Social media marketing is both a blessing and a curse. It’s never been easier to connect with your customers and clients, but it’s never been harder to be heard, and managing social media takes a lot of time.
It can be tempting to jump on all the popular platforms because “my customers and clients are there” but is that the right thing to do? How do you know which social media platforms are best and which ones you should invest your time, effort and budget into?
Start with strategy
Before you jump into the detail of the what, where and when, remember to focus in on the why and who.
The why is your purpose, vision, mission and goals. Think back to your strategic plan and what you are trying to achieve. A clearly defined ‘reason for being’ is a great litmus test for most business and marketing decisions, and social media is no exception.
The who is your customer or client base. Your sales and marketing plan needs a clearly defined picture of of who they are, what their pain points are, and how you can help. All marketing works better when you know who you are talking to.
You don’t need to be on all the social media platforms
Once you have your why and who clear, it becomes much easier to critically analyse the current social media platforms to determine which ones are right for you and your brand.
The reality is that some of the popular platforms might not be right for you. Just because your customers enjoy Instagram doesn’t necessarily mean Insta is the right platform for your products or services. TikTok might be new and exciting and other companies might be appearing to use it successfully, but that does not necessarily mean it’s right for your brand.
Time is the small business owners’ most precious commodity, so it’s critically important that you focus on only those tactics and social media platforms that will help you deliver on your purpose and achieve your objectives.
Only you can decide which social media platforms are best for you and your brand but don’t be afraid to be ruthless about it. Focusing on only those platforms that will work for your business allows you to create meaningful content, conversations and connections, and that’s what social media is all about.
Author: Pip Mehrtens | August 2020
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