So Many Options
Whether it’s picking a restaurant to eat at, a movie to watch, or paint color, choices matter. The same is true for businesses trying to find the best social media platform to use. There are many great choices, so it can be challenging to narrow down the best option for you, but the platform you choose can have a tremendous impact on the efficiency of managing your social presence and can influence your overall social media success.
Where do I begin?
Rather than diving into the depths of Google, it’s essential to know how and where to start. The first step in choosing the best social media platform is setting goals and objectives for your company as it relates to your social media marketing. This foundation will help you make many decisions for marketing on social media including selection of the platform that best fits your needs. You shouldn’t pick a platform and then make your business and your needs fit into that mold.
So, now what? Once you have your set of goals locked down, it’s important to make a list of features you need and features that would be nice to have to help in achieving those goals. Engagement, analytics, scheduling posts, campaign building, etc., are all things to consider and prioritize for your evaluation of options. The number of social media accounts you need to manage is also a very important factor to consider, as well as the number of people that will need to have access to the platform to collaborate in the management of those accounts. Now would also be a good time to identify any budget limitations you have, as all of the features will drive the monthly fee you will ultimately pay for use of the tool.
Different social media management platforms offer many different features, so it’s important to identify the items that are most important to you in reaching your social media goals. Start by jotting down your top 25 desired features. Once you have those, circle the top five features that you would consider must-haves. Use your top five list to begin researching platforms and eliminating those that don’t have a strong offering for your top features. Don’t allow yourself to be lured away from those top five that you’ve determined are crucial. If a platform has those covered and also includes more of your remaining 20 desired options, that can aide in further narrowing down the list.
Now what?
Once you have your essentials all mapped out, this is an appropriate time to turn to Google. Start researching social media platforms that include your must-have features. There are going to be multiple platforms that look appealing, so how will you decide which one to pick? You can begin different onboarding processes to learn more about each platform and the functions they have. Many platforms will offer some level of free trial, and though it is time consuming, taking advantage of those freebies can be the best way to finalize a decision on the best option for you before making a financial commitment. Once you’ve made a decision, you will likely be tied to it for some period of time, so it’s crucial to find the one that is the best fit for you and your company. And as one of DesignRush's top social media marketing agencies, we would be glad to assist in any way we can.