Talk about small businesses and organizations having a presence on social media is everywhere. Not everyone can agree on what that means, but the one thing people can agree on is that social media is important. As our world is becoming more digital, marketing needs to change. More and more people are using social media to seek out business and organization information, and if people are not able to find you it will hurt your business or organization.

The good news is that social media marketing can be relatively low cost, and it provides a direct connection to your audience, both current and prospective. Increasing exposure, creating credibility, developing loyal fans, building brand awareness, and increasing traffic are all benefits of social media. It certainly has its benefits, but it does take up time and energy, which can be in short supply for small businesses and organizations.

If you know you have limited time and resources, starting with a manageable load of one social media outlet is recommended. The biggest mistake you can make is to try to take on too much and spread yourself too thin. Inconsistent posting or an off-brand message can hurt your business quickly. Your social media is only going to be as strong as the effort and energy you put in.

There are over 60 plus social media networks. Before you choose which social media your business will be on, let’s take a look at the top four.

Facebook has over 2 billion active monthly users. Interactions on Facebook include posts, photos, videos, sharing, direct messaging and much more. It is highly saturated with both people and brands which can be a plus and a minus. No matter what your business does, there is a good chance your customers are on Facebook. Facebook is often the first place for small businesses to start, with 90% of small business users using it.

The next biggest is YouTube with 1.5 billion active monthly users. YouTube is video based and is best for businesses that are able to create multiple videos quickly and easily. 

Instagram follows in third with 700 million active monthly users. It is the fastest growing social media network and is more popular among younger audiences. Instagram is image based and best suited to businesses that can create eye-catching visuals. It contains less one-on-one engagement than other networks and you are limited to only one link in the bio.

Twitter rounds out the top 4 with 328 million active monthly users. Twitter is text based and limited to 140 characters, called a tweet, but videos, images, gifs and links are becoming more popular. It is more conversational, so it can take more time to keep up than some other networks. Also, due to the high volume of tweets is high, your post can get lost easily.

When choosing a social media to start with, you will need to consider what you will be posting and where your audience is. What you will be posting, can be a great indicator of where you will be posting. For example, videos are best on YouTube, and images on Instagram. If you are going to be posting a mix of items Facebook is the best. It is important to remember that, it is easier for you to meet your customers where they are instead of trying to lure them somewhere else.

Using social media is a great step for your small business or organization, but you will need to be smart about where to start. Social media is a marathon, not a sprint. Creating your profile, and posting consistent, relevant items will be important to your success. One of the most important things to remember to to stay consistent to who you and your brand.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at Lisa@LisaSchickertSmith.com