How to Choose the Right Social Media Channels for Your Small Business in 2021

Last updated May 19, 2021

No matter if you are a solopreneur, a family-run brick-and-mortar business, or an aspiring team of entrepreneurs launching a startup, one of your top priorities will be to popularize your service/product. If your budget is tight and you aren’t ready to invest in hiring an Internet advertising agency, then you’ll likely turn to social media. It is effective, and everyone’s on it.

Great, but how do you know which channels to focus on and which ones won’t work? In our series of small business tips, we have you covered. Here’s what you need to know!

#1 Find out Where Your Target Audience Is 

Every proven digital marketing and SEO specialist will tell you this should be your number one milestone. Try to imagine your ideal buyers and clients; what is their age, occupation, income, need, preference, virtually all details that point to your customer persona. 

If you’re selling tires, it is more likely that your target audience will be guys between 30 and 60, and not stay at home moms. Of course, stay at home moms may also need to buy tires, but choosing your target clientele is a game of odds. And the odds of your uncle Johnny seeking tires and your aunt Becky looking for them, aren’t the same. 

It would make sense to approach Johnny through a YouTube video, and Becky via Facebook, for example. The point is, efficient channels change across audiences, and you can’t expect them to work for all clients and leads.

#2 Make Choices Based on Demographics

Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and even the so-called Silent Generation (people born between 1925 and 1945) all have access to social media, but that doesn’t mean they interact with it the same way or with the same purpose. This extensive research made by Hootsuite on social media usage can help you find out where your audience is most active and which channels wouldn’t be as efficient for them.  

Beware of not spreading too thin. Don’t aim to be on every channel for the sake of covering more ground. Limit yourself to what is feasibly possible to maintain and truly engage people. Covering more ground when you’re not really covering it well, doesn’t mean more options to win, but more options to crumble! The main message behind all our small business tips is always to have limitations, so whatever it is you’re implementing can have your undivided attention and effort. 

#3 Twitter Can Help You Explore New Opportunities

The best thing about Twitter when you’re a small business is that you don’t need to have a significant background to use it efficiently. You can engage a wide audience you wouldn’t normally reach. It is especially easy to use, and like Instagram, it uses hashtags, and it’s free to use. 

You can ask questions, share news about your business or the industry, things that have interested you, tweet, gifs, and polls, your options are surprisingly many. Plus, you can always promote your product and service. According to research by Oberlo, more than 40% of Twitter users have bought something after seeing it on their feed. Imagine the type of influence you could have with a well-maintained Twitter profile.

What to Post

There are more than 5,800 tweets posted every second, so don’t be afraid to re-tweet older tweets and to do brief daily updates. In terms of the type of content you can post, you have limitless opportunities. From promoting your products and services and ongoing offers to sales, news, funny memes related to your industry, and even online contests — you can post virtually anything that makes sense to your business.

#4 LinkedIn Gives Credibility

Widely referred to as the Facebook for businesses, LinkedIn is a channel that doesn’t require you to publish all the time, but it is important that you’re on it. You can use it as a virtual business card with an extension towards your experience, achievements, and other relevant skills in your industry.

According to research by HootSuite, an ad posted on LinkedIn can reach about 13% of the world population above the age of thirteen. While you don’t need such a massive reach for your small business to be a success, it’s important to understand how many opportunities LinkedIn can offer to companies of all sizes and industries. 

What to Post

Unlike Twitter, LinkedIn is more business-oriented, so lighthearted posts here may not perform as well. The safest bet is to stick to informational posts either related to your product/service or industry. That includes sales, job postings, industry news, and more.

#5 Facebook Works 99% of the Time

Not many things are more powerful than Facebook, and if we’re looking at social media alone, Facebook remains its ruler with close to 3 billion active users. Nearly 90% of marketers today include Facebook in their social media marketing strategy and for good reason. Facebook allows you to target people both locally and universally, which covers all kinds of businesses out there. Including yours.

What is more, a whopping 78% of people regularly discover products and services while scrolling through their Facebook feed. 

What to Post

The most important reason for users to follow your Facebook page is to keep updated on your product or service, sales, and upcoming promotions. So, in addition to the funny memes, be sure to add that type of content as well.

Bonus: #6 Strive for the 80-20 Rule

Once you have your main channels, it’s time to create your strategy. Although that is a topic for another time, we decided to give you a pro tip with the 80-20 rule. Make sure that 80% of your content aims to educate, entertain, and inform your audience. You can use the remaining 20% to promote your service or products. Maintaining such a balance is important, so you don’t come across as pushy and overly promotional. Users are savvy, they know when someone is using their attention to shamelessly advertise something.

Important Steps to Follow

• Set your social media objectives. Make sure they are measurable and attainable. Be as specific and relevant as possible.
• Research your competition. Don’t copy them, but strive to find out what works for them and which posts bring the highest engagement. 
• Do a social media audit. If you already have some social media presence, now is the time to see where you stand in terms of social media engagement and efficiency. 
• Look for inspiration. Don’t just look at your direct industry competitors. Start following businesses whose profiles/pages you admire and let them inspire you.
• Make a social media calendar. If you don’t write it down, you’ll probably forget it. Be consistent in your posts, e.g., Mondays are for gifs or inspirational quotes. It creates a pattern and order which is often favored by users. 

Well, that’s all from our small business tips for today. Hopefully, these steps and how-to will help you sift through the right social media channels and properly target your audience. If at any point you decide it is better to leave it to the pros, you can always turn to an Internet advertising agency and let the experts handle your social media management. 

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