Where Should You Spend Your Time on Social Media?

If you’re a newcomer to social media, or even if you’ve been around for some time, where you should spend your time on social media can be extremely confusing. So here are a few things to consider and hopefully you’ll feel a bit less confused.

Where is your audience?

I’d argue that where your audience is (where they spend the most time) is where you should be. How do you know? You could ask them. Text them, call them, knock on their door if they’re close by. Just find out where they spend their time. You may be surprised. While you’re at it, find out how much time they spend on their most popular platforms. Here’s a post you might like about audience: Who Are You Writing For? Target Audience and Social Media.

Which platform do you enjoy the most?

Some social media managers may argue with me over this one. But if you enjoy the platform (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, for instance), you’ll spend more time there and be less stressed. One caveat: I wouldn’t go to a platform that has very little traffic or that is completely unpopulated by your audience. For instance, I enjoy TikTok, but don’t spend much time there because my audience isn’t there. Neil Patel mentions the big three: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Do any of those have more pull for you than the others? The other three he mentions are Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. You might be more creative there, and those are also good places to get started.

What’s the easiest way for you to get started?

If getting on Facebook is easy for you, that’s a good way to start. If you’re already posting there, or just lurking, then you have a good idea of what to post. You may want to see what others are doing, especially businesses similar to yours. What do they write about? Do you enjoy those posts? You might like this article: Social Media in 60 Minutes a Day. Yes, it’s entirely possible. But you need to be very focused.

What will your posts be about?

Again, look at what others in your business are doing. Find three that you like. Don’t copy them, but let them inspire you. What kind of voice do they use? How often do they post? What do you like about them and–also very important–what do you not like? In the beginning, keep it simple. As you become more comfortable, your posts may become more creative and complex. Sometimes you may have to write something over and over until you’re happy with it. (I write and rewrite quite a lot, if that helps.)

Social media isn’t free

Despite what others say, there’s a cost for social media. Much of social media is now pay to play so that others see your posts. You may want to outsource your social media if it takes up too much of your time. The main piece of advice I’d give you is not to hire your niece or nephew unless they have at least a little experience.