In this digital age, having a social media presence and social network for business is nonnegotiable. Those of you who don’t have social media for business set up, we see you! Or actually, we don’t see you.
Often times, potential customers actually land on your social pages before they have even stepped foot into your website.
And, well, if your social pages are lacking or nonexistent, there’s not a great chance they will ever get over to your website or make any kind of contact with your business.
Further, properly running a social media channel or campaign for your business can add to enhanced engagement, conversion, and brand loyalty.
Now, in just a few sentences here, we’ve explained why you need social media for business.
But hang on, partner. Don’t leave us yet to go set up social accounts on any and every platform out there.
As it’s nearly impossible to keep up appearances on all social sites, it’s important to invest your time and energy into the outlets that will actually reach your potential clients and customers.
Here are four quick steps to follow that will help you identify which social networks will serve your business best.
Social Media for Business Step 1: Define Your Brand
Choosing the right social media channels is an important aspect of creating a social network for business. Knowing what your brand is about is the first step.
Start off by defining what it is that you are selling. Is it a service, product, or lifestyle?
Once you have what you do defined (and this isn’t always a no-brainer), you can determine how you can best showcase this product or service to reach potential customers or clients.
Some products and services speak to consumers best through video, while others show well in photos, and still others call for real-time updates.
Most require a recipe that includes a bit of everything, and there’s more to content development than meets the eye. But we’ll save that for another blog post.
Thinking about how your product or service will be showcased best will help you narrow down the platforms that will serve you best.
In addition to figuring out who you are and where you need to be online, you’ll need to determine how you want to come across.
When managing social media for business platforms you need to find your unique online “voice.” It’s important to use social media to build your brand personality.
If your brand was a person, how would it talk? Which mannerisms would it have? Opt for something that comes natural, since trying too hard won’t come across as authentic.
Social Media for Business Step 2: Define Your Audience
Social media for business is all about connecting and engaging with
your audience. In order to do this, you need to know where they “hang out.”
Do you have a local small business, or are you offering services to an international market? What are the general demographics of your prospective client?
Certain age groups use certain social media channels, and furthermore, certain demographics and characteristics flock to specific social outlets.
For instance, if you are a B2B company,
Instagram won’t work nearly as well as
LinkedIn.
Sit down and determine who your target is, and then figure out which network or networks align with that target.
Social Media for Business Step 3: Determine Your Goal
Just as with any endeavor, it’s imperative to set a goal before diving into setting up your social strategy.
Figure out what you want to get out of your social media marketing.
Is it brand awareness? A platform for engaging with potential clients or customers? Clicks to your website?
Figuring out the purpose of your social efforts will help you hone in on what social media platforms will work best for you and what exactly you should be communicating on each one.
Social Media for Business Step 4: Determine Your Platforms
Now that you know who you want to reach and where you can reach them, you can decide which platforms will work well for you.
Make a list and narrow it down to the top two or three outlets.
Let’s just go ahead and say that you should definitely be on Facebook. Facebook has more active users than any other platform, hands down.
That said, there’s tons of competition for newsfeed placement, so be prepared to pay to play. Read more about how
Facebook may be eating your posts on the Nice Branding blog.
If you’re offering something that is visually appealing, you should consider Instagram. Facebook owns Instagram, so if you’re running Facebook ads, you could very easily run these on Instagram, too.
Now that third option. Here is what trips people up. Should you have a Twitter account? What’s up with
Google+? Why would a business need
Pinterest? How about Snapchat?
Let’s just say, SEO has a part to play for a few of these, and we all know how important it is to consider SE to the O.
We’re pretty sure that by now you get that we are passionate about using social media for business. We hope that these four steps have given you some insight into how you can decide which social platforms will work well for you.
Now, creating a content calendar, writing post copy, designing art, engaging with your followers, and building likes is a whole different story.
We really recommend that you leave your social media management up to us while you focus on providing top-notch service to your clients and customers.
For more information about social media management, give us a
shout — we’re expecting your call.
