Social Media for Business: What social media platforms should I be using?

I want to start off by saying, you do not need to use every social media platform out there. Even the most popular social media channels may not be the right fit for your business. When you’re first starting out, the trick is, to find out which one or two channels will best help you achieve your business goals, and put your energy into posting consistent content on them.

There are a lot of platforms to choose from, so it can be quite overwhelming when deciding which ones will work best for you. This article should give you a step-by-step guide on how to decide which ones you should sign up for.

Step 1: Define your goals

First of all, you need to establish what you’re hoping to achieve from social media. You can do this by reviewing your business goals and using these to help you come up with some social media objectives. Your objectives will not only determine what social media channels you use but also what type of content you post.

Step 2: Find out what channels your audience and competition uses

The main role of social media marketing is to be in contact with your target audience, so there is no point in using channels that your target audience doesn’t use. You should also do some competitor research to find out which channels your competitors use, which channels get them the most engagement and again, what type of content they post.

Creating a customer persona will help you determine how your target audience consumes content. A customer persona is a detailed, researched description of a fictional character who represents your ideal target audience. You may need to create more than one, depending on what services/products you offer. During your research, you should find out which channels they use, what they use them for, which content they like to consume the most and what times/days they use them.

Step 3: Consider what type of content you like to post

Use your customer personas to consider whether you need to switch up your content. Does your target audience like to consume the content your currently posting? If not, it might be time to switch it up.

Different types of content will perform better on certain social media platforms. One type of content that works really well on Instagram, may not work well on Facebook, for instance.

LinkedIn, for example, is great for long-form articles about recruitment. However, this may not work well for Instagram, which is all about visuals. Below I have specified the best type of content for some of the most popular channels in 2022.

Instagram:

• Images and videos

• Posts that feature influencers

• Behind the scenes content

• Images/videos that show you engaging with the community

• Customer-centred posts

• Timely content using hashtags (e.g. Valentine's Day, Christmas, etc.)

Facebook:

• Current events

• Live videos

• Funny post

• Inspirational posts

• Giveaways

Tik Tok:

• Lip syncing videos

• “Day in the Life” videos

• Live videos

• Tutorials

• Dance videos

• Make-up, hair and fashion videos

• Brand collaboration videos

• Workout videos

• Pet videos

Twitter:

• Questions and quotes

• Blog posts

• Testimonials

• Gifs and memes

• Trending topics

• Tips

• Promotions

• Visuals

• Polls

• Tease launches

• Events

YouTube:

• Vlogs / “day in the life”

• Gaming videos

• Hauls

• Tutorials

• Funny videos

• Educational videos

• Unboxing videos

I hope you found this article interesting and it has helped you in some way or another. Remember, what works best for one business will not always work best for another. Experiment, do your research and find what works best for your business.