How do I choose a social media channel?

I want to talk to you about a BIG part of your social media strategy - and that is deciding which channels are RIGHT for your business.

Because there are SO many to choose from, and everyone, including your neighbour's kid’s friend, will tell you ALL the things you should be doing, ALL the channels you need to be on, and ALL the tips & tricks you just have to try - “Oh. My. god. What do you mean you're not on Tik Tok??” 

It’s only natural you’re going to be left feeling a little unsure, or if you are trying to do it all, then you might be feeling a little frazzled and I don’t blame you. There are only so many hours and coffees we can consume in the day.

So, where do you start?

I’m gonna walk you through the 5 steps to choosing the right channel for you.

You’ll need a notebook, pen, comfy pants and an iced oat milk latte (the last two are not a must, but I can highly recommend them).

With these steps, you will know what channels are right for you and your business. That means no more wondering. No more FOMO. And sure as hell, no more second-guessing yourself the next time someone asks: “But what about …. (insert the latest channel everyone is talking about)?”

Ok. Let’s get into it.

1. where is your audience hanging out online?

The reason there isn’t a one-size-fits-all channel strategy is because every brand’s audience is different. So, who are YOU trying to reach? 

This is EXACTLY what we covered in the last episode. So if you haven’t listened to that one yet - then I highly recommend you take a listen to help you out with this step.

If you could take a peek into the Time Spent report on their iPhone where are they spending most of their time? Is it Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube? Or Linkedin, Youtube and Instagram? Or maybe it’s Pinterest?

Write down their top 5 social networks in order of usage:

2. what do they expect to see on that channel?

When we open any social network, we already have an idea of the kind of content that we’re going to see. Think about it, if you opened up Instagram and the first thing you saw was a drool-worthy photo of pasta and red wine, you’re probably gonna hit that ‘heart' button.

But if you saw the exact same photo complete with emoji caption on Linkedin, it would take you completely off guard. And not in a good way. You might even be annoyed to see it. Why? Because you're used to seeing this kind of visual escapism on Instagram, but not when you were hoping to get motivated and feel productive at 9 am on Monday on Linkedin. 

The same goes for your audience. They have pre-conditioned expectations for the type of content they expect to see by channel and channel features. 

Let's look at some examples:

Instagram Feed

Because of the visual-first nature of Instagram, audience's expect to see high-quality inspiring images on the feed.

Instagram Stories

On Instagram stories, the audience is looking for a glimpse into the daily lives of others, and expect less-edited more in the moment content.

Facebook Page

Audience's are generally seeking conversation and connection, as well as entertainment.

Facebook Group

A safe space for members to share their own stories.

Youtube

Audiences expect to learn something new in an entertaining way. 

Twitter

The real-time, urgent and text-focused nature of Twitter aligns itself well with customer service and engagement with the latest news.

Tik Tok

Tik Tok brings us pure escapist entertainment and educational content that breaks down big topics into bite-sized bits.

3. what content is easy for you to create?

Being present on a social media channel means you need to create specific content for it. 

So before you jump right on in and start a new channel, consider this: you should enjoy the process of making it and it shouldn’t take too much effort to create or you’ll only end up putting it off. 

The key is to lean into your strengths. If you love writing focus on engaging blog posts and compelling captions. If you hate being on camera - probably don’t start a Youtube channel. Maybe podcasting is your vibe?

Decide on what channel will be your PRIMARY channel or channels. And which ones are secondary. 

Start by focusing your time and energy on the primary channels, and make sure creating content for this channel or channels comes with ease.

Then as your business grows you can hire creatives specialized in their field of expertise to help you create other types of content for new channels.

For example, you might find it easy to jump on an Instagram Story and do videos, but you find designing Instagram templates hard, so you find a graphic designer who can use what you say in your videos to make beautifully designed quotes and soundbites. 

4. how much capacity do you have?

“How many channels should I be on?”

“How often should I post?”

These are both very common questions that I get asked.

And the honest answer is - it depends. 

I know. Annoying right? 

Most people just want a straight answer. But really, it depends on how much time, money and energy you have. Once you open a channel you need to keep it maintained, post consistently valuable content, monitor and respond to all comments, because this channel might be the very first impression someone has of your brand and you’ll want to make sure it’s a great one.

The truth is you don’t have to be on every channel. Trying to be everywhere and do everything will only leave you spread out too thin. 

Rather choose one or two channels and focus all your energy on making them the best representation of your brand possible.

5. which channel gives you the best return for your investment?

Based on your social media goals, which channels are delivering the best results for you? 

Let’s say one of your goals was to grow your email list. 

You might have assumed that Instagram would be the best channel to do that, but by looking at the numbers you can see that Facebook is actually driving dramatically more sign-ups. You’ll want to make sure that they are quality leads first. If yes - then you would be better off focusing more of your time, energy and budget on your Facebook ads. 

Alright friends and that is your social in 5.

On our mission to make social media work for you and not the other way around.