Deciding What Direction to Take on Your Company’s Social Media Platforms
Written by James Miranda, Content Creator
If you have scrolled down a company’s website and seen their social media icons, you have most likely noticed they all feature mainstream platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, et cetera. While all of these platforms are virtually free to use, a brand cannot simply upload random content for the sake of doing so. There is a method to the madness.
Most businesses know who they are marketing to and have given thought to which platforms best serve their needs. For example, a big chain like Walgreens will utilize all social platforms, rather than one or two, because they are a massive corporation that has a full team working on molding their brand image. Large companies like this typically garner followers quickly because they are a well known name. A new bagel store in your town, on the other hand, will need to establish a following before their numbers on social media begin to grow.
Choosing the right platform for your brand can be challenging due to the various options and their individual benefits. Don’t feel frustrated if you feel the need to test out each platform and figure out the pros and cons.
What Kind of Business Are You?
It may be difficult to properly categorize what kind of business one is in because it can be an infinite answer. Two main categories have to do with to whom you are selling: B2B (business to business), and B2C (business to consumer). A business can also be both B2B and B2C. Take a theatre for instance. While owners, agents, and other company heads reach out to businesses for sponsorships or booking acts, the box office maintains the consumer interactions of purchasing tickets.
If you are B2B– transactions and dealings between businesses’ owners and upper management– you’re typically selling the product of your services, nothing really tangible. The goal in this case is to convince the other business how you can help develop its business; a “scratch your back” sort of scenario. If you fall under this umbrella, social media takes a different tone and you might want to consider a more professional take. Featuring your clients and sponsors is a common way to do this because they benefit from the promotion as well.
If you are B2C– direct transactions between the brand and its consumer– you are typically selling a tangible, sometimes intangible, product. Therefore, you can afford to take a lighter tone. Showing off the product is the simplest and most effective way to use social media in this way, but the key is to allow creativity, which helps consumers establish a relationship with your brand’s personality.
What is the Goal?
When it comes to setting goals, consider and put all of these values into play to some extent. Are you trying to create a brand? Grow a base and audience? Or, the most important, engage with your audience? Regardless of what type of business you are, you want to create engagement because it helps connect the business and consumer. It’s not exactly measured, but the level of engagement a business has with its audience proves a company’s success, unlike the amount of followers.
Who Are You Trying to Reach?
Business owners already have an idea of who their clientele is. If you are the bagel shop used in an earlier example, your consumers might be a certain age, gender, of a certain lifestyle, et cetera. If you can clearly identify your consumer base, you have already won the battle. Also, pay attention to where you are. Geographically speaking, people in Los Angeles won’t travel across the U.S. to visit your local Italian restaurant often enough that marketing to them will be worth it in the long run. For the most part, focus on your immediate area and as you grow, consider making small efforts to widen that geographical radius.
We Can Help
For personalized strategy, content creation, and platform management services across all social platforms to bring your company’s social media presence to the next level, request a quote or call our main office in Tarrytown at (914) 909-5900. Our Digital Marketing team looks forward to working with you!
Sources
- https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/social-media-channels-business-223554094.html
- https://thrivehive.com/how-to-choose-a-social-media-platform-for-your-business/