Did your mother ever say to you, ‘Just because everyone else is jumping off a bridge, it doesn’t mean you have to too’? My mother sure did. It’s the same for social media.
Just because one of your competitors uses a certain social platform doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use it as well. There are many social media platforms out there, but that doesn’t mean your company has to be on all of them.
So Which Platform Should We Join?
A key in determining the optimum social media platform is to determine where your target audience is most comfortable. This is part of knowing your target audience and how best to reach it. Most people these days are familiar with Twitter and Facebook and it’s likely your audience is there, but another platform such as Pinterest or YouTube might work better for your company.
Being aware of your competition’s social media presence is one way to determine where your target audience participates online. If a competitor has built a lot of followers or fans on a social media platform, that tells you that your target audience is comfortable on that platform.
Want to See Where Your Business Stands?
For long-term success, it is vital that business owners have an accurate picture of where they are today.
For most businesses, there’s plenty of room for competition. Don’t be discouraged if a competitor seems to already dominate social media. There is always room for another good player in social media.
How Will They Find Us?
On some social networks it’s harder for your target audience to find you. If you have two videos connected with your business and another company has hundreds on the same topic, for instance, it will be less likely that a potential customer will find your company on You Tube.
Often, however, your target audience doesn’t find you in a blind search of social media for businesses. Instead, they connect with you on social media after they have had some introduction to your brand—whether face-to-face, by email or through networking—and have decided they want to find out more by following your brand on social media. The point of entry is often more directly associated with your company so you can be a bit less concerned about what the competition is doing.
There are no guarantees that if you follow your competitor’s strategy you will achieve the same success. It’s better to pay attention to larger trends and to your customers wants and needs to land on the best social media strategy for your company.
