Social media has changed by leaps and bounds since its inception. What started as a way for users to connect and communicate is now an extremely powerful tool that every business including yours, should be taking advantage of to cultivate and engage their audience/users and ultimately increase revenue. 

While social media has grown into a fantastic opportunity for business owners, it sure is a lot more complicated than it was a few years ago. There are now more social platforms than ever and it can seem like quite a daunting task to even get involved and utilize these platforms. Should your company have a Snapchat account? Where should Instagram fall into your social media strategy? Should you focus primarily on Facebook or should you also have a Twitter account? How should you direct your time and resources to maximize your return on investment (ROI)? 

We've dialed this down to 5 easy steps to help you find the right social media platforms for YOUR business. Be sure to join the conversation by commenting on the blog below and don't forget to subscribe to our blog updates! 

how to find the right social media platform in 5 easy steps. 

Identify the platforms that your audience/personas are active on. 

1. Survey audience members.

Surveying your audience and clients is an essential part of digital marketing and it isn't any different when trying to figure out what social platform your audience and buyer personas are most active on. Use a service like SurveyMonkey and ask your audience to take a quick survey. Not only are surveys great ways to engage your audience, they are obviously a great way to acquire free information from your audience as well as dig into the thought process of audience members that could potentially be leads down the road.

When surveying your audience, be sure to keep your questions to Yes/No questions OR multiple choice. For the best possible pull-through, make sure to keep the survey short and easy to complete. The more complicated you make the survey, the less your audience will be willing to fill it out. 

2. Conduct Industry Research.

Be sure to check out what social media platforms your industry leaders are active on. More times than not, this will give you a really good idea where your potential buyers are active. When conducting industry research, don't forget to jot down some takeaways. What are the industry leaders doing well on social? How can you take what they are doing and improve upon it? How are they engaging their audience? These are all important questions to answer when observing your industry leaders social media efforts.

Although you will eventually want to create a social media presence that is unique to your company's personality and values, you can sure learn a lot about what is working and what isn't from your direct competitors. As the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If something is working for someone else, start there and improve upon it. 

3. Run an experiment. and then another.

Finding your social media sweet spot is going to take a lot of experimenting and a good amount of patience. You will have your fair share of positive & negative results. You will most likely have more failures, especially at the beginning of this entire process but don't get discouraged! Finding out what doesn't work is just as, if not more valuable than what does work. It is your failures that will ultimately lead you to the most effective ways of reaching your target audience as well as your ultimate goal: Figuring out what social media platform is best for your business (hint: it probably won't be just one).

One additional piece of advice: don't every stop experimenting! Experimenting is part of the continuous improvement process. We should always be striving for better results, more information, best practices, etc. 

4. Consistent publishing is major 🔑 . 

Consistency. Consistency. CONSISTENCY!. You need to be consistent with your posting as well as your interaction with your audience. Consistent publishing on the social media platforms that you are experimenting with is the only way that you will be able to get quality data set to analyze and Data isn't worth analyzing if it isn't quality...right? 

Consistency is also a major part of engaging and interacting with your audience. With millions upon millions of people and businesses utilizing social media, there is a ton of competition for your target audiences eyes and ears. Being consistent will keep them looking for more and also set expectations that you are going to be a continuous source of information and fun. 

5. Monitor keywords. 

Using and monitoring keywords isn't just a tool for your website and on-page SEO, it is an essential part of social media as well. It is important to consistently utilize the same keywords that you are focusing on your website as well as come up with unique keywords specifically for social.

Utilizing the same keywords as your website can help you rank better for those specific terms. It also allows you to deliver a consistent message. Using unique keywords specifically for social will allow you to create conversion paths specifically from social. Using unique keywords on social is also a great way to test keywords out before focusing on them on your website. If specific social posts using specific keywords perform well, this could be a sign that they speak to your target audience and should be implemented on your website. 

Conclusion

There’s a whole lot to consider when you need to determine where your company will invest it's time and energy with social media. With daily changes and updates to each network as well as new networks coming onto the scene all the time, it’s a challenge to stay focused and build something worthwhile that bolsters your company.

If you start by making sure you understand your audience, and then consider what fits with your personality and brand strategy using the tips above, you will be on your way to social media success, no matter which network you decide to pursue. 

Thanks for reading! We hope this post helps you find the right social media platform for your business. Did you like this post and want more tips? Let our experts help you avoid making costly SEO mistakes. Be sure to download our eBook 10 SEO Mistakes to Avoid by clicking on the link below.