
Social media marketing is practically a necessity for any business today. For small businesses, social media can be a big advantage—if you use it the right way. So, does that mean you have to create and maintain active profiles on every social media network out there?
Trying to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, and Vine at the same time can actually be detrimental to your small business. It’s far more effective to choose a few social networks, and dedicate your marketing time and resources to building solid platforms on those networks. But which ones should you choose? The answer should depend on your unique marketing goals.
The major social media networks each have different strengths and advantages, making them useful for different strategies. Here’s a quick look at the biggest social media platforms:
The other half of your decision on which social networks to use can be found in your ideal customer. Once you know where the people who are likely to want your products or services are, you can concentrate on reaching them through their preferred social media.
What are your customer demographics? For freelance writers like me, who offer contracted services, LinkedIn is a good choice because there are so many business decision-makers on the network looking for contacts. If your small business is very local, such as a single-location storefront, you may choose to concentrate on Google+ to reach potential customers in your area. Facebook, with its ability to personalize a business, can also be good for local markets.
Small businesses with primarily online transactions might prefer Twitter for its fast and expansive reach. Companies that revolve around entertainment or live appearances can find a lot of traction on YouTube, where people go to watch samples of what they can expect.
When you understand your social media marketing goals and your target customer, it’s fairly easy to decide which social media channels will be most effective for your small business. Where are you networking today?
Author Bio:
Melissa Rudy is a full-time freelance copywriter with Words by Melissa in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her team specialize in web page content, articles, product descriptions, brochures, postcards, press releases, and other marketing collateral. Melissa previously held roles as an E-Commerce Content Manager and Technical Writer.
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