You can’t be everywhere, and you don’t need to be
Too many business owners neglect social media platforms. If you have avoided social media for business due to the overwhelming number of options, think again. You don’t need to be everywhere to have a strong content marketing strategy that plays well with social media.
We recommend choosing social networks that fit your business and your target audience. Keep in mind the following factors:
Your target customer
Always start here. Simply stated, you want to be where your target customer spends his or her time. You can research demographics to gain clues about which social networks are favored by different age groups, for example. You can look to your competitors and see where they focus their social energy. Or you can ask your customers directly in e-mail and website surveys.
Gathering this basic data will help you narrow down the list of platforms that fit your content marketing goals.
Search rankings (SEO)
Beyond reaching your target audience directly through their preferred social platforms, you need to consider how your presence impacts your search rankings. Creating a Google My Business profile, for example, can boost your ranking.
There are a number of tactics you can use to boost your SEO through social media, as highlighted in this Forbes article. Social sharing, external links and more can all generate positive traffic to your website and impact your search ranking.
Visuals
All businesses should be using visuals in their content marketing, regardless of industry. However, some industries will do especially well in visual-heavy social networks like Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube. If you operate a retail location of any kind, a presence on these sites is a must. If you have a highly visual product or one that benefits from video storytelling, you should also be in these communities.
Impact
Some social networks are a must by virtue of their sheer numbers. It is nearly impossible to ignore Facebook or Twitter because they have so many active users. While you may need to incorporate paid ads into your efforts on these networks, it is possible to do so on a relatively small budget, so don’t let that deter you.
Campfire Digital can help you craft a strategic content marketing plan and execute it for you. From your website to your content marketing and social media strategy, our integrated approach helps you maximize your online presence. Contact us for a free consultation today.
