Are you using the right social media platforms?

When was the last time you reviewed the social media platforms that you use?

Using social media within your marketing strategy is all well and good as long as you are investing valuable time in sharing interesting content and using platforms that are used by your target audience.

It is essential that you only use social media platforms where your target audience are active. This helps you to make the most of the time you invest in using social media to build a following of the right type of people.

Interaction and engagement are the two things that everyone is striving for. In order to interact with and engage your audience you need to remember the following:

You need to be sharing the RIGHT content, in the RIGHT place with the RIGHT people.

You should ask yourself the following questions of each social media platform you are using or thinking about using –

What is the reason for doing this? Is our target audience using this platform? What type of content does our target audience like? What are the aims and objectives?

This analysis before reaching the content planning stage is something that a lot of people don’t consider when beginning to use social media or reviewing the platforms they use.

By taking a small amount of time to speak to your customers to understand which platforms they use and why will help you to make informed decisions.

Facebook is a platform that the majority of people use personally, providing businesses with a great platform to communicate with their target audience. It is a great tool to gain a better understanding of your target audience through their participation and the Insights that Facebook provide you with.

Twitter is ideal to place your brand and content in front of a large audience by using hashtags that are related to you, as well as hashtags that are being used by your target audience. It is also a helpful tool to network with other businesses in a local area or an area where you work through networking hours. Networking hours tend to take place once a week at a particular time and are usually focused around a town, city, region or sector. They are used by individuals to share updates, news and pose questions. This helps you to build your brand and encourage people to visit your website and read your blogs.

LinkedIn is the perfect tool for those who work in a B2B environment and is a professional platform that all business owners and senior managers should be using regularly. It is typically seen as a platform that people use when they are looking for employment but it is lot more than that. LinkedIn allows you to build a network of contacts, share interesting professional content and keep up-to-date with what is going on with clients, colleagues and the industry you work in.

Instagram is an increasingly popular platform for brands to build a following amongst a younger audience. The photo sharing platform is ideal to bring your brand to life through images and videos. Instagram stories and live videos documenting what is going on in your company allows your followers to feel closer to your brand.