It is imperative you make sure you are using the right social platforms to promote your business. Each platform is designed for a different purpose and depending upon your specific business some are going to be more effective than others. Before I get into a review of each platform to help you select what to post to each, I’d like to go over some general guidance that really applies to all social media. We will address hashtags in a future chapter.
Be intentional when choosing your platforms; what is your objective and who is your demographic
Native video is 500x more impactful than attaching a YouTube link or video from a phone (Instagram and Facebook). That means GO LIVE people!!! Video is king.
Set small, measurable goals – social media is all about data and analytics
Figure out your tone/voice; be consistent and authentic
Use the same handle, links, pictures, bios across all platforms (make sure this aligns with website URL as well)
Make sure what you’re posting is a mix; sales posts should be the lowest % of posts
Be unique to each platform; do not repurpose posts
Generally speaking, the best times to post are breakfast, lunch and dinner
Stories generally drive more reach than Feed posts because stories just keep playing automatically even if the user is not paying attention. Though it might show bigger numbers it may not be more effective.
One thing to keep in mind when choosing your platform is the primary demographic. If you use a platform in the right way, but are not hitting your target age range, then your message will still fall on deaf ears. Now that we have all that out of the way, let’s review each platform:
Facebook is the most diverse social platform. You can use it for just about anything and everything. Though many people are choosing to move away from it, it is still the go-to social platform for business.
Demographic: 56% of users are between the ages of 25 and 45. The platform is primarily used for:
Drive commerce
A way to start a conversation; build a community
Guide people back to your website
The types of posts that are most relevant include:
News
Industry news
Culture
People – the human side
Branded content
Case Studies/white papers
Blog links
Jobs
Sales offers
Speaking engagements, etc.
The primary function of the Instagram platform for business purposes is to build your brand. This platform is really more relevant for the younger generations.
Demographic: 60% of the users are under the age of 34. The types of posts that are most relevant include:
Pictures, pictures, pictures – anything pretty that represents your brand
Content, videos, and pictures that promote:
Your brand aesthetics
Products, if tangible
Personal stories
Twitter is all about reporting the news. It really serves no other purpose, except it actually has significant SEO relevancy!!!
Demographic: 61% of the users are between the ages of 25 and 50. The types of posts that are most relevant include:
The news
A good headline
A link to an article (short URLs)
Hashtags relevant for your industry
LinkedIn is typically used to build authority for your brand. The demographic is focused on more of an enterprise level but can be useful for small businesses as well. It draws more of an older crowd.
Demographic: 1 out of every 3 users is between the ages of 30 and 49. The types of posts that are most relevant include:
Talk about what your business is doing
Authority building and career development posts
Hiring
Board development
Subject matter expertise
Speaking engagements
Re-publish blogs
Corporate wins
Philanthropy
Polls are really popular right now!
TikTok is primarily useful in building your brand in a fun and educational way. It’s a really great way to reach the younger generation BUT what you need to keep in mind is that with TikTok you will be giving more than you will be receiving. What do I mean? You can put a video out there and have it go viral, but you get zero SEO credit, you are not driving people back to your site or another funnel link. You just put it out there in hopes that it helps people remember your brand.
Demographic: 60% of users are under the age of 24. The types of posts that are most relevant include:
Fun and educational videos
What TikTok is NOT good for:
Tracking and building metrics
B2B
If you want as much traffic coming back to you as content you put out
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Let’s talk about YouTube for a minute. Most people think YouTube is a social platform, but that’s incorrect. YouTube is a SEARCH ENGINE. Unlike social media, it does not have timeline restrictions. Your content is relevant FOREVER and should be the center of your content marketing strategy. Here’s why…when you put a video out on YouTube it will actually drive traffic to your other social platforms, increasing engagement across your ENTIRE SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM! Once you have a video, you can always clip it and put relevant pieces and parts on your different platforms as well.
If you’re not posting consistently yet, you now have everything you need to start and build upon.
Next up...Finding Your Who!