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What’s the right social media channel for your business?
10 Feb 2017
by Kirsty Smallman

Decisions, decisions, decisions – life is full of them. Everyday we make choices, from what we’re going to watch on TV to what we’re having for dinner. The same is said for which social media channel is the best for our business.

Everyone has their favourite, Facebook probably tops the list followed by Instagram and Twitter. The younger generation probably favour Snapchat, if anything just to be able to place a halo of flowers around their head for that perfect selfie!

In the world of eCommerce businesses are competing for a slice of the market place and social media is fast becoming a must have tool for the ideal marketing strategy. But how do you even go about deciding which is the right one?

If you’re deciding to dip your toe into the water it needs to be for the right reasons. In order to make the right decision you’ve got to have a plan of action, so sit down, grab a pen and paper and ask yourself the following questions.

What’s the most important goal?

The first question on the list should be what you’re overall marketing goals are? Do you want to boost sales, generate leads or just increase your brand awareness? Once this has been established you’ll have a better understanding of the possible social media channel for you.  You’ll be able to track and measure your results through these channels so you also need to find the one which is going to give you the data you need to hit your ROI and targets.

Why are you looking for a social media channel?

Your business may already be active on social media, however you could find yourself not achieving the desired results. Before you reach this point, ensure that you’ve done all you can with your existing tool.

There may be aspects that you have missed or not understood. Once you’re 100% sure that you can’t get anymore from it then changing to a different platform could be the answer. Also make sure that your team understand exactly how to use it, if they don’t then it won’t be working to its full potential.

Pay attention to the features

Nowadays social media channels are awash with great features which can help you get the most out of your marketing campaign. Find the one that best fits your strategy, create a checklist before hand to be sure it can meet the requirements of your marketing strategy. There may be a few hidden tricks which could pull in more customers and followers.

Nothing wrong with a bit of homework

As with anything, when it comes to making a buying decision doing your homework is the key to finding the best product. I spend plenty of time online looking at blogs and videos of products I would like to buy, when I find the right one its because that company has provided all the information I need. The same can be said for social media channels and their relevant tools. Use the likes of Google and YouTube to find reviews and how-to-videos that will help make your decision an easier one.

Other considerations might be…

As well as the above ask yourself what the user experience is like, do they have great customer support and are there any hidden fees that go with them? Most social media channels will have the ability to create paid ads so in this case you’ll want to set out a budget. If any tool or channel offer a free trial this is a good way to test the water before taking the plunge.

If your business is thinking of using social media as part a marketing strategy and you would like some more advice then get in touch with us today!