If you’re aiming to promote your business with a social media account in 2024, it can be challenging to figure out where to begin.
You could just jump on the three most well-known platforms and call it a day, but that could be a waste of time depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. It could also mean that you’re missing out on a golden opportunity elsewhere.
In this week’s blog, I’m sharing five things that I consider when recommending what platforms a client should choose if they want to get the most from social media.
1) Goals
If you don’t know what your goals for your business or social media accounts are, stop reading this blog right now and sit down with a piece of paper. Without a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with a social media account, you aren’t going to get the kind of results you want.
If you do know what your goals are, you are on the right course. Sometimes your goals or industry make it obvious which platforms are the best for you but other times you need to dig a bit more. You may also need to tweak your goals just a bit depending on the platform since not all platforms are going to give you the same exact goal.
2) Demographics
Goals are only part of the picture when trying to figure out where to start. You need to have a clear picture of the demographic(s) you’re trying to reach with your account since different platforms attract different people.
According to Datareportal in early 2024, six social media platforms report they have at least one billion monthly users while 15 platforms claim to have at least 400 million active users. But the numbers get a little less intimidating when you cut it down to those popular in the U.S. For example, Facebook is the most popular platform for those 50 or older while TikTok reaches more in the 18 to 34 range. Other things to consider when choosing platforms are the gender, income, and community of your main clients. Pew Research Center has an excellent chart that breaks down demographics for you here.
3) Content
You need to think about the content you’re going to have for your social media accounts. Even if you’re wanting to reach a younger audience on TikTok, if you just have photos that’s not going to work. You can post photos on TikTok but it’s more of a video-based platform so it’s not going to be worth having an account if you don’t have many videos.
If you aren’t going to be able to post a few times a week, Facebook may also be a struggle for you since they don’t show accounts they don’t feel are active to your followers. This is something you should figure out while writing down your goals because without this information, your goals will be harder to reach.
4) Brand Voice
If all your content is going to be very formal, X (Twitter) or LinkedIn may be best for you if they are popular in your industry. Those platforms are very concise and do well with straight forward posts. However, if your company’s voice is more informal, Facebook or Instagram could be a better fit. Both are more lowkey and do well with cheerier language, so friendly posts fit well there.
This doesn’t mean you can’t have accounts on platforms that may not fit your brand’s style, but you may have to change your messaging when you’re posting on them.
5) Time Constraints
Despite the posts not looking like they take a lot to plan, social media can take a lot of work. If you aren’t going to have much time to schedule posts, fewer social media accounts with higher quality content is better than spreading yourself too thin and not putting out high-level content.
Something to consider as well is that you may have to change your messaging style depending on the platform. If you’re using drastically different platforms, it’s going to be more work than if you’re using a few platforms that work best with the same sort of tone.
6) Growth
What kind of growth are you expecting from your page? If you want quick growth, going with a more popular platform is worth it. If you’re okay with growing more slowly as long as you reach some of the right people, then going with a smaller but more intimate platform that is still growing may be the way to go.
Buffer has a useful list of different platforms to consider. Some are more for messaging with clients, but others are social media apps that are currently popular or growing.
Pyrois Media offers both social media consulting and management services. To learn more about how I can help your business, email Melissa@PyroisMedia.com.
