Free Social Media Cheat Sheet and Tips!
How to choose your social media channels
by Marielle Reussink
Often when we meet new clients, the first thing they will say is “Oh, I want to launch a Facebook page or Instagram Account”.
Our next question will always be: “Why?”
This is usually met by surprise or confusion.
Facebook and Instagram are huge social media platforms with far-reaching audiences around the world. Shouldn’t we all be there?
Don’t get me wrong, both can be an incredibly powerful tools for your business, and we still recommend them to many clients, but while they may be useful to most, they may not always the best for all.
Depending on your business, industry or niche, the stage of your business and challenges, Facebook or Instagram may play a role in helping you achieve your objectives or they may be a nice-to-have, whilst other activities are more important.
But how do you know? How can you decide?
Below, I’ll share with you the four questions you should ask yourself to establish if any channel is right for your business. Plus, you’ll get our free Social Media Cheat Sheet and our top tips to manage your social media channels effectively!
Four Questions To Make Quick Decisions
When evaluating any channel, make sure you ask yourself these four fundamental questions to see if it’s right for your business:
Is the platform designed to achieve your goals?
Can it reach your target audience?
How does your target audience use the channel?
Is that in line with what you need?
If the channel doesn’t help you achieve your goals, it’s not the right channel! If the channel doesn’t reach your audience, it’s not the right channel! If your target audience doesn’t use the channel in a way that serves your purpose, it’s not the right channel!
With these fundamentals in mind, let’s get into what you need to know about each channel using our free Social Media Channels Cheat Sheet. From Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and beyond, click on the arrows to reveal each card.
So, now that you have a quick overview of the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, here are some of our top tips to effectively manage your social media presence.
Our Top Social Media Management Tips:
Use an appropriate strategy for each platform; every channel is different and your strategy may need to be tweaked to be effective
Make your posts visual across channels. Images or video are a must
Optimize image sizing and post length for each platform
Always add value with your content; don’t post for the sake of posting!
Make sure your copy is really good. Don't get lazy with one-liners.
Always engage your audience with a call to action in each post. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Hashtag as appropriate! For Instagram a must, for Facebook and others not so.
Test, test, test! Experiment with different images, audiences, landing pages and copy to assess what works best.
Keep it social and actively engage with other people’s content.
Stay updated! Social media marketing is always changing. Stay relevant by following the latest updates and - more importantly, by reviewing your data!
As these overarching rules show, effectively managing your social media means to be hands-on. Free and easy... It doesn’t exist!
Each channel you choose will require commitment to get results, so you’ll need to decide which channels you can really devote resources to and which ones you can skip.
Still need some help? Contact us to book a free strategy session.
Marielle Reussink
Founder of The Emms, Marketing Professional, Entrepreneur & Advisor to Start-ups