because that’s where your best fish are hanging out online. Once armed with this information then you must look at your content strategy.
How Much Do You Want to Write?
If you're interested in posting long-form content on social media, I recommend launching a blog and posting content on your social profiles. Facebook and LinkedIn give you more space to post, and LinkedIn even has a publishing function that lets you post articles directly, without having your own blog. This could be dangerous though, because you don’t ever want to build content on a platform you don't control. At the end of the day, everything you do to build your brand in social media is about driving traffic and sales to your business.
However, if you prefer to communicate in short, pithy phrases, stick with platforms like Twitter and even Instagram if you have a visual element. You can engage in rapid-fire communication with your audience, and you share your blog content or other articles from industry thought leaders and news outlets.
Leverage Images to Boost Content
Photos and graphics have become staples across all social media channels. You can embed them in Facebook posts and tweets, but some other social media platforms lend themselves better to images and video. You also want to place close attention to the images you choose for each of your blog posts. Some believe the image is more important than the title of the post.
Try Instagram, Snapchat, or Pinterest if you're focused on image-heavy content. You can use striking visual aids to tell your story. The best social media for small businesses boils down to your specific goals and your target audience then consider what you want to post, and what kind of outcome do you expect.
Targeting B2B vs. B2C Audiences
If you sell to other businesses, I can't recommend LinkedIn enough. It's the go-to social network for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and other executive professionals who want to connect. More than 80% of all professionals have a LinkedIn profile, so it’s a good place to build a target list. You might also check out Facebook and Twitter to engage B2B audiences.
For consumer focused companies, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat and Instagram offer good options for marketing. Paid social ads work especially well for for B2C audiences. You must choose your keywords and advertising images carefully and have enough budget to test some campaigns to determine which resonate the best with your audience and convert click throughs and sales.
Have You Tried Video?
One of the best pieces of small business advice I can offer is this: Always go with your strengths.
If you look great in front of a camera, enjoy recoding videos, or have a tip style content to share, consider shooting short video content. Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Google Hangout are perfect platforms to build a following through video. Plus, Twitter and Instagram also allow you to post videos. Interview experts in your industry, give a product or service tour, or offer advice directly into the camera. The possibilities are just about endless with video.
There's no one-size-fits-all formula for social media marketing. What I can tell you is that experimentation will help you determine what works best for your target audience. Figure out what makes your audience tick, then focus developing content that allows you to reach them most effectively.
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This article was originally published under the title: Which Social Media Platforms Work Best for Your Small Business? on www.succeedasyourownboss.com