By David 
It’s been drilled into your head that every business should be on social media. But should you be on every platform? Not necessarily. Some social networks will be more effective for your business than others. Here’s how to choose the right social media platform for your business.
Know Your Customer
Knowing your customer is crucial when choosing a social network. If you don’t have the time and/or resources to be active on all social networks, then you need to know which ones your customers use.
If most of your customers are on Facebook, it makes no sense to focus on your Instagram or Twitter account.
Know Your Business
What type of business do you run?
If you’re in the retail sector, you can probably benefit greatly from being active on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and other visual-based social platforms. This water filter and industrial home furniture company has active accounts on all of the big social networks, but it’s a little more active on Instagram and Pinterest. Why? Because these visual-based platforms allow potential customers to see their products and what they could look like in a home.
If you’re in the services industry, you may benefit more from using Twitter, Facebook and Google+. These social networks are more text-based and make it easier to share useful information that may be valuable to potential customers.
Know the Benefits of Each Social Network
Each social network has its strengths and weaknesses. Along with knowing your customer and your business, you should also understand the benefits of each social platform.
If your business is fast-paced and ever-changing, Twitter will allow you to post breaking news, important messages, announcement and other up-to-date information.
Twitter is also a great platform for posting textual content, like listicles, articles and quotes.
Facebook is the largest social platform in the world, boasting more than 2 billion active monthly users. About 61% of users are Americans between the ages of 25 and 54.
Facebook works well for:
- Lead generation
- Advertising
- Building relationships with customers
Just about anything can be posted on Facebook, from images to videos and textual content.
A highly underrated platform, Pinterest is a visual-based social network with more than 100 million active monthly users.
If you sell any type of product, Pinterest is a social network you need to be on. Promoted pins allow you to target specific types of users and link directly to your shop or product pages.
According to Shopify, 90% of users plan their purchases using Pinterest.
Like Pinterest, Instagram is a graphics-heavy social network. But here’s where it differs from its pin-based counterpart: Instagram has a younger audience.
If you’re in retail, beauty, food or art, this platform will work very well for your business.
YouTube
Offering video-based content, YouTube is ideal for businesses that can offer DIY videos, tutorials and educational information, such as:
- Home services
- Medical professionals
- Beauty gurus
- Product creators
Finding the right social platform for your business is crucial, and it may be a matter of trial and error before you find the most effective network. Use these tips to avoid wasting time on social networks that won’t be as effective.
SME Paid Under
Digital Editor