A new year, time to think about your social media strategy!
Have you thought about what your strategy is going to be for 2018?
Social media is an often confusing decision. There are SO many platforms, each one with its own unique way of getting eyeballs to your product or service.
Questions I get asked often. Should I have a Facebook page? (some say Facebook is dead) What about Twitter? (what’s a tweet anyway) Instagram? (do you have good content to post) or the best what about Snapchat- our way through the day.
And while there are so many options this is how I answer those questions.
Facebook-EVERYONE should have a Facebook Page…Why, because Facebook pays a lot of money to ensure they rank well on Google when people do searches. Do a google search now of any business and see what you find. If they have a Facebook page it shows up on the first page. So for that reason alone, you need Facebook. Aside from that, if your demographics are between the age of 35-55 years of age then you need to have a Facebook page. Also, with lots of conversations happening on Facebook, you need a page so that people can link you and share your information. Very rarely now, do I see people putting links to business websites on Facebook. Usually, it is a personal link to a Facebook account (which you don’t want) or a link to the business page. Another bonus-you can share information on Facebook, which is great because you want people sharing your content.
Twitter-EVERYONE should be on Twitter…Why, because we are seeing more followers on Twitter now because of the interface. It is easier to find people to follow, which, in turn means they will follow you back (or so you hope) Regardless, the numbers are higher and the best- they have increased how many characters you can have now, doubling to 280. That allows you a bit more information to craft your story. As well, many journalists are using Twitter to report on stories so if you are looking for immediate information Twitter is the place to be. Another great feature of Twitter is the hashtag #, this allows you to follow stories that pertain to you, your business, or your industry. Hashtags also are perfect for finding the trends like #motivationalmonday or #TBT allowing you to get your message to a larger audience, its a way to target what you want to say. The average Twitter user is 37 years old, something also to keep in mind with messaging. Twitter also allows for Retweets which, is great for getting your content viewed. We Love Twitter!
Instagram-EVERYONE should be on Instagram. It doesn’t matter what you are selling, anyone can turn their business into something visual. It’s an opportunity to be creative, and to connect with people on a more picture/video basis. Not to mention, it is easy to get followers on that platform, and currently, we are seeing higher numbers on Instagram, over Facebook and Twitter. We love Instagram because you can create great little short videos that actually get noticed, whether you use your phone, and editing system, or that fun gadget Boomerang, all make it interesting and people love watching videos.
Photos also work well, but you should be creative with what you are posting, think about those photos as product photos, professional and good quality. Another bonus is the new #hashtag feature where you can see posts that pertain to your industry. For example, in a video using #Video, I can see all posts that use that hashtag, a great way to seek out potential followers and customers. Personally, we love Instagram, the only downside is you can share the content, which I am hoping will change soon. Also, keep in mind the average age is between 18-35 years of age. I suspect the young ones will move soon to Snapchat.
Snapchat-This is a social media platform that I don’t have a lot of use for. Because I want my content to stick around for longer than 30 seconds. This platform is designed with the younger user in mind. It’s the place to share your life which, sometimes it’s a bad thing. The average user of Snapchat is 16-24 years. So if your business is selling to that age group then Snapchat may be your place. The only thing I do like about Snapchat, is its fun face filter, although Facebook now offers something similar so you can take them off that platform. I am sure as time progresses and people move off Instagram Snapchat will become more popular, but for the right not I wouldn’t waste my time on learning or setting it up.
Because time is important, I would suggest starting with Facebook, then Twitter then setting up Instagram. Once you have those three social networks going look to LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube. I will cover those ones in my next blog.
If you have any questions please send me a message RaDeana@hotmail.ca
RaDeana Montgomery has over 25 years of experience as a journalist, public relations practitioner, and communications strategist. Her passion is to help other entrepreneurs find their WHY but most importantly, created engaging and interesting content.