Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

“Congrats Clarissa! You’ve been on Facebook for 12 years!”

12…years? That’s a little over a decade. I’ve been on Facebook that long?

– I remember thinking Facebook was a dating site.

– I remember Facebook was “The Facebook.”

– I remember putting my class schedule on there and it was by invite only.

I remember a lot of things about Facebook when it started and the changes it went through (like how angry I was when all you needed was an email. “THE DOWNFALL OF FACEBOOK!” I yelled.)

But has it really been 12 years?

In those years, other social media platforms have come (Twitter) and gone (Myspace…technically).

Now, companies, brands, and bloggers use social media as part of their business model. It’s easy to think you need to be ON every single platform to market yourself and be successful on it.

If you feel the struggle to be on every platform, here are some questions to ask:

1. Do you like it? Why or why not?

You are more inclined to use a platform more if you enjoy it, period. If you don’t enjoy it, figure out why. Is it too hard to understand? Can you try to understand it?

This is how Snapchat for now. I see brands and bloggers use it but haven’t found a use for it. And now with Instagram Stories, I can do mine behind the scenes and actual shots on the same platform.

Research and study on it during your spare time. How are your competitors using it? How are your favorite brands using it? You may develop a use for it down the road once you study how others use it.

As I mentioned with Snapchat, I tried but couldn’t find a way to fit it in with FIVE12 at the moment but it doesn’t mean I’ve given up completely. I’m reading and bookmarking Snapchat-related articles and making a plan. It’s not in my 2016 strategy, but 2017 may present opportunities to use it.

2. Do you have any use for the platform? 

Believe it or not, people don’t see the value in Pinterest. “I’m not in retail. I’m not B2C.”

Pinterest isn’t restricted to sharing fashion, recipes, or design ideas anymore. It has evolved into a social search engine for blog content, business tips, and a lot more. If you assume a platform is, for one thing, take a look at it again and study what makes it effective.

3. What does your analytics say? 

I almost gave up on Facebook, then I studied my analytics and realized a lot of people were coming to my site via Facebook.

The dumbest thing to do would be deleting it because that’s a source of traffic for me. Instead, it was time for a new strategy to engage with my followers. I realized something from my 12 years on Facebook: it’s not going anywhere. Instead of abandoning the godfather of social media, I decided to clean up the page and create a plan for it.

How do you know the top ways people are visiting your site?

If you’ve set up Google Analytics, here’s what to do:

Login to your Dashboard

Select Acquisition

Social

Network Referrals

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll see the top referrals for your site. This may be intentional. I’m not surprised Twitter is number one. I create content for Twitter, unintentionally.  It may not be intentional. Pinterest fell off my radar for a bit, but my audience is there so back I go.

Bottom line: Give every social media platform a chance. Not all are created equally and you will gravitate towards some over others. For the ones you’re not fond of, put them on the back burner, and create a strategy for platforms you enjoy and engage in the most. For those you have questions on, do some research. You may be surprised at what you find.