Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Selecting a Social Media Marketing Strategy Is Easy — Here’s How

I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately from people who are trying build their brands online via social media platforms.

By far, one of the most recurring questions is this:

“There are so many social media platforms out there, but which ones are the best for my particular business?”
If I were one of the thousand “guru’s” out there trying to take away your time and money, then I’d probably answer with something like, “There are a billion factors that go into this question, so I won’t be able to answer it adequately.”

Or maybe, “Well, I’d have to dig a little deeper into your business to truly see which social media platforms are the best for you.”

I’m here to tell you that that’s bullshit. 101% bullshit.



Now, don’t get it twisted — I’m not saying getting fantastic at these social media platforms is easy, or creating amazing content and a dedicated following is a walk in the park. It’s not. Shit, it’s really really difficult. But what I am saying is…

Selection is simple. Execution is difficult.




Selecting which social media platforms to use in order to spearhead your brand’s social media marketing strategy is simple. Problem is, no one wants to tell you that because they want your cash first.

The first thing you’ve got to ask yourself is which social media platforms do you enjoy the most? Do those. If they’re even a little relevant to your brand, do them.

The fact is you’re going to have to put in a great amount of time/effort into your content on these platforms. So stick with one or two of your favorites.

Of course, make sure they’re popular and trending upward — if you waste your time on a social network with 30 people on it the only thing you’ll get out of it is frustration.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive deeper into a more detailed approach to the selection process…


Here is the basic rundown of 9 social media platforms:

Facebook



Best For: Small Businesses that are local and stationary as well as online businesses.

Some Examples:

  • Restaurants, cafes, service companies (carpet cleaners, window washers, plumbing, etc.)
  • Cafes
  • Service companies — carpet cleaners, window washers, plumbers, etc.
  • Lifestyle Businesses (via Facebook Ads)


Why?

The reason Facebook is perfect for these types of businesses is the detailed targeting functionality you’re able to run with Facebook advertisements.

You can hand-select who sees your ads by geographic region, age, interests, gender, etc.
So if you own a hotdog stand in southeastern Oregon, you won’t have to worry about getting email queries from John Stumperstein in Tampa, Florida who is hungry and angry and wants your hotdogs.

The same cannot be said about other platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter.

In short, if you want to run effective, cheap ad campaigns for any business at all, Facebook is your best bet at this point when it comes to social media. Especially geo-targeted ad campaigns.

Helpful Resources:

  1. AdEspresso Blog
  2. Social Media Examiner
  3. Buffer blog
  4. Mari Smith blog

Twitter


Best For: Online businesses, personality-based businesses, any brand wanting a “humorous” tone, etc.

Some Examples:
  • Life Coaches
  • Consultants
  • Lifestyle Entrepreneurs
  • Freelance journalists/writers


Why?

We all know Twitter is not where it once was. But I disagree with people saying it’s completely lost. When it comes to shareability, virality, and [realtime], it still might be the best out there. Still.
If you conduct a realtime Q and A, wish to Tweet during a live event, or more then you should be using Twitter.

Note: it’s also a terrific time on Twitter to connect with industry leaders. When people with a million followers are averaging 7 likes per Tweet, you’re not likely to be drowned out, in terms of volume, like it used to be.


Case and point above. That winky face made my day! Gary Vaynerchuk

I don’t go on Twitter much, but I do use it to spread the love for my Medium articles as well as communicate with and thank the people who share my Medium articles on Twitter.

Helpful Resources:

Interesting Twitter marketing case studies here

Instagram


Best For: visually-intensive businesses, and influencers wanting to connect with audience on a more intimate level.

Some Examples:

  • Fitness businesses
  • Dance Studios
  • Photographers
  • Video Editors
  • Travel bloggers


Why?

Easy: Instagram is all photos and videos. If you don’t have high-quality photography, you better be amazing at creating word art. Otherwise, no worries, just stick to other social media platforms.

Helpful Resources:

Nathan Chan’s content
One of my articles here
Growth Hackers community here

No comments:

Post a Comment