Social media is one of the most powerful marketing tools, but in order for it to be the most effective you must decipher which platforms work best in your niche. Narrowing down the most appropriate platforms for your business will not only save you time, but it will allow you to work towards your goals. With hundreds of social media platforms to choose from, and new ones rising everyday, how do you know which ones are right for your business? Where do you even begin? A lot of businesses fail to harness the power of social media, or waste time using the ‘wrong’ platform for their needs. The power of choosing the ‘right’ social media platform is in your hands. The right choice is the one that works best for your business, results in increased audience engagement, expands reach, and improves your sales. Without dawdling any further, lets get straight to selecting the right platform for your business:

Identify your target audience 

Audience is absolutely the most important factor when choosing a social media platform. Nothing else really matters if your audience is not active. This is your very first step to get started. You should be as clear and specific as possible, since it will make your decision easier. You should consider factors such as age, gender, education, income, wants, etc. of your customers. This will help build out a profile of your audience. You have to be where your target audience is.

Define your goals 

Once you know your audience, you need to define goals for that audience and most importantly yourself and your brand. When it comes to creating your social media goals, brainstorm a list of ways in which social media could work for your brand. The reasons why you’re on social media in the first place will answer your questions. Based on your answers and objective, set specific and measurable goals that you can strive to achieve on social media. When you set goals, there is a greater likelihood that you will accomplish them.

Be thorough with the various platforms 

Study and understand the different platforms and its uses. How will this affect your business, what kind of audience engages on this platform, what will this bring to your brand, etc. Each social media platform has its own personality and ways of communicating. Your products and services, your brand personality and your business type should all influence your channel selection. This will not only help you pick the best platform(s) for your company, but it will also help avoid any wrong decision for your business. You just need to weigh what makes sense for your business.

Additionally conduct competitive analysis, measure your statistics and adjust your strategy and establish your voice and tone for the platforms that you have chosen.

The important thing to remember is when you’ve selected the channels you want to pursue, pick one and get it up and running successfully before you open another one. If you try to launch multiple channels at once, your chances of success diminish. A lot. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.