Which Social Media channels should my business be using?

Social media blog 24f70b2400106f0946faa2d8ed6c1bc4

Jordan Stachini

4 minutes

Contents

Tag, like, share, tweet, follow, comment, subscribe - What does it all mean? And what does it matter to your business?

Social Media - A marketing channel that didn't even exist 20 years ago, wasn't even monetised until about 10 years ago, and yet now is regarded by many as one of the most important strings to your marketing bow. But what is all the fuss about? What channels should your business be using (if any) and should you be employing a 15 year old to manage your TikTok account?

In this article we want to breakdown some of the myths of Social Media as part of a marketing strategy, and give our advice on how to determine which channels are right for you...

Myth No. 1: Your content will work across all Social Media Channels

No it won't. In the same way that you would tweak your content across a billboard, an advertorial or a magazine double page spread, not every Social Media platform will display your content in the same way. For example - Instagram, a totally visual platform, where your imagery is going to do the heavy lifting, is totally at odds with a platform like LinkedIn which lends itself for more written content to be utilised.

Myth No. 2: You need to be on every Social Media platform under the sun

No you don't. If anyone gives you this advice - run away from them. The platform(s) you use should be directly related to the type of people you are trying to get in front of. Read that again - it is honestly that simple. If you are selling cardigans to old ladies, then TikTok wouldn't be the first place I would spend the marketing budget. However, trying to get 15 year olds to buy your product... Get on the Tok.

Myth No. 3: Every Social Media platform is born equal.

No they ain't. How your audience perceive and use Social Media platforms needs serious consideration before you start choosing where you are going to put your brand and your message. For example - while there has been a rise in the number of 30+ year olds using TikTok, what they are using it for (spying on the content their kids are consuming most probably) and what younger people are using it for, are likely very different. Also - how platforms are perceived matters, the best quote we ever saw to describe the 'personality' of Twitter vs Facebook for example was, 'I would rather get a Happy Birthday message on Facebook from someone who didn't mean it, than a death threat on Twitter from someone who did.' ... The perception of these platforms matter if your brand is going to be present on them.

Myth No. 4: Social Media never leads to sales

This might be our favourite - we should have made it number 1 on the list to be fair. How true this is, is totally down to what you are using Social Media for, what your business does, how expensive your products are... literally everything. Granted, there are platforms that make the sales journey easier for others. For example, the Instagram user experience is fantastic in keeping people in platform and allowing them to transact without disrupting their 'flow' of scrolling through. If the right Social Media channels for your business are not boosting your sales funnel - directly or indirectly, then don't hate on the platform, look at your campaigns, look at who you are putting them in front of, look at what you are asking people to do... chances are the answer lies somewhere there.

So, how you do avoid f*cking up your Social Media strategy?

👉 Work with a professional strategist

Don't feel like you have to work this out on your own. Getting a third party involved and a pair of fresh eyes can really help to understand where you brand is at, which customers Social Media can help you reach, and which platforms are going to get you the results you want.

👉 Don't feel like you have to be across them all

This might sound super obvious - and get ready for some real cheesy marketing analogy here - but Social Media platforms are gardens, they have to be looked after, tended to, kept alive. The more channels you are across - the more gardens you have to take care off. Our advice? Nail one or two channels before moving on to new ground.

👉 Know the difference between strategy and presence

We speak to a lot of clients who when asked, "Do you have a Social Media strategy" Reply... "Yea, we have someone who does a post for us every week."

This is not a strategy - this is a presence, a skeleton one at that. You need to invest time, thought, effort in to what you post, the ads you run, the messages you send out. Saying something for the sake of it is not good enough. Don't get us wrong, some of the best Social Media posts and campaigns look very 'off-the-cuff', 'ad-hoc', 'timed perfectly with topical events'... but behind every single one is a strategy to achieve something.