I’ve been running a blog for greater than a decade and I spotted I’ve by no means answered this query — the most-asked query I obtain — “What’s the greatest social media channel for my enterprise?”
So I’ll attempt to reply it in the present day.
I usually cringe once I hear this query as a result of to offer a really particular reply, I would want to know much more concerning the firm, competitors, and many others. The optimum advertising and marketing combine may be completely different for each enterprise.
However I do have a normal reply … and it’d shock you.
Is it actually about the perfect social media channel?
When anyone asks this query, it’s usually as a result of they’re simply beginning out with social media — they usually’re overwhelmed! They’ve some inclination that their enterprise must be on Fb or LinkedIn they usually don’t know the place to begin.
Right here is the place to begin: You’re asking the improper query.
You see, the actual worth in advertising and marketing is pushed by content material. The content material is the gasoline behind the social media engine. Social media is just the distribution system for the content material. So the primary query isn’t “What’s the greatest social media channel for my enterprise?” It’s “What’s the greatest content material for my enterprise?”
Once more, it might sound overwhelming, but it surely’s not.
In the event you’re asking this query, you’re most likely a small firm with restricted assets. So, you’ll be able to’t do all the things and be in every single place. To maintain it easy, you principally have 4 content material decisions:
- Writing one thing like a weblog
- Recording audio like a podcast
- Creating video as you’ll see on YouTube or live-streamed
- Visible content material appropriate for Instagram or Pinterest.
To face out on the net you’ll be able to’t be nice in 10 locations. So when you have restricted assets, my advice is to give attention to one content material type, grasp it, and construct an viewers. Create one thing significant a minimum of as soon as every week.
Which content material type do you select? There are numerous issues like competitors and clients, however ultimately, I like to recommend selecting one thing you take pleasure in as a result of you’ll have to keep it up for a very long time to have success.
Social media is a distribution system
Are you creating nice content material? Now you will have some gasoline to energy your social media engine.
- After getting a weblog, for instance, now you can publish this in a number of locations like LinkedIn, Twitter, Substack, and Medium.
- If in case you have a video, you’ll be able to publish all or a part of it on YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram, to call a number of.
- Likewise, a podcast might be distributed in lots of inventive methods. YouTube is definitely an enormous discovery engine for podcasts.
Many of those actions might be automated, assigned to a digital assistant, or you are able to do it your self upon getting the content material.
What’s the greatest social media channel for my enterprise?
Now let’s get extra particular.
With restricted assets, you’ll be able to most likely solely reach a restricted variety of locations. Let’s focus in your GOALS.
I just lately had a pupil who managed social media for a high-end non-public athletic membership. You would possibly assume they should be posting on LinkedIn, or maybe Fb.
However we needed to think about the GOAL.
All their memberships had been bought out. Their greatest purpose proper now’s discovering sufficient staff for his or her kitchen workers. So they’re contemplating content material on TikTok displaying what a enjoyable place it’s for workers. On the floor, the teen-oriented TikTok looks as if a wierd place for this elite enterprise … however not when you think about the wants of the membership proper now.
That’s why it’s exhausting for me to be prescriptive in any normal means about the perfect social media channel with out figuring out many particulars concerning the objectives of the enterprise and the aggressive panorama.
What are your short-term and long-term objectives? Don’t publish simply to publish. Serve the objectives of the enterprise.
Finest social media channel technique
I feel if you happen to comply with the three steps I’ve mentioned in the present day, you’ll get your organization within the ballpark when selecting the perfect social media channel:
- Preserve targeted on the short-term and long-term enterprise objectives
- Decide to constant content material to gasoline social media
- Regard social media because the distribution channel to your content material
Now, this publish solely addresses an natural (non-advertising) social media technique. There can be one other set of issues for a paid technique, and most companies want that too. However normally, I feel this could allow you to kind via the perfect social media channel for what you are promoting on a macro degree.
Mark Schaefer is the manager director of Schaefer Advertising Options. He’s the creator of among the world’s bestselling digital advertising and marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, school educator, and enterprise guide. The Advertising Companion podcast is among the many high enterprise podcasts on the earth. Contact Mark to have him communicate to your organization occasion or convention quickly.
Observe Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. Uncover his $RISE creator group.
