Welcome back to How To Conquer A Social Media Strategy For The First Time - part 2. In the first edition, we looked at defining goals & how to measure the success of an overall social media strategy. Now we will figure out the right platforms to use for your business so you can get the most out of your marketing budget. Just because it is free to set up an account for your business does not mean you should. We have chosen to focus on the platforms we use the most & that cover a variety of industries. There are more adults on Facebook than using any other social media platform so it can be an enticing place to start but there are complexities that come along with Facebook. They are forever changing algorithms so something that may have worked for you in the past, may not work now. People will visit your Facebook page to see videos & pictures about what your company is doing. In order to build your audience, you need to let people know what you are doing.

Most people use Facebook to connect with friends & family so your brand should fit into this mindset naturally. People communicate on Facebook by sharing & interacting with posts. Give them something to interact with! We recommend using videos for your content. They tell a story in a more visual setting & allow people to absorb more information at a faster rate. Posting consistently on Facebook is important. Because nearly everyone has a profile, the competition for attention & news feed space has increased along with it. The more often you post the more likely you are to win a spot on people's newsfeed. Facebook offers detailed Ads service which allows you to hone in on demographics etc., making the information you gather from a campaign easier to understand.

2. - Twitter. You are only allowed a certain amount of characters so make them count! In general people on Twitter want to follow you because they want to engage in a conversation. Use the same approach as Facebook; be sure to engage with each follower. Conversations are short & to the point. We have found Twitter useful for the entertainment industry to upload live updates of sports games & seminars. Twitter is popular as a platform for customer service. This means that the general public will see whatever has been posted instantly! This can happen but be sure to be vigilant in checking for updates & engaging appropriately. We recommend utilising Hashtags for Twitter. Research into what is trending & input the relevant hashtag into your posts.

3. - Instagram. The feedback we have gotten from clients in the past is that they have an 'Insta' account but don't really know how to use it so it gets wasted as a portfolio for random pictures. With Instagram, it is vital that your company has a persona. Documenting day to day activities with bright, fun pictures captured in the moment. Viewers are attracted to this platform as it has become a place for people to share (& filter) pictures they take within an album format. This means that you can use one post for multiple pictures. Similar to Twitter, hashtags are a must to use here. Users will search hashtags to find stories associated with that. Instagram is all about entertainment, where people get to know the 'fun' side of your company.