Just about every marketer wants you to focus on the platform where they offer the most teaching, which can make it really hard to know if you’re putting your focus in the right place. But don’t worry, here we’re breaking down the purpose that each platform and tool serves, and how to determine where to place your efforts first.

Let’s start by breaking down the platforms because like everything, not all platforms are the same and the strategy can’t be one size fits all. Knowing your target audience, client, customer, or all of the above is critical when it comes to picking focus platforms.

You need to be where your audience is!

Facebook has a huge following! I think the last time I checked they had over 2.8 billion subscribers….lots of potential here. The demographic for Facebook users has changed a lot over the past couple of years and has gotten older (25-34 years old)….not that old folks, but much older than Facebook’s original demographic of college students.

Facebook is a combination platform, meaning you can share images and text. Facebook also has target groups, business pages, and promoted ads to help expand your reach.

In my experience, if your target audience is between 25-34 years of age Facebook can be a great tool. The nice part about such a big audience is LOTS of different interests that you can tie your product to. I’d classify Facebook as a good general platform.

And I’d be remiss not to mention how amazing Facebook groups can be. As the algorithm evolves to show less from your business page, building an engaged group both builds relationships with your customer base and will notify group members of new posts, meaning they’ll see your content more frequently!

In case you didn’t know Instagram was purchased by Facebook a while ago. This makes marketing on both platforms so much easier! That being said, don’t assume these platforms are the same or reach the same people.

Instagram is more of a visual platform — meaning photos and graphics are the stars of the show. Instagram posts are accompanied by captions and hashtags.

Squirrel moment, hashtags are a huge part of any successful Instagram strategy. If you are going to use Instagram, do some research on the right hashtags for your product or service.

If you have a product or a service where you take lots of photos Instagram is a great platform for you.

Pinterest is often thought of as a social media platform. Psych! It is actually a visual search engine. When you start to think of it as a search engine, you can see the mass potential here!

I find Pinterest often overwhelms people and they immediately close the browser and pretend they have never heard of it. I promise it’s not so bad. You just need the right tools.

Pinterest updated its algorithm recently and as a result, LOVES new content. It also loves accounts that post consistently.

Having a hard time grasping the visual search engine concept and how it helps your business?

Here is an example of a great way to use Pinterest.

You wrote an amazing article about a service you provide (let’s say photography). You told your friend and got a few hits on your website. How can you reach more people?

PINTEREST!

You can share the link for your article on Pinterest to relevant boards, groups, and on Tailwind Communities (if you use Tailwind for scheduling). The neat part about Pinterest is it can be set to recycle content so you will continue to get hits on your website.

Pinterest is a very popular platform for online retailers, bloggers, photographers, foodies, and more. I’d suggest digging in a little bit on Pinterest and adding it to your marketing strategy.

While email marketing is not a specific platform per se, it is an easy add-on to your marketing strategy.

Think of things your clients would be interested in knowing….schedule changes, new products, new services, upcoming events, new articles. These are potential emails.

Furthermore, email marketing is the BEST way for your audience to get to know you, because you’re delivering love and wisdom (and in my case, unicorns!) straight to their inbox. Email is a great way to nurture your audience and develop the know-like-trust factor and open them up to your offerings later on.

Consider these best friends! They should always be together. Blog posts are great ways to promote products and services. Don’t make it a complete promotional post though. Writing content that is helpful for people will encourage them to see you and your brand in a good light and want to engage with you.

Depending on your current following and marketing strategy, a blog can take a little while to build. A loyal blog audience takes time and nurturing.

Not a writer? Freelance writers can be a great resource.

If you are going to create a blog, consistent posting, good information, and establishing a good voice are super important. No one wants to read a poorly written blog that doesn’t tell you anything.

All website content should be SEO optimized. SEO…What? SEO is Search Engine Optimized. This means you are using the right keywords (with the right frequency) to attract search engines and ultimately website views.

There are some great tools to help with SEO, so you really don’t have to be an expert.

So now that I have completely overwhelmed you with information, here is the wrap-up.

Facebook – good general platform. A mix of pictures and text. Has an “older” demographic. Definitely consider creating a group if applicable to your business.

Instagram – super visual platform. Photos and graphics are the stars. Use this platform if your product or service is very visual or photogenic. HASHTAGS!

Pinterest – Remember, not a social media platform. Giant visual search engine. Use this to promote blogs, products, articles, or your website.

Email Marketing – great for announcements and letting your audience get to know you. Think of what your customer wants to hear about.

Blogs – fun, alternative way to indirectly promote products and services. These can take longer to build a following. Provide helpful content to your target audience.

If we all had unlimited time, money, and brainpower, it would be great to use all of the tools available. But, really, who has that?

Pick two or three platforms/methods that you can consistently use to build your business and start there. You’ll be amazed how much of a response you can get if you are consistent on a few selected platforms.