What is the best social media platform for your business?

By Victoria Stoklasa, CEO

How do you dress for work? At Bon Visto Media, we are lucky enough to wear our pajamas—everyone works at home. Our clients have a wide range of business attire, from suits to khakis to workout clothes. Just as your dress code depends on your job, your social media strategy depends on your business. Here are some things every small business owner should consider when picking platforms for a social media presence.

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You don’t have to be on every social media platform.

One common complaint of small business owners is that there are too many social media platforms: “I don’t have time to be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, AND Instagram!” Managing multiple social media accounts takes a lot of time—time that should be spent on your business. There is some good news, though: You don’t need to have a presence on every platform in order to have a successful social media strategy.

Go where your clients will find you.

While being on every social media platform gives your business more chances to be seen (think of it as social media real estate), the fact is, if your clients are not there to see you, there’s no point in having a presence. If your customers aren’t on Twitter, don’t worry about tweeting every day. If you find you’re more likely to connect with potential customers via LinkedIn, focus your energy there instead. It’s better to be well established on the platform that gives you the best exposure than it is to spread yourself thin across multiple channels that you’re not able to manage effectively.

Your industry affects your social media choices.

So, how do you figure out where your new clients are? One tactic is to ask your current customers what platforms they use. Their demographics will most likely mirror those of the rest of the users on their chosen social media. Another more general tactic is to look at the stats and how each platform is used. 

Here are some of the best-known platforms:

• Facebook: As the most popular platform, Facebook has a wide variety of users ranging from all ages and backgrounds. It also provides an advertising function that helps you hone in on your ideal clients.
  
• Twitter: Users who tweet are often young, affluent, and educated. The short-form updates are great for news headlines or funny quips.
  
• LinkedIn: This platform is designed for business networking, making it ideal for connecting with investors, prospective partners, or potential employees.
  
• Google+: The majority of uses on Google+ work in technology, and many others are business owners or decision makers. If you’re reaching out to the tech industry, Google+ is perfect.
  
• Pinterest: If you have a visual product to sell, Pinterest it allows you to post sharable images. Plus, 80% of users are female, so it’s a great platform for marketing to women.
  
• Instagram: Like Pinterest, Instagram allows companies to show off visual products. It’s also great for overseas marketing—over 70% of users are outside of the U.S.
  

Do you know which platform you’d pick? Want more advice? Just want to say hi? Leave a comment below!