You know your brand needs to be on social media to stay
relevant in today’s market. So, you decide to create an account on Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. You waiver on the idea of Pinterest and
Instagram but decide to ‘start small’ and look at expanding your social media
presence in the future – great! Well, sort of…
The problem with assuming your brand needs to be on these
social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube) is that all four
of the sites might not be the right fit for your brand. You’re probably
thinking, of course they are! You may be right, but let’s take a step back and
fully understand the function and audience of each platform.
Facebook
Facebook is a site that is no longer being used for the
up-to-the-second updates on what people are doing (or at least it shouldn’t be
used in that fashion). Facebook is a site to share photos, videos and really
engage in two-way conversation. The audience of the site started as college
students and has quickly grown to encompass everyone under the sun from
grandparents and children to people making pages for their pets and cars.
Brands should use Facebook as a platform to truly build a relationship with
individuals by engaging in meaningful conversations.
While a brand still needs to update the page frequently to
appear in the newsfeeds of its fan base, it does not need to be sending
information every 15 minutes. So ask yourself, “What age group is my brand looking to communicate with? What type of content will we be able to share on a regular basis? Will we be sharing photos and videos, asking questions and sharing other industry related information?” If you answered yes, then Facebook could be a social media site for your brand to build a presence.
LinkedIn is a professional networking site. Commonly explained as the “Facebook for the business community” the site allows you to post a profile explaining your work history, education, volunteerism, etc. along with connecting with fellow colleagues, other professionals in the same or similar industry and with companies.
As a brand, you want to have a presence on LinkedIn if you are
looking to have more intellectual conversations with your connections than, say,
Facebook. Brands can provide detailed information about the company, products
and services offered and even open positions. Again, this is not a site to post
an update every 15 minutes; instead, posting meaningful content approximately
four to seven times a week is sufficient. LinkedIn is a platform to share
company news, industry related articles, start meaningful two-way conversations
and engage with professionals who have an interest in and need for/ desire of
your brand.
So ask yourself, “Is my brand looking to connect with “the
working world” (soon-to-be college graduates through seasoned professionals)?
Will we be able to share industry news and articles on a regular basis? Are we
looking to engage our audience in deeper conversation or are we looking to keep
the conversation light?” Depending on how you answer the above questions,
LinkedIn may be a social media site that makes sense for your brand participation.
Twitter
Twitter is a real-time, up-to-the-minute (sometimes second)
running feed of information. From breaking news and sports updates to the
latest celebrity gossip and sales from retailers (okay, some may argue all of
the above are ‘breaking news’), the individuals on Twitter are extremely
diverse, meaning your potential audience is very diverse.
Twitter is a platform that requires frequent updates in
order to be successful. However, the content a brand shares on Twitter also
needs to be meaningful and engaging. There is still no place for “We are open
for the day”… “”First customer of the day just came to the store”… “The manager
just drank a diet pop.” Instead, your brand should be sharing interesting
facts, news and updates about the company, relevant industry news and articles,
photos, videos and posing questions – all in 140 characters or less.
So ask yourself, “Is my brand looking to engage in real-time
conversations with a wide range of audiences? Are we able to provide frequent
updates (multiple tweets per day) of meaningful information? Do we want to communicate
in fast paced, short messages?” If you answered yes, Twitter may very well be
an excellent platform for your brand to build a presence on.
YouTube
YouTube is all about video. Whether the video footage is of your
cat or dog doing ‘amazing’ tricks to crazy stunts and demonstrations of the
latest gadget, YouTube lends itself to be an interactive, informative and fun
social media site (not that the others are not fun).
If your brand has the capacity to take lots of video
footage, has complex ideas, processes or products that can easily be explained
through video or are looking for a way to communicate your brand’s culture,
video can be a great option.
So ask yourself “Is my brand looking to provide information
in an entertaining fashion? Do we have the capacity to provide new videos on a
semi-frequent basis (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly)?” Depending on how you
answered the above questions, YouTube may be the right platform for your brand
to participate on.
The social media platform(s) where your brand needs to be
present is determined by your audience and the purpose social media plays in
your overall business strategy. Your response should not be “we need to be on
social media because everyone else is.” Instead, your response should be tailored
to the function and audience of each platform as well as how it relates to the
overall business goal: “We need to be on LinkedIn to build a presence among the
business community to engage with them on a more intellectual level and in a
medium where they are already participating.”
Maybe the above four social media sites aren’t the right fit
for your brand. Pinterest and/or Instagram could make more sense depending on your
business strategy. Whatever the site(s), just make sure you have a sound reason
for being there - and your content reflects that.
Remember: Your
brand needs to keep a consistent tone, reflective of the brand, across whatever
social media platform(s) you choose, while tailoring messages to the specific
audience of each site. This means you cannot copy and paste the same content
posted to Facebook on LinkedIn and Twitter. If you have individuals who follow
you across a variety of platforms, they are going to want different information
on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. Lastly, don’t just post content
because you feel you need to post another update; make sure the content has a
purpose and is meaningful. Happy socializing! 
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