10 Steps to Decide Which Social Media Networks Are Best for You

Every small business owner who is getting started on social media asks the same thing:

“How do I figure out which social media platforms I should be using for my business?”

It’s a complicated question, and unfortunately, it doesn’t have an easy answer. Every business is its own unique snowflake, and there’s no recipe for connecting with your particular audience.

But that doesn’t solve the pervasive feeling that you need to be everywhere (ALL the networks! All of them!) just to have your foot in the door. And with literally dozens of choices, it doesn’t take long before overwhelm sets in.

Quite frankly, the attitude that you have to do it all is toxic.

And the truth is, scattering your energy between too many social networks will slow you down and likely cause you take on more than you can reasonably handle.

Here’s a secret: You don’t need to be on every social media platform. And if you were to try, the chances that you’d be able to use any of them to effectively are basically zero.

Not to mention, don’t you have clients to serve, products to sell, work to do… you know, a business to run? Overload is a real thing and it’s important to consciously avoid it.

To paraphrase Gary Vaynerchuk:

In the digital space, there are often far more results to be had by being a inch wide and a mile deep than a mile wide and an inch deep. Depth beats breadth every time.

And so, while marketing is important, social media is crucial, and getting your message out there can utterly transform your business, don’t loose sight of the big picture—you have to be smart about where you put your energy if you really want to achieve results.

So what’s an average person to do if they’re out on their own, trying to figure out how they can make a lasting mark in the untamed wilds of the internet?

Like anything in marketing, it’s about knowing your ideal customer front to back, inside and out. It involves studying their behavior and figuring out exactly what they like to do and where they’re spending their time. It requires identifying what is capturing their attention, and then going ‘all in’ on a small number of platforms where you are most likely to reach your unique audience.

Of course, figuring out just who is your ideal client is a huge job, and one that warrants its own discussion entirely. It’s foundational to your entire business, and the quest to uncover who they are shouldn’t be taken lightly.

But if you’ve already narrowed down who you’re selling to and are now looking to get the social media ball rolling, here’s where I suggest starting:

1. Lock your name down across social media

Even though you don’t need to be active on every social network, you should register your handle on every single platform you can find. (Make sure you’re as consistent as possible with your handle across all networks.) There’s no need to even build a profile on most channel, but it’s important that you own your name instead of letting someone else snatch it up. Plus, you’ll available to respond to any stray customer service requests that may come in through various networks.

2. Research where your ideal clients are spending their time

Study the demographics of each social network. Do your best to use the most current information available as these numbers are constantly shifting. If possible, survey existing customers and ask them where they spend their time online. Be flexible and allow your preconceived ideas to shift as new facts come in. After taking the time to ask questions, make a short list of the top five platforms where you think your ideal client is most likely to be hanging out.

3. Assess the viability of each platform

Spend time exploring each of your top five networks, searching for content related your exact field. Chances are, if there is already content being shared around your topic, it means that other people are successfully sourcing clients and customers there. Be aware that a lack of existing content in your expertise can mean a huge opportunity to fill a gap, but it can also demonstrate that your subject area is not attractive to that platform’s users. While you don’t want to follow the crowd blindly, there’s often a good reason why your competitors aren’t marketing there.

4. Make the effort to understand each network’s unique vibe

No two social networks are alike, and it takes concerted effort to understand what makes each one unique. Spend time on each of your top five platforms engaging with other users. Assess whether or not they appear to resemble your ideal client. Study the tone, style, and subject matter that proliferates on each network. Take notes about what makes one channel different from the others and what each platform’s particular benefits and challenges are.

5. Study the content currently available on each platform

Conduct a survey of the content being shared in your particular subject area, paying special attention to any numbers that might be available to help you understand the amount engagement that each piece of content is receiving. Screenshot or save links to content that interests you, or that you notice receiving remarkably positive responses from others. Store these screenshots in a dedicated folder (known as a ‘swipe’ file) to refer to when you are ready to make your own content.

6. Determine what your content will look like for each platform

Review your swipe file for ideas, and draft a list of five topics within your field that you could create content about. Sketch out basic ideas about how you could make each idea best fit the various social networks you’ve been studying. Remember, simply duplicating your content across platforms will often decrease your effectiveness. Look for ways to shape each piece of content to match the style and tone of the network where you will be posting it.

7. Create content designed to test out each network

Make one piece of content per topic for each of the five networks you’ve chosen. You can use your swipe file for direction, but be sure whatever you put out there is in your own unique voice—not only will you avoid plagiarism, you’ll also be more likely attract your exact ideal clients. Make sure that each piece accurately matches the culture of the platform for which it was created (i.e. a high-quality photo on Instagram, a professional-sounding blog post on LinkedIn, an beautifully designed infographic on Pinterest, a high-energy live broadcast on Periscope, and so on).

8. Make decisions based on your own personal preferences

Notice which social media networks felt most natural for you to use and which you intuitively preferred to use. If you don’t enjoy using the network, chances are you won’t be able to put your best foot forward while marketing on it. Narrow down your list of networks from five to your top three, based on where you feel most comfortable. You don’t have to abandon the other two networks completely, but decreasing the number of places where you devote attention will help your budding social media presence feel more manageable. Keeping your activity limited will also allow you more time to grow strong networks and create creme-de-la-creme on your top channels.

9. Go “all in” on your top three networks

Place all your focus on the networks where 1) your clients hang out and 2) you enjoy spending your time. It’s OK get started on these one by one, but devoting yourself to more than just one will enhance your ability to connect with a broad base of people. Once you’ve committed to a network, be sure to share content regularly. Study existing tactics that others have used to build community there. Make an effort to engage with others directly and frequently. Whenever possible, set up processes to track the number of sales and clients that each platform brings in. Take the time to thoroughly invest in building up the best presence you possibly can, so you can get an accurate reading on whether the network is right for you.

10. Make time to assess your progress & recalibrate if necessary

It’s important to be patient with social media to allow relationships to grow, and to afford you time to establish a groove. But it’s also important to get out quickly if a particular is syphoning a disproportionate amount of your time without any sign of return. Every three months, schedule a session in your calendar to review your social media progress. Assess whether or not each of your top three networks has created the results you desire. If one or more hasn’t, decide whether you’d like to radically shift your approach, or if it’s time to drop a network and test out a new one.

It’s important to remember that social media is a marathon and not a sprint. Though these networks can be an extremely powerful method to drive revenue when used effectively, it doesn’t happen overnight for anyone. Even the people who go ‘viral’ have long backstories of hard work that helped to get them where they are.

Remember: Success in social media is a direct reflection of the number of relationships you’re able to build, and it takes time to create these connections.

The reality is, people choose to buy from people who they feel like they know.

And although social media is a fabulous way to connect with people, you’re going to have to show up for others day in and day out if you want the privilege of asking for — and receiving — their business.

So if you’re just starting out, remember that building a social media presence is a long-term investment. It can pay off in spades when done well, but learning how to do it well will not be an instantaneous process.

Which means you will make mistakes, you will have content flop, and you will waste your time—guaranteed. But you will also have unexpected successes along the way.

Be patient with yourself as you embark on this journey. And most of all, have fun, because when you’re actually enjoying yourself you will attract people who want to have fun with you—and those are the best customers of all.