Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube… With so many options out there these days, it can be hard to decide which ones are right for your business, never mind manage them all.

Don’t be fooled in thinking that you need to be on them all. It can be rather tempting to open an account on every platform out there, but this may actually do your business more harm than good.

So, how do you decide which platform is right for your business? Here is our simple guide to help you identify which platform is best for your business.

What type of business do you run?

Consider which platforms are best suited to your marketing approach; are you a business to consumer company (B2C) or a business to business company (B2B)?  For example, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram would better suit a B2C business, whereas LinkedIn, Google Plus, Facebook and Twitter would be more suitable for a B2B company.

Identify your target market

When choosing the right social media platform for your business, it is absolutely crucial that you know your target market. To help build a profile of your target customer, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is your typical customer?
• Are they male or female?
• How old are they?
• What is their occupation?
• What is their income level?

…and then find out what platform they gravitate towards

This is easily done by researching the demographics of the users of each platform on your list. You will also need to make a note of how they use each platform and what they use it for, to help determine your answer.

Understand the benefits of each social network

Each social media platform has its strengths and weaknesses and its imperative that you understand what these are before deciding if it is right for your business.

• Facebook – with over 2 billion active users worldwide, Facebook is undoubtedly the largest social media platform out there to date. One huge benefit to using Facebook for marketing your business is that you can specifically target who you want to market to.
• Twitter – Twitter is great for getting small snippets of information out, so it’s great for quick updates for ever-changing businesses.
• LinkedIn – This is a professional network so it is great for making important business connections.
• Instagram – This is a visual platform and is great for increasing brand awareness with images and videos and is best used in conjunction with an additional platform like Facebook or Twitter.

These aren’t the only social media platforms out there, but these are the 4 platforms we’d highly recommend, especially if you’re only just starting out on social media.

Know what platforms your competitors are on

Your competitors are a great place to look when trying to identify the right social media platform for your business, as they have exactly the same customers as you.

Check out what social platforms your competitors are using and identify which channels they are most successful on, and then use this to help gauge your decision for your own business.

Identify what you want to achieve

Before deciding what platform to use, you need to identify what you want to achieve and ensure that you choose the platform that is most suitable. Your goals may include:

• Increase sales
• Direct more traffic to your website
• Increase brand awareness
• Create a greater social media presence

Once you have chosen the platform that you think will work best for your business, you are good to go. Don’t be disheartened if you’re not hitting your targets straight away, remember to plan ahead and be consistent and you will start to notice progress.

Need a dedicated social media marketer to take care of everything for you? From profile setup and strategizing to content creation, scheduling and reporting, we’ve got you covered. Get in touch today.

Square Media is Northamptonshire’s premiere Web Design & Marketing Agency experienced in developing effective content and marketing strategies for forward-thinking companies in the local area. Our team of specialists consistently deliver outstanding results working in a variety of areas such as Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media Marketing Consultancy, Pay Per Click (PPC) and AdWords Management amongst a wide range of other services.