We spend 25 hours a week consuming media.
We spend 25% of that time on social media.
And it’s skewing more toward social media. Rapidly.
So from a business standpoint the question becomes: What social network should you bet your marketing on?
Let’s go through some steps to figure that out.
Consideration #1. What Media To You Prefer Creating?
I put this as #1 for a reason.
Each consideration here is important, but if you don’t like creating the type of content there chances are you’ll fail. You can try to force yourself to get good at the media, but what are the honest odds of that happening?
We don’t often start doing things we don’t like.
What food did you hate as a kid? Broccoli?
Mine was Mac ‘n Cheese. I don’t eat that to this day. I make no effort to eat it.
I don’t like talking on the phone. I’m not the best on video or with audio. I’m not great with taking photos. I like living in the moment and not capturing the moment.
But I do like text. I like writing. My #1 consideration when it comes to social media marketing is where people communicate via text.
You can win with social media if you simply understand the type of media you most like creating.
There is so much opportunity to reach people in all social media that you can afford to focus on what you like doing. If you do that you’ll have the best chance to win over the attention of an audience.
Maybe not the biggest audience possible, but the biggest audience possible for you.
Consideration #2. Where Are The Most People?
The next consideration I would put at the top would be where the most people are.
If you’re going after an audience you increase your odds by going where the most people are. I think it’s better than trying to find a niche social network that features only your customers.
You can find your customers if you find the masses.
That’s how radio worked. It’s how TV worked after radio.
And it’s how social media works today.
Go where the most people are. That’s probably Facebook. Instagram is growing. Snapchat is growing. It seems to be changing faster these days especially by age brackets.
We tend to find things when we’re coming of age and then stick with them until something incredibly better takes hold.
Facebook is likely your best bet until something so big comes along to steal away people’s attention. Then you’ll have to switch again.
Nearly one third of the world uses Facebook every month. That’s a lot of attention concentrated in one place. And Facebook provides tools for drilling down to your exact target customer.
Consideration #3. Where Are Your Customers?
Now you can focus a little more on where your customers are. If you’re not into the first two considerations it is to your advantage to go where your customers are going.
Maybe it’s a smaller network like Twitter.
Or maybe your target is a younger audience. Snapchat.
Maybe something really niche like a message board or forum.
Or maybe you’re a B2B and it’s LinkedIn or Quora.
Doesn’t matter. Ask your customer what social networks they use. Look for a common answer that is not Facebook and you’re onto something.
Consideration #4. What Is The Vibe Of The Network?
Each network has its own vibe. There are different reasons people use the networks.
Facebook is used to get information about those we care about in our lives. We share information and seek information. It’s very personal. It’s not so much about business and commerce.
It’s estimated that people are in “buying mode” about 3% of the time.
That seems to be pretty accurate for Facebook. People spend about 97% of their time with personal things. They might spend about 3% of their time look for commerce-related information.
That can still work to a business’s favor, but maybe the better vibe is available on LinkedIn where people are more in “work mode”.
Or maybe Facebook and Twitter are too negative for your style. That’s very likely the case. Then head over to Instagram where the vibe is much more positive.
Consideration #5. How Mature Is The Network?
Finally, a pretty good consideration is how mature the network is.
Early adopters have a huge advantage. Huge.
Open the App Store on your phone every morning. Click on the Social Networking category and keep a look out for new and rising social networks.
They exist.
The next Snapchat or Instagram is going to be there. If you’re not looking you won’t be ready for it until it’s too late.
But if you notice something take the time to start creating content there. Spend 100 hours each building content. You might find that 9 of the networks go bust.
But the 10th one could be the one. And you’ve invested the time. And now you’re an early adopter and the king of the network.
That’s a big deal.
Conclusion
I’m sorry if I didn’t give you a straight up answer for this one. But hopefully you got there. If you like creating video then use Facebook or Snapchat. If you like taking pictures then use Instagram. If you like writing then use Twitter or Facebook.
That’s really the top consideration. If you’re after numbers than use Facebook. If you’re after a niche then find the niche site where your customers are or invest time in being an early adopter.
That’s it.