How To Choose the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business

“Today, getting people to hear your story on social media, and then act on it, requires using a platform’s native language, paying attention to context, understanding the nuances and subtle differences that make each platform unique, and adapting your content to match.”  — Gary Vaynerchuk, Jab Jab Jab, Right Hook

While there are a handful of names that immediately come to mind when we hear the words “social media,” there are literally hundreds of platforms live today. And most are extremely different, with their own unique offerings, “native languages,” and uses.

Looking at some of the most popular, for example:

• Facebook is great for long-form, human-focused content.
• Instagram is best-suited for sharing and engaging photos and videos and selling consumer goods.
• Twitter caters to short, real-time conversations, and live trends.
• LinkedIn is focused on sharing professional expertise and company information, and reaching a B2B audience.
• YouTube is ideal for sharing video content that can create awareness and get you found in search engines.
• TikTok serves up short-form trending video content on all manner of trending topics.

Yes, all of these platforms are popular, but given their differences, popularity doesn’t guarantee each one will help achieve your business goals or that each deserves your marketing team’s attention.

So, how do you go about choosing the right social media platforms for marketing your business?

The answer is actually quite simple: Go where your buyers are.

It doesn’t matter how big a platform is. If none of its users would ever buy your product, it’s not worth your effort.

That being said, when evaluating a social media platform for your marketing, ask yourself:

• Is this social network where my ideal buyers actively are or will be? (Consider things like their age, interests, and pain points when determining if the platform is new, or if all else fails, ask them!)
• Can I, or do I already, create content that fits naturally into what users want to see on the platform?
• And to a lesser degree, are my competitors present?

If your buyers are present and you can create content that fits the platform, you should explore marketing on it.

If your competitors are active, you should most definitely research why and what their presence looks like. If they aren’t, but you answered yes to the other questions, this is an opportunity. You may be able to establish your presence and grow an audience long before your competition catches on.

So, what’s next?

In the following chapters, we will dive into five of the most popular and effective social media platforms for marketing your business, including how to know when it’s the right place for you and how to achieve your goals with inbound marketing.

We’ll also explore popular topics like how to know when you need a social media manager and how to measure success.