One of the questions my clients pose most often is: How do I know which social media site is best for me? They want to maximize the time they spend using social media to grow their business, sell more books, reach larger audiences, etc.
Below are some of the things I suggest that they consider when making those decisions.
Considerations When Selecting a Social Media Site
Which sites are your customers using?
This question can be expanded to include the readers of a book, audiences for those who do professional speaking, etc. How do you know? You ask! Ask your customers which sites they use. Unless at least a portion of your target market is active on a social site, it is hard to make an argument putting your energy into a site.
Which sites are your competitors using?
A simple way to find out which social media sites your competitors frequent is to go to their websites. Look for the social media “follow me” links, and click through to them. This tells you not only which sites they are using but what they are posting on those sites and how their customers are responding to those posts.
Which sites are you ready and willing to use?
Which ones are you already comfortable using? Which ones seem to stump or frustrate you? Don’t push yourself to use a site that you aren’t quite ready to use. But do set up a timeframe for when you will get started with that site if it’s right for your business. You can set up a personal presence on which to practice so you don’t have to make your mistakes in public.
Tips from Michelle Manafy, Editorial Director of the Online Publishers Association
In her recent article “How to Choose the Best Social Media Site for Your Business,” author Michelle Manafy discussed several things people should consider regarding some of the most popular social media sites.
Here are some highlights from her article:
- Facebook can be right for you if your goal is to “build a community presence and to reach as many people as possible.” However, since most people use Facebook mostly to communicate with their family and friends and some even resent commercial interruption there, it may not be the best fit for your business. If you do use it, make sure you are prepared to post regularly and make those posts engaging and useful to readers – not just pitches for whatever you do or sell.
- LinkedIn is about relationship building more than hard-selling, which makes it the optimal site for “peer networking and industry-specific information.” This site could be the best one to use to engage with referral partners, vendors, and others who can help you build your professional credibility.
- Pinterest is likely a fit if at least part of your target market includes women, especially those between 25 and 45. Do they “collect images that will inform their product or service buying decisions? Are they deeply interested in a subject that can be visually represented?” If the answer to these questions is yes, this might be a good site to invest time communicating to potential customers on.
- Twitter tends to have a younger audience and can be “particularly appealing if your business lends itself to the provision of topic-based news or timely insights.” Can you express something important, engaging, amusing, or timely in 140 characters that will draw readers to your site to find out more? It’s not as easy as it sounds, but if you can do it, Twitter might be a site to consider investing some of your promotional time and energy into.
Read the entire article at http://www.inc.com/michelle-manafy/how-to-choose-the-best-social-media-sites-to-market-your-business.html.
How About You?
How do you select the social media sites you use? Which sites do you lean toward when you are the consumer? Which sites work well for you as a business owner?
About Joyce
Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 50 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.
She works with business owners, nonprofit organizations, retired people, consultants, and many others. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.
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