CHOOSING A PLATFORM... continued
Written by Wayne R Karlins President of Reed Social Media Group
I have been hearing a lot of feedback about our 5-blog series...the most common feedback I heard was, to revisit "choosing a platform" in more detail.
Before reading this, please visit our 5-blog series to review what we have already covered - click here to see it.
If you have any more questions or recommendations about what you want to dive deeper into or what topics to hear about next, please leave a comment below.
Some important statistics I want to cover before moving forward.
- There are 7.395 billion people on the planet
- There are 2.307 billion people that are active social media users as of 2015 according to www.smartinsights.com
- Over 100 social media platforms (not including dating sites)
- Top Site (not in any order): LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, & Snapchat
Therefore, with over 100 social media platforms... how do you choose which is best for you? Well, let me ask you a question. Why do you want to use social media? Most companies are not on social media for fun or because they have a ton of extra time (if that is you...please tell me the secret!) What kind of answers am I expecting from you? I am hoping you will say something along the lines of, build a larger audience, build brand awareness, strengthen brand awareness across current customer base, build customer loyalty, give customers another place to find and reach out to you, another way for local people to find your company, great way to display your products and solutions, increase traffic to your website, build your credibility, or promote content and receive customer insight.
Another important question I need to ask is... how much time can you realistically invest in social media on a weekly basis? Many people get excited for the first week or two, spend a ton of time on their pages, and then burn out and leave their pages for dead. You need to find the right balance of your time.
Would you want this page to reflect you as a person or a business?
In our 5-blog series, we had a list of some of our favorite sites, some of the things they offer and some of their benefits. You may want to refer back to that article – here
Look to see where most of your clients and follower come from. Pay attention to the kind of information they like, comment on and share. If they were picture driven, Pinterest would be one of your best places to start. If it has video, of course, there is YouTube. If they are looking for helpful hints and stories, Facebook. If you are looking to be a trusted advisor and a leader in your community, LinkedIn could be your best choice.
My point is to be prepared and know what you have to offer before choosing one or more platforms to utilize. Also, know where your content is coming from. It is okay to share and post content you find, as long as you give credit to the creator.
It takes time to become trusted, liked, and followed. To do this you must be engaging and make sure you are giving back as much or more than you offer out. People like stories, content, and advice. Become a leader and a problem solver, and you will see, on most platforms, you will become more easily found, better known and you might even find clients who want to do business with you. You may even find they want more from you than you had imagined.
Do you need help choosing a platform or content for your posts? Contact us for a free 45-minute consultation to go over what you are looking for and what you will be offering and we will help you find the right platform and create the best content for you.
Feel free to email me at info@reedsocialmedia.com for questions or advice on social media.
Follow Reed Social Media Group on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Twitter and Pinterest. New on Facebook, check out Socially Focused Fan page and like it.
Thanks
Anyone can do social media. Some of us do it right!
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