How to Choose the Right Social Media Channels
How to Choose the Right Social Media Channels
August 23, 2019
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Choosing the right social media platforms for your business can be overwhelming.
Understanding where you should be dedicating your time and energy online to attract the RIGHT people is definitely something that so many entrepreneurs struggle with.
Should you be on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube…?
There are so many possibilities. I’ve worked with my clients to find the right platforms for them so they love showing up on social media and today I’m sharing that process with you.
The reality is you can’t be everywhere, especially in the beginning and trying to post mediocre content, on a bunch of different platforms is not helping you build a following or community. In fact, I recommend 1-2 platforms in the beginning and the questions I’m sharing are going to help you decide just what those platforms are for you!
1. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY?
You've got to like where you are showing up. If you don’t like social media, now is not the time to tell me you don't like social media (I see you), you've got to choose at least three to start so go for it. Where do you like to spend your time on social media that would feel like the next step?
While we are here on this question, start thinking of how you like to show up. Do you enjoy video, audio, posting, photos (editing and curated), photos more natural, writing, etc.
2. WHERE IS YOUR AUDIENCE HANGING OUT ONLINE?
Ok now we need to figure out where your audience is. If you're showing up somewhere and your audience isn't there then you aren't going to have a great conversion rate. So we have to make sure to put you where your audience is going to see your content.
If you've done Market Research great you should know this, if you haven't then now is the time to find out. Simply asking your community, ideal clients, existing clients or paying attention can all point you in the right direction.
3. HOW WILL YOU SHOW UP?
How do you like to deliver content? Is it video, writing posts, blogging, live/ pre recorded, photos? This matters when choosing your platform.
Let’s talk about what this means. Say you realize you like live video then Facebook and Instagram could be your jam. If you like writing long form content, then focusing on blogging and Pinterest would be a win. Prefer to pre-record video, then let’s think Youtube. Love the idea of recording audio, hello, let's start a podcast. You get it?!
4. HOW OFTEN WILL YOU SHOW UP?
Listen we’ve all got different schedules and availability.
Do I recommend you show up multiple times a week, absolutely.
Is this realistic for everyone? No.
Does it make you a bad business owner if you don’t? Absolutely not.
What matters is consistency.
So if you know you don’t want to show up more than once a week, then Instagram and Twitter probably aren’t the right move.. If you’re not a fan of picking photos as your main form, don’t choose Instagram. If you’re all about writing a post a week and optimizing the crap out of it, then let’s focus on blogging.
I want your content to do its job and consistency is part of that equation.
5. FOCUS ON SEARCH ENGINE TOOLS.
I mentioned in the beginning to choose 1-2 platforms; one of those platforms should be focused on search engine. These are platforms like Google (Blog), Pinterest and Youtube. What happens with these platforms is that you’re attracting targeted leads, they are specifically searching for your specialty and you’ll set yourself up long term by choosing one of these platforms in the beginning and focusing on building it.
I recommend choosing one social media platform, like Facebook, and one search engine platform, like Google/Blog and using them multiple ways.
For instance, you could take a single piece of content written on your blog and send an email to your list, then post about the blog on Facebook.
By focusing on two main platforms you’re going to see better results and not waste time. The reality is if you’re trying to be everywhere you’re going to feel stretched too thin - and that’s when we stop being consistent.
Start with one to two and then add another one after you get a rhythm. The goal here is to snowball your platforms, until you’re on more than one and feeling dang good about it.
Want more insider tips on how to show up on social media and glimpse into repurposing? Watch the full video below.
Please share your biggest takeaways from this blog post and how you’re going to implement this information in your own business!
P.S. I’ve got a free masterclass where I’m sharing The Build a Better Brand Method. You’ll learn how to create a brand that stand out on social media, results in high-value content for your audience and builds a community that scales you to a revenue-generating brand. Sign up at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.
