With so many social networks out there, how do you figure out which one(s) to use? Which site should your company spend the most time on?
The answer: go where your customers and target market are.
If you are trying to reach moms with little kids, go for blogging and and Pinterest. If you are trying to sell to another business, get on LinkedIn. If you are trying to reach bored teenagers, go for YouTube and Facebook.
Let who you are trying to reach determine what tool you use and where you spend your time and effort online.
In order to do this, you’re going to have to do a bit (or a lot) of research.
Research your current customers and target market like crazy: who they are, what they like to do, their problems, where they spend their time online, their online behavior, and anything else that will help you understand them better.
A few suggestions on where to research:
- Company blogs, like Twitter, HubSpot, and Likeable Media publish relevant content, data, and statistics on their blogs from time to time.
- Blogs in your industry and target market.
- Magazines like Inc. and Fast Company.
- eMarketer
- MarketingSherpa
- Nielson
- Forrester
- News sites, like Mashable, TechCrunch, and USA Today Tech and Money Sections.
- Social Media Examiner
- Social Media Today
- Social Media Explorer
- MarketingProfs
- eConsultancy
- Do your own research (use a survey tool like SurveyMonkey.com or Google Docs Survey)
There are A LOT more places to get market research data, but hopefully this gets you started.
It’s a much better idea to know ahead of time whom you’re trying to reach and where they spend their time online, than to randomly guess and hope you get it right.
Once you know where you’re target market and customers hang out on the web, then put together a strategy and jump on board. Don’t go for the tools first and fire aimlessly.
Question: which social network has helped your business the most? Please share with us in the comments below!
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