Which Social Media Channels Are Right for Your Business?

A brand’s online presence can be the key to putting it ahead of competitors. The hard part is figuring out which social media channels to utilize and which to let go of. Anyone who has been in charge of a company’s social media channels knows the daunting task it can be to keep all of those followers happy across many different channels. No one wants to waste money, time, or resources posting to an audience that either isn’t there or isn’t paying attention.

This article can help you figure out which social media channels to focus on, and which to put on the back burner. It is important that whichever channels your brand does choose to go forward with, that they are posted on at the right frequency and not neglected. If you find there are channels that are not producing the desired engagement, you can do a little digging into what your audience is most interested in and adjust your content accordingly.

Facebook

• The gist: Connect with friends, family and other people you know. Share photos and videos, send messages and get updates.
• Who should use it: Everyone – from individuals to large multi-national corporations.
• What to share: Anything and everything, but remember to use discretion. Facebook allows you to publish posts, photos, videos, articles, web links and more. Use analytics tools and set a schedule to ensure you are optimizing your posts.
• Posting frequency: At least once a day.
• Scheduling tools: One of the (many) great things about Facebook is that it has its own scheduling tool built in. With a business page, you are able to schedule out posts for weeks in advance.
• Pro tip: Facebook makes advertising simple. You can instantly get a message out to your desired audience with just a few clicks. For more information on advertising options, click here.

Click here to sign up for a Facebook account.

 

Twitter

• The gist: See what’s happening in the world right now. From breaking news and entertainment, sports, and politics, to big events and everyday interests.
• Who should use it: Everyone – from individuals to large multi-national corporations
• What to share: Updates (promotions, sales, new products, industry trends, etc.), photos, videos, links to websites or blogs. Just remember to stay within that 140 character limit!
• Posting frequency: You can post as little as a few times a week. But to use Twitter optimally, you will want to be tweeting multiple times a day to keep your account noticeable on consumers timelines. Experts recommend tweeting 3-5 times a day.
• Scheduling tools: Like Facebook, Twitter has a built in scheduling tool. By going to tweetdeck.twitter.com, you are able to schedule out posts as far in advance as you would like. Even better, if you are managing multiple different Twitter accounts, TweetDeck allows them all to be available on a single dashboard.
• Pro tip: Since your tweets are limited to 140 characters, adding links can be tricky as they are often lengthy. Bitly is a great (and free!) resource that shortens links to only 20 characters. Additionally, the free service tracks the analytical information of each link it produces. Bitly can tell you how many clicks a link has received, through what medium the link was accessed, and where the links audience is located geographically.

Click here to sign up for a Twitter account.

 

Instagram

• The gist: A simple, fun and creative way to capture, edit and share photos, videos, and messages with friends and family.
• Who should use it: Lifestyle, food, fashion and luxury brands.
• What to share: Photos from travels, products, quotes, food dishes etc. There is no limit to what content you can post!
• Posting frequency: Post 1-2 times a day to ensure you don’t under or overwhelm your audience. Finding that perfect balance between consistency and moderation is key to your brand’s success on this platform.
• Scheduling tools: HootSuite, Buffer, Onlypult, Later and Tailwind all offer an Instagram scheduling tool. However, these platforms are differentiated by the additional services they provide so be sure to do your research to figure out which will most benefit your business.
• Pro tip: Find your “visual voice.” Check out this article for simple tips that will keep your feed looking clean and cohesive.

Click here to sign up for an Instagram account.

 

Snapchat

• The gist: Easily talk with friends, view live stories from around the world and explore news in Discover. Life’s more fun when you live in the moment!
• Who should use it: Snapchat is a social media platform with a younger demographic. It is estimated that 60% of all users are under the age of 24. Businesses who seek to target millennials should absolutely try to use this easy, free channel to their advantage.
• What to share: Try to come up with unique content. Offer sneak peeks, interviews, new collections – whatever will keep your audience interested and watching your stories.
• Posting frequency: You will want to post daily stories if you have the time and content to do so. This way, your brand can be on the minds of consumers daily.
• Scheduling tools: There are numerous scheduling tools for Snapchat to choose from. You can check out this post for some good options.
• Pro tip: You are able to have multiple phones logged in to one account, so multiple users can post content. This will offer different perspectives and can keep content interesting and fresh!

Click here to sign up for a Snapchat account.

 

Pinterest

• The gist: The world’s catalog of ideas. Find and save recipes, parenting hacks, style inspiration, and other ideas to try!
• Who should use it: Lifestyle, food, fashion, design, travel, and luxury brands should be on Pinterest. Female-focused companies should pay special attention to this medium because Pinterest primarily reaches young and middle-aged women.
• What to share: Use attention-getting images to drive traffic to your website or other social media platforms. You can also share articles and blog posts.
• Posting frequency: It is recommended that users pin about 3 times a day for optimization.
• Scheduling tools: There are a plethora of scheduling tools for Pinterest, but one seems to come out on top. Tailwind is considered to be the best among pinners because of its comprehensive, easy-to-use scheduling.
• Pro tip: Check out content before you repin it. You don’t want to share broken links or irrelevant content with your followers.

Click here to sign up for a Pinterest account.

 

LinkedIn

• The gist: Manage your professional identity. Build and engage with your professional network. Access knowledge, insights, and opportunities.
• Who should use it: Businesses, job seekers, and recruiters.
• What to share: Company updates, news, events and articles are all good content to post to your LinkedIn account.
• Posting frequency: Post once per day on work days. So approximately 20 times a month.
• Scheduling tools: There aren’t any spectacular scheduling tools for LinkedIn, but there are many analytics tools. Check out HootSuite or Sprout Social for more information.
• Pro tip: Remember that LinkedIn is a professional network. Try to leave quotes, repetitive attempts to make a sale, and other inappropriate material off of this channel. This is a business to business platform, so tailor your content to that audience.

Click here to sign up for a LinkedIn account.

 

Social Media Monitoring

Now that you’ve figured out which social media channels make sense for your business, you should also consider how to keep track of and monitor activity on these channels.  BrandMentions’ Social Media Tracking tool may be just the thing you need. It’s a tool that helps you listen to what people say about brands on different social channels and provides real-time notifications about any brand or product, as soon as someone is talking about them online.