Keeping up with the latest marketing tactics can be really frustrating for a small business owner. One thing I run into with my marketing coaching clients is the feeling of FOMO when it comes to social media marketing: should my business be everywhere? What if I’m missing out?
Believe me, I get it! When I was running marketing departments for corporations I would have constant fights with management who were terrified we were missing out on potential opportunities because we didn’t have a presence on Instagram.
You know why I would fight with them?
1. Because it wasn’t their job to run the accounts and it’s all well and good to want to be on as many social media platforms as possible, but good luck coming up with enough consistent content to be popular on the platform.
2. Most importantly: our customers weren’t on Instagram, or if they were they weren’t on Instagram looking for the professional-level services we were offering.
Which Social Media Accounts Should Your Business Have?
My strategy for those businesses is one I think you should adopt, too, when it comes to social media marketing. But let’s clear something up before we get started:
You do NOT need to be on every social media platform. You DO need to be on the platforms where your customers are.
How Do You Figure Out Where Your Customers Are?
First, you should understand who your ideal customer is and what their needs are. If you need help with that, I absolutely recommend picking up my workbook “How to Make Your Brand Kick-Ass (Without Driving Yourself Crazy)” but no matter how you do it, you need to put the work in to understand where your customer is and how you can prevent yourself from wasting time, money, and effort on platforms that won’t help your business grow.
Which Platform Is Best for My Business?
Here is a SUPER general run down of the various platforms and who they’ll work best for:
Caters to Millennials and Gen Z. Good for product-based businesses or services that cater to those demographics
Caters to Gen X and Millennials. Good for product-based businesses that have value-based content in their marketing, blogs, and service-based businesses who have value-based content in addition to their service offerings.
Caters to Baby Boomers, Gen X, some Millennials. Good for businesses who can post engaging content that isn’t necessarily tied to their businesses (which is why apps like Quuu are great for it).
Best for service-based businesses who can engage heavily and devote time to outreach. Demographics range from Boomers to Millennials.
- YouTube
Probably covers the widest range of age groups from Gen X to Gen Z but businesses need to offer value-based content to keep a consistent following that isn’t tied to their products or services. Good for all types of businesses.
- TikTok
Caters to Gen Z and some Millennials. Content will need to be short, engaging, and more value-based than salesy. Best for service-based businesses and bloggers.
Caters to most demographics, though less Gen Z than others. Best for premium service-based businesses, B2B businesses, and professional services or products.
Again, that is a SUPER general run down, but it’s a good jumping off point to think about how you can focus your energy on the platform(s) that will work best for your business. If you need some ideas on what to post, check out my series on content tips for Instagram and Pinterest, YouTube and TikTok, and Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
