SOCIAL MEDIA
The first rule of social media for small businesses – PICK ONE. In other words, there is no possible way that you can be effective on Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, WhatsApp, WeChat, QQ, Tumbler, QZone, Reddit, Snapchat, Viber, and Pinterest. If you hire someone to do your social media, you can’t afford to have them, get you to some level of effectiveness on all these platforms. And for the very astute among you, you have probably noted at least one site that isn’t on that list. There are dozens more. The hottest, latest, big deal…Clubhouse.com.
We will not include the video platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc., in this category. They are covered here. We will not cover blogs. They are covered here.
Because the subject matter is so broad, there is no way we can do it justice in this place. Over time, we would love to have experts in every single social media option help us expand the knowledge base here. This can be done through text content, videos, or interviews. Contact RandyKirk77@gmail.com if you’d like to help out.
So, back to the first rule. Pick one social media resource as your primary method of communicating with your prospects and clients. Get to know that app in-depth or hire someone to do it for you.
Keep in mind that you may be seeking two entirely different plans with social media:
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1. Using content to gain an organic fan base that buys what you sell.
2. Advertising through the specific app to reach your current customers and prospects.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITE THAT IS BEST FOR YOUR PURPOSES?
On the other hand, it might seem like a daunting task, but it really isn’t that much different than choosing the right print media would have been 30 years ago. Here are the questions you might ask yourself:
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End users – consumers
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Owners, procurement departments, or others who buy for businesses or government agencies
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Individuals in a specific industry
WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO REACH?
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Age, gender, income, wealth, location, marital status, education, occupation
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Interests and hobbies
​WHAT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION DO YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE?
Once you have identified as many data points as possible about your prospects, you can then study the various social media platforms to determine where your prospective clients are spending their time:
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Linkedin is a professional site whose users are higher income, more educated
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Tik Tok users trend younger (at least for now)
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Pinterest users are more likely to be women and is fantastic for all things to do with home decorating (among many other things)
WHAT MEDIA ATTRACTS FOLKS LIKE YOU ARE TRYING TO REACH?
FINDING CUSTOMERS THROUGH ORGANIC POSTINGS
Each platform also has unique posting approaches. Video of some kind is usually the best, although sometimes a slide show (Linkedin) or infographic (Pinterest) is as good as the video. Even after you determine the type of content that you believe is best, each social media app has different rules and or audience preferences.
SIZE OF CONTENT. HOW BIG, WHAT SHAPE, HOW LONG
USE OF HASHTAGS
USE OF SUBTITLES ON VIDEO
UPLOAD FROM THIRD PARTIES (eg. YOUTUBE) OR BEST TO UPLOAD CONTENT AS NATIVE
HOW TO ADD TEXT WITH MEDIA CONTENT TO INCREASE RESULTS
FINDING AND ADDING AUDIENCE, FOLLOWERS, SUBSCRIBERS
HOW OFTEN TO POST
Here’s the rub. You can create awesome content, study up on rules and customs, optimize every post in every possible way, and still have disappointing results. In general, the biggest rule for every platform is persistence and patience. If your content is great (useful, authentic, original), and you post consistently in ways that are engaging, your audience will almost always find you.
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