How to Choose a Social Media Platform
I’m shouting it from the rooftops! Choose your ONE perfect social media platform and run with it!
If you’re wondering why I’m telling you NOT to be in all the places doing all the things (concerning social media, at least. And life. I think it implies to life as well. But I digress…) check out our post: Why You Should Focus On One Social Platform.
Okay, Kinsey, but how do I choose the perfect social media platform to focus on?
Let me break it down for you with 3 simple questions…
Where is My audience hanging out?
This is the big kahuna. To reach your ideal audience on social media, you should meet them where they’re at.
Let’s say you want to socialize in real life. If you’re looking to strike up a conversation with someone, you might sip on a G&T in an intimate little cocktail bar with slow jazz music playing softly in the background. But if you want to dance and get rowdy, you might head down the street to the bowling-alley-turned-night-club and slosh your 32 oz long island iced tea on the floor all night.
All the social media platforms have different vibes and attract different audiences. WHO is your ideal audience? WHAT social platforms are they using most often?
Want to see a breakdown of the most popular social media platforms? Grab our free guide below to find out which platform is perfect for your biz!
What platform do I enjoy the most?
This question is nearly as important as my first question. Here’s the thing: If you’re going to be spending a lot of time on a platform and putting a lot of energy into building an audience, you should a) be semi-comfortable using said platform, and b) actually enjoy using it (ahem, somewhat at the very least).
If you don’t like the social media platform you’re using, you will honestly not create great content, and your audience will be able to tell. Woowoo or not, I believe in vibes. I believe in transferring energy (and not necessarily in a spiritual way). If you’re dragging your feet to post content and interact with your audience on a specific social platform, your lack of excitement will come through in the captions you write, the media you produce and the engagement you give.
That said, I don’t believe this is the end of the discussion…
I have something to admit: I used to HATE Instagram. (Still do, some days 😂 but truly not as often…) However, when I realized most of my audience was hanging out on Instagram and that I should really be using the platform, I shifted my mindset and decided to use the platform in a way that I actually enjoyed it.
You do have the power to shift the way you think about a platform. You can choose to use every platform in a way that feels good. But it does sometimes require some effort to figure out how you can enjoy it…
Not sure which platform will work for you? Grab our free guide that breaks down the best uses for each platform below!
What kind of content should I create?
This is the final question you should consider when choosing the right social platform for you: What type of content makes sense for your business & industry? What content would your audience prefer to consume?
Various forms of content make sense for different industries, and each social media platform works best with a certain type of content.
For example, if your audience would benefit from tutorial videos, you should probably focus your efforts on Youtube. If you share a lot of quick tips, facts or links to article, you may want to focus on Twitter instead. If you’re a graphic designer, artist, or photographer, you should most likely put your effort into Instagram.
Still not sure which social media platform will work the best for your biz? Grab our free guide to see which types of content work well on each platform!