What Social Media Network is Right for Me?

When embarking on creating your company’s social media strategy, it is not uncommon to go out and build accounts on every possible network to match your company name. This is a strategy I am full-heartedly behind. The worst-case scenario is that you have at least prevented your competition from grabbing your name.  However, at some point you need to step back and make the determination of what social networks you actually plan to market through. Should you adopt a single network as your primary social media channel or should you share the message across several networks? Social media requires planning and strategizing and should never be taken for granted.

So what social media network is right for you? I do not believe that there is a single best answer to this question. The answer ultimately lies on several factors ranging from where your target audience interacts, which network broadcasts the type of media that best fits your strengths and needs, and how the network affects your online reputation. 

Ultimately, your choice for a social network depends on identifying whether or not you will be able to build engaging conversations with your customers on that network.  If the answer is no, then that particular social network is probably not good fit for you. Determining the right fit can be complicated and overwhelming if you do not know what to look for. Every business has different needs from social media. In order to make your decision a little easier, consider the three questions below.

Is my competition on this social network?

One of the easiest tests in determining whether or not a social network is right for you is by determining what networks your competitors are utilizing. You do not want to avoid a network to later discover that your competition has been active on that site, building brand recognition and converting new customers. The last thing you want is for your target customers to discover your competitor’s successful social media presence and but find nothing of you. This is a loss that can and should be easily avoided.

According to a survey by Vocus and Duct Tape Marketing, “About a third of your peers are spending $845 a month on software tools to help them manage their social media exposure. This might not sound like a lot, but consider that another third of your peers are spending more than $1,000 on it. Of the remaining percentage, a large portion hire consultants to aid in their efforts or simply make it the mission of their marketing employees to handle.” (Ray, 2012). If it is important enough for your competition to budget for, then it should be important to you.

So how do you find your competition on social media? Just visit your competitions’ websites or blogs. Most will link directly to their social media profiles. Otherwise, you can always rely on searching Google or the social networks themselves for matches.

Is my audience on this social network?

Let’s face it; social media is useless unless you are able to build engaging conversations with your customers. One of the most overlooked, but easily determined factors in choosing a social network is whether or not YOUR audience is on the social network. One quick way to determine whether or not a social network is a good audience match relates to my previous point. Is your competition successfully building and engaging with customers on a specific social network. If this is the case, then you have found your target audience and social network.

If you are unsure who your competitors are or you are simply unable to find them, you can always rely on the search box found on each social media network to test if this network is a good fit. Use the search box to find keywords that specifically relate to your company or industry. If your search results return matches, then it is a safe bet that your target audience is on this particular social network. Be sure to search for more than just people on Google + and Facebook, search for places, interest and things as well. Lastly you can always rely on the tried and trustworthy Google search approach to see what keywords show on which corresponding social network.

But do not just take search results as fact. If you really want to know where you customers participate, simply ask them. Ask them as part of your business process. Ask them over email. Customers are usually apt to answer short surveys. Just ask.

Will this social network help my online reputation?

Sometimes people may be gun shy to join social networks because their business has reputation management issues such as rude and unsavory items on Google search results.  Many fear social media may be more of the same, but avoiding social media is a mistake because these networks can help by adding positive results above the negative natural content. In essence, you are using a tactic to cover up negative publicity that has the welcomed consequence of improved SEO. The 2013 Moz Search Ranking Factors study shows that pages with Google +, Facebook likes, tweets, and comments tend to rank higher than those without. (Crestodina, 2014).

When building a social media presence to combat negative online reputation, choosing the correct social networks is invaluable. According to BrandYourself, “LinkedIn is the best social network for rankings, while WordPress is the highest ranking personal site builder.” (Ambron, 2012). You can see by the infographic below, that Google plays favorites to certain social networks. 

In conclusion, when it comes to choosing which social media platforms you'll utilize, it is important to select ones that offer you the best potential for reaching your target audience. In order to create effective content and conversations, the media that the network broadcasts should be ideally suited for your company skills and goals. Because most companies can't be amazing on every platform; choose the best fit for you and your team. Actively participating across all of the primary networks takes a huge commitment of time and resources. So ask yourself the questions above, determine two to four networks that best meet your needs, and get involved.

References

Ambron, P. (2012, August 3). Want to Look Better in Google? Our Data Shows You the Best Ways [our first infographic]. Retrieved November 10, 2014. from http://blog.brandyourself.com/brand-yourselfcom/want-to-look-better-in-google-our-data-shows-you-the-best-ways-our-first-infographic/.

Crestodina, A. (2014, August). How Does Social Media Affect SEO?. Retrieved November 10, 2014. from http://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/how-does-social-media-affect-seo/.

Ray, R. & The SmallBizTechnology Team. (2010, September 13). Survey Says…Do Not Ignore The Power of Social Media!. Retrieved November 10, 2014. from http://www.businessinsider.com/survey-saysdo-not-ignore-the-power-of-social-media-2012-9.