Picking the Right Social Media Channels

The volume of social media channels available to engage with is exhausting. And they keep coming.

As an individual or a business, there’s no way you can keep up with them all. And the good news is, you don’t have to.

Take a step back, and answer these two questions:

1. Where are my customers?
2. Where am I most comfortable?

The first question is, by far, the most important. If your customers aren’t on Twitter, for example, don’t worry about it. But if your customers are on Twitter, you’d better figure it out.

Your social media ROI will increase significantly if your social behavior mirrors those you’re trying to influence, engage and sell to.

But it’s also important to engage in channels you’re comfortable with, at least after an initial getting-to-know-each-other period. If the channel doesn’t feel like a good fit, if it’s not something you’ll commit to sticking with over the long term, if it’s not something you’ll be disciplined enough to engage on a regular basis, then think again before you get started, create noise, then abandon the channel (which would be worse than not starting in the first place).

Don’t over-think this second question. Answer the customer question first. Let that guide you, let it filter out those you no longer need to think about.

Of the rest, pick one or two that are the least intimidating. Or the most comfortable to you.

You don’t need to do everything right away. What’s important is to get started, get active, build momentum & community.

Start there.

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Matt Heinz is principal at Heinz Marketing, a sales & marketing consulting firm helping businesses increase customers and revenue. Contact Matt at matt@heinzmarketing.com or visit www.heinzmarketing.com.