It’s quite confusing as an online marketer to know where to spend your time and resources, with new social media platforms popping up all the time. Before you open another account, it’s worth asking yourself some questions to see if it’s going to add value to your business or not.
- Is your ideal customer on this network?
Understanding your customer base and finding out where they spend their time online is a valuable exercise. Not all social platforms attract the same individuals, so determining if a new platform, however popular, is one your customers are likely to have a presence on, could point you in the right direction.
- Will this new account fill a new need?
If the answer is no, then it’s not worth building your audience again on a new platform. If your existing social media accounts for your business have a following that get your content and updates, it’s not worth just duplicating. Unless it’s a new user base, or you see a need to create a new segment, it’s not worth doing.
- Do I have time to devote to this new platform?
Building and maintaining a new social media account takes quite a lot of time, if you want it to be successful. If you open another account and don’t dedicate the time to posting regularly and actively growing your following, it will damage the good work you’ve done on other platforms.
- What’s the plan for content creation?
You need to have a plan in place for where you will find your content material and if you’ll be able to sustain this to post several times a week. Content is one of the most important parts of a social strategy, since it keeps your brand top of mind and (hopefully) brings in leads.
- How many posts am I able to commit to?
Consistent posting is key – decide how often you intend to post and stick to that decision. Erratic posting or dwindling off to no posts at all makes it look like your company doesn’t care about its followers. A general guideline is 1-2 Facebook posts per week, 4-5 Tweets a week, with less posts on quieter networks, like Snapchat or Instagram.
- Do I have a budget to scale this account, if needed?
Although you don’t need to spend money, a little money can go a long way for boosting posts or getting in front of new followers. Advertising on social is worth researching, since each network has a slightly different way of handling paid advertising.
- What’s the goal?
As with any initiative, define your goals and what value it will bring. This helps with measurement of the strategy too, whether that be leads, followers or shares.
Social media accounts can be powerful tools as part of a bigger marketing strategy, but take more time than you think. For more on social media strategies or advice on which platforms would be the best fit for your business, contact us.