Choosing the Right Social Media Channels

Have you set up social media pages and not seen a good return from your efforts? It’s not uncommon. Social media success is hard won with strategy. You may have chosen the wrong social channels, or your approach is a little off.

Go back to the beginning, and reconsider what your marketing goals are. Do you want to boost your businesses brand image, deepen customer relations, or build more traffic?

You might have your own social accounts setup and maybe you’re tweeting and blogging too. Most small businesses are using social media accounts and increasing time is being invested in creating social-friendly content.  However, the growth and competitiveness of social media means more effort is needed still. It won’t be lost effort either.

Growing your TikTok fans isn’t easy.Without help, it takes blood, sweat, and tears to gradually increase your followers. Get help from services like hypesi to expedite the process.

Is This Social Media Channel Right For My Business?

Here are a few things to ask before you commit to different social sites:

• 1)   Is my target audience on this social channel?
• 2)   Are people talking about my business on this channel already?
• 3)   Do I have the means to create the right sharable content?
• 4)   Are my competitors on this channel?

Which Social Channels are a Waste of Time for Businesses?

From Facebook to Linkedin, each social media channel has its own personality and user base. Some will help SEO activities and some may not. First thing you need to know before committing to your social strategy is which channel will work for you. Key to good strategy: put your resources into those activities that actually produce.

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Your Major Social Channels

I would recommend using your blog as a strategic focus of social activity.  It’s a quiet place away   your visitors can be immersed in your content.  They’ll get a clearer signal away from the noise, and that’s how you generate positive brand strength.

Your blog will accommodate any feed from social sites, so it makes sense to make your blog the focal point of your strategy. You have complete control, less risk in the sense that you aren’t held captive by the social giant’s restrictions and limitations.

Facebook – casual, personal, family-oriented, interpersonal discussions, content, no user theme for business purposes.

Pinterest – impersonal, fun and visually oriented, viral sharing, keyword-focused pinboards for business use.

Youtube – casual, fun, viral sharing, can have focussed themes, content is exclusively video.

Google+ – personal and business, +1’s are strong signals for search, hangouts make for face to face connections with your audience.

Linkedin – serious, business oriented, employment networking, business networking.

Twitter – serious or fun, personal oriented, trendy, viral sharing.

Blogs – personal and business, easy to manage and personalize, search engine friendly, easily distributable content.

Foursquare – local focus, well targeted, good user base – employed and tech savvy.

You might keep in mind that quite a few social media for business users are spamming their targets. Pushing it inappropriately could cost you your membership in groups or getting unfollowed by others.  You need skill in joining these conversations, and in leading others to your content and ultimate sales conversion goal. I won’t suggest that this is easy. In fact, it is the number one most difficult element of social media marketing.

The details of your strategy depend on your unique situation. One approach does not fit all.