Ever heard the expression, too many hands in the cookie jar? I am finding myself using it quite frequently when it comes to discussing social media. I am sure many of you are beginning to the feel pressure to participate in social media; especially, considering Google’s latest updates where the principle idea is that of content creation. The first question that many of our clients ask is, which of the numerous social media networks should we participate on? Many are convinced that they should be on as many as they can to increase brand awareness or that Facebook and Twitter are essential since they’re the two most common networks.
It is crucial to understand that just because all of these different social media networks exist, does not mean your brand should be representing itself on each and every one of them, i.e. the too many hands in the social media cookie jar effect.
It is important to strategically choose which social media networks your brand should join or you run the risk of diluting the key messages you wish to deliver to your audience. Before considering which networks to use, think about what you want to achieve. Answering the following four questions will help steer you in the right direction:
1) What type of content would you like to post?
Articles, images and/or videos? For articles, Facebook, Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn will serve your needs best. For photos, you may want to focus on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Google+. For videos, YouTube, Google+, Vine, and Facebook are the leading contenders.
2) What do you aim to achieve?
Do you want to raise brand awareness, improve SEO, increase sales and/or enhance customer loyalty?
3) Who is your target audience?
Typically, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and YouTube draw an older crowd, whereas Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine attract a younger audience. If you’re looking to target women, then Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram are the best sites to consider, while men favour Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Vine.
4) What resources do you have?
It is important to consider your resources and the amount of time you have to dedicate to creating content and engaging online. The two most important roles required for a successful social media campaign are a content writer and graphic designer.
Once these questions have been answered, you will have a much easier time dwindling down your list of potential social media networks to the ones that are right for your brand.
