Choosing social media channels

One of the most common questions from businesses is "what social media channels should we use?" In a nutshell, you need to be where your customers are.

For example, if you're selling walking sticks then you probably don't want to waste your time on Snapchat. Unless of course your target market is young people wanting to buy a walking stick for their grandparents!

Here are five points to consider when choosing which social media channels are right for your business.

1) Who are your customers?

Use the data you have to build up a picture of who your customers are, where they go online and how they like to be interacted with. You might even want to create a customer persona. This information will guide you into where you should be and what content you need to create.

2) How much time do you have?

It takes time to nurture and grow a social media channel, so you don't want to spread yourself too thin. It is better to do one channel well than three channels badly.

3) What's popular in the countries you sell in?

Social media popularity varies from country to country. Make sure you know what is popular in the countries you sell in before you choose which channel(s) to use.

4) What kind of content can you create?

If you can't see yourself creating lots of videos, then YouTube isn't the place for you. Good quality images and graphics are important on all channels, but even more so for Instagram. What kind of content will you be able to create? Will you need to upgrade your phone or get an app or two to allow you to create the right kind of content?

5) Do you sell to consumers or businesses?

Some channels are better suited to business selling than others. Do some internet research on what social media channels are popular with your industry and take a look at what channels your competitors use and how successful they are. If you sell to both consumers and businesses, tailor your posts for each channel depending on your channel audience.

If you need help creating a customer persona or figuring out what social media channels would be best for you, get in touch.