Which social media platform should I Choose?
Welcome back to part two in the series ‘Which Social Media Platform Should I Use To Promote My Business?’. In the first blog, we discussed when it might be good for a business to post on Facebook and Instagram.
In this blog, we deep dive into LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.
So many businesses have pages on all the most popular social media platforms. Think Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and TikTok - the options go on. If you are one of these businesses you are likely wasting your time as you don’t need to be on all of them. It’s quality over quantity. Hang out where you get the most engagement. Hang out where your potential customers play.
When LinkedIn is the best channel
Let’s face it, LinkedIn is the don for professional networking and if your brand is B2B, this is where you need to be. Consider blending your content with a mix of service updates, product launches, industry observations and people news.
If you’re a B2C company, don’t think you can’t use LinkedIn. After all, everyone on there is a consumer in their own right but think about the style and language you use. Avoid slang or something too chatty. Be authentic, that’s for sure, but remember, LinkedIn is a professional network. And don’t be too salesly! There’s nothing that will reduce your followership more than trying to push your content to generate sales.
Selling on LinkedIn is far more subtle and takes a lot of time. Your audience will want to measure your metal based on the quality and value-added content you provide.
LinkedIn is the place to demonstrate integrity and credibility, so don’t be afraid to offer your opinion or even write an article about the key trends you are seeing in your industry.
Employee engagement is a tricky one (a lot of my clients complain that their people simply don’t share their company updates), so make an effort to update your team when you post on your company page and even consider creating some kind of incentive for your people to re-share your content.
When TikTok is the best channel
If you are not familiar with TikTok, you’ve officially been living under a rock. This app, hugely popular with GenZ; 16-24-year-olds (and younger) is hugely addictive. The app already has 1 billion users and is hot on the heels of Instagram’s 1.4 billion users.
Don’t forget that it took Instagram and Facebook over a decade to earn its volume of users, so when you compare this to the speed at which TikTok has grown its followership, it’s definitely one to watch and one not to ignore.
TikTok for business has a centralized platform, especially for advertisers and marketers. They have an e-learning centre (ads manager platform) where businesses can go to learn how to create specific ads to cater directly to their audience, set budgets, as well as analyse pertinent campaign data. There are 5 different formats available to help assist.
This video app offers some considerable benefits to businesses, including the ability to educate your audience, increase website clicks, increase leads, target conversions and increase your potential reach.
So if you believe what you offer could translate into short videos, why not give it a whirl?
When Twitter is the best channel
Twitter is already a teenager, having launched in 2006 and has a global audience of around 290 million users. Yes, it’s nowhere near as big as the other contenders detailed above, but it still offers some business great opportunities.
With Twitter, it makes it far easier to reach a wider audience. Using hashtags also makes your content more easily discoverable too. It’s also great if your business is service focused as the platform allows for direct two-way communication with your customers. Because it's a public interaction, if you do it well it shows your business in a positive light as you are effectively on a global stage.
Being on Twitter can help communicate your brand ethos and personality.
This should help your business appeal to your target audience. And, Twitter can be a useful resource for gathering feedback from customers., although be prepared for negative comments!
The only downside to this channel above others is the need for speed. Being such a conversational platform, users expect almost immediate responses, so you’d need to ensure you have a team who can react and respond quickly to tweets. What’s more, it’s also the one channel that encounters the most negative comments. So being trolled is more common than on other channels.
So there you have it, we’ve now completed our whistlestop tour of the five biggest players on social media. Remember it’s quality over quantity. Don’t sign up for all these channels. Why not start out on one or two and perfect your engagement there? And as a reminder, as we mentioned before; don’t forget to use hashtags! Whatever channel you choose to post on, hashtags offer a great way for your content to be viewed and discovered by people who don’t yet follow you.
Like what you’ve read?
Jo Buchanan, the author of this blog, is the Founder and Director of TwitTwooYou Limited, a business growth strategic consultancy centred on getting brands noticed. TwitTwooYou offers a range of smart services to help businesses grow and achieve their aspirations and goals. Want to get your brand noticed? Get in touch for a free, no-obligation chat.
