How many social media platforms should I be on?
One of the most frequent questions I get asked is how many social media platforms should I be on?
It’s a worthwhile question to ask too. Many small businesses find that their marketing is formed around a core of social media activity. But, with so many social media platforms out there, how many is enough? And, likewise, how many is too many?
Unfortunately, there isn't one set answer to the question. It’s completely defined by the individual business; what it offers, who its customers are, what resources it has and what the owner hopes to achieve.
To figure out the correct answer for you and your business, ask yourself the following questions.
Which social media platforms are my customers on?
Figuring out where you will find your customers is key to ensuring you get the most out of the time you spend on your social media marketing. If they aren’t on SnapChat, there’s no point in promoting your business on there. Even if you manage your account perfectly and have the most engaging content ever on there, it’s just going to be a waste of time, (money) and effort.
Secondly, consider where your customers are most likely to be receptive to what it is you have to say. If you sell beautiful homeware products, putting them on Pinterest or Instagram, where people are already coveting what they see, is going to get a better response than posting them on LinkedIn where they are more likely to be in work-mode.
To figure this out, begin by narrowing down your ideal customer to the point that you can create a detailed persona for them. The more you understand about who they are, the more you will understand how to communicate with them.
Once you know who you are talking to, you can do some research. There are tons of statistics out there about the user demographics of each platform, such as these compiled by Sprout Social. You can also find out which they are most engaged with by seeing how often they check the platform each day.
It’s also worth doing some research with your current customers and finding out what social media platforms they’re already on too. There may be some surprises. SurveyMonkey is really useful for conducting surveys and the basic plan is free too!
Which social media platforms are right for my business?
Next, you need to think about how each of the platforms would work for your business. Some of them will be more suited to your needs and some may not work at all.
Ask yourself which functions would benefit you? Would being able to set up and promote events be good for you? Do you want real-time product information to be pulled through from your website? This all hangs on what you ultimately want to achieve with your social media marketing strategy.
Likewise, consider which media format is going to showcase your brand in the best way. Are you going to be able to create more visual or written content? Or a mixture of the two?
How many social media platforms can I manage?
Lastly, think about how much time you are going to have to create content for, and manage, your social media accounts. As a small business you aren't going to have the luxury of a large marketing team behind you, so you have to be realistic about what you can achieve.
There is no point setting up a whole bunch of social media accounts if you aren’t going to have the time or resources to manage them properly. It’s commonly said that it’s better to do one or two really well, than to spread yourself thin across too many.
If you do feel you need to be on more than a couple, try to retain a presence on them all but focus the majority of your energy on the ones your customers are the most active on.
If you’re still struggling to figure out what to do for the best, or you aren’t getting the results you want on your social media platforms, then maybe it's time to ask for help? Get in touch and we can have a chat about what I could do for you.