Social media can be a powerful tool to grow your business, but with great power comes the great responsibility to keep up the posting, commenting, and replying.
How do you decide which platforms to use and how much time to dedicate to growing and maintaining these accounts? Here are a few questions to think about as you determine which platforms are best for you.
- Who are your customers?
- How well do you understand the platforms you are using?
- Do you have a team member that can help?
The Pew Foundation tracks the use of online platforms and apps by American adults. Their research found that adults from the ages of 18-29 are most likely to use Instagram, while those over 30 are more likely to use Facebook. Reddit tends to be a male-dominated space. Amongst teens, TikTok is the top online platform, with the share of teens using Facebook on the decline. Google is a platform used by all, between AdWords and YouTube, a majority of Americans come in contact with Google’s platform on a daily basis.
To get in front of your customers on social media, you may have to consider paid advertising. To do this effectively, spend time learning about how you go about advertising on each platform. Facebook (also the owner of Instagram) and Google offer in-depth, easy-to-understand guides on how to use their platforms.
It’s important to be where your customers are (most are looking at your posts on their smartphones) and to create posts that are easy to understand and look good on these screens. It’s also okay to not be on a platform, or to make the decision to close an account that you don’t have time to update. Set your priority account and run with it.
With these questions in front of you, it’s time to make a decision: Which platforms will you pick?
Need help making that decision? MRA is here for you. Email askusfirst@retailers.com.
