Which platforms should I be using?
With so many different platforms and content types it is no wonder people are a little confused as to where to start and which ones to use.
The same applies to content type. Should you be blogging, podcasting,tweeting, producing video, or even live streaming now?
It is tempting to be doing it all and unfortunately this is where things start to go wrong. Unless you have a team of people or you outsource some elements of these you will really find you are diluting your audience. As a small business you should be thinking about two things:
- Where are my prospects and customers looking for information about my product or service?
- What is the best platform or content type to provide the best answer to my prospects question or need?
Understanding these two will help determine which platforms are best to concentrate on. The next tip is key and can make all the difference. In order to maintain and grow and get results from your audience you need to be consistent.
Consistency is not the same as often. Maybe your consistency is blogging once a month? Â As long as the frequency is enough to keep your audience engaged then its about producing consistently.
If you try podcasting or periscoping once or twice then don't return for 3 months you cannot expect your audience to be there waiting. And not all platforms are right for you and your audience. My friend Lucy has done a wonderful job with periscope and has quickly realised the benefits of integrating it into her content production schedule.
For me I have not yet found that gap to get started with Periscope as much as I want too. I have my blog and my podcast and I want to keep on serving these channels for now.
It is very tempting to just jump into everything and you can if you have the time and it makes sense to do so. You could even delegate parts of it to a Virtual assistant or another person in your company and this will help you manage more platforms.
Even choosing which social media channel is a real challenge for many. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pintrest, and Instagram all are wonderful channels and have their own audiences. Return to the two questions above and determine which channels are going to serve your prospects and customers best.
If you are still not sure try them and see which is getting the most traction and response. But don't just keep working away at a platform just because you think you should or because you enjoy it. That being said enjoying producing content is important it it comes across too.
So take the time to work out your content strategy and which platforms are the best for your business. Then consistently produce on those platforms. Listen to what your audience tells you and then modify and do more.
I get some great comments on my blog and I really do appreciate every one of them. Mostly positive and sometimes I get advice and I love those too.
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Author- Speaker - Consultant. Passionate about all things digital.