The four most useless social media platforms for your small business
It’s well documented in business circles that having a presence on social media is a necessity in today’s world. However, with the vast array of platforms out there (and more popping up all the time), it’s not uncommon to have trouble navigating the “social sea” and coming up with a solution to make social media work for your business.
One of the main culprits of a failed social media strategy is using the wrong social media platforms. Many companies make the mistake in thinking that they need to have a presence on every single platform.
Knowing which ones you should be on, or perhaps which ones you shouldn’t be on, can be figured out by asking yourself three simple questions: Are you B2C, B2B, or both? What are your goals for being on social media? And finally, who is your target audience?
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Once you have the answers to these questions, it becomes much easier to get yourself down to a list of three to four platforms to dedicate your time to. That being said, not all social media platforms are created equal.
Here, Conquest Consultancy reveals four social media platforms that are absolutely useless for your business.
Snapchat
Unless your target audience is bored teenagers, steer well clear of this platform. Social media is all about engagement, however sadly Snapchat lacks on this front. There is no way to tell if your audience is engaging and enjoying your content – the only way to truly know would be if the user sent a direct message. Another huge negative is that there is no ability to reshare content.
Snapchat is great for many things, especially with the clever filters, but for business, it’s definitely one to avoid.
Pinterest is a great concept, but unless you can devote a lot of time building up boards and gaining followers, it’s not going to work for you. It might be fine if all you need to do is showcase your products, but if you want effective two-way communication, invest your time and money elsewhere to see faster results. It’s also worth noting that 82 per cent of Pinterest users are female, so if your company’s key demographic includes both sexes, you’ll miss a huge proportion of the audience.
YouTube
Like Pinterest, YouTube has its place in the world, but it doesn’t tend to garner good results unless you have the resources to invest heavily in making video content. Don’t make second rate videos and post them to your website.
Also, YouTube is extremely ad heavy which could easily damage your brand by possibly directing the viewer away from your video straight into the arms of a competitor.
TikTok
You might be an expert at dancing or able to gain a following after going viral, but this is all about audience segmentation.
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With just under 50 per cent of TikTok users aged between 16 and 23, you will find it difficult to see any success with this platform unless this is your business’s target age.
If you’re a small business, chances are this market isn’t for you, so invest your valuable time elsewhere.
Main image credit: Getty