Blog & Company News

Jan 7, 2015

Which Social Media Platforms Are Right For Your Small Business?

Some businesses have been around for many years and have been successful. Often times a business is passed down through the family and in those cases, their marketing may be a little archaic. Techniques used 50 years ago to market a product will not work in this new age of technology. Social media and e-commerce plays a huge part in the amount of people one can reach and if you aren’t utilizing these platforms, then you are definitely missing out on becoming more successful. There are many options from the likes of Snapchat, to Instagram, and Facebook, so how do you choose the right platform? Select those that offer the best potential for reaching your ideal audience and broadcast the type of media best suited for your company. The process can be quite overwhelming and very time consuming, but no matter the platform, the question to ask is: Are your customers there? As Gary Vaynerchuk, co- founder and chief executive of VaynerMedia, says “Facebook is a must. It’s the oxygen of social networks. After that, Instagram has emerged as the new main social network. It’s very big with 15- to 45- year- olds. Twitter is an open cocktail party, so you have permission to talk to customers even if they’re not talking about you. Pintrest is good for visual, female businesses like clothing and flowers. And Snapchat, if you’re a very cool brand like skateboard shop or a cold- press juice shop.” It is important to know your product and who you are realistically selling to. Your target audience can be found through multiple platforms. But figuring that out is hard enough, how do you measure your time on social media to make it a cost and time effective tool for your business? Some people believe spending at least 20 minutes on social media has an immense impact. If you are on Twitter, posting a few times in the day is good enough to expose people to your brand and not be overwhelming. It might even be worth wild to hire a social media specialist if people are trying to reach out to you via social media but no one is responding. Social media only works if you stay involved!