Every day, another social media service or platform pops up. “Great, now I need to produce new content for a new channel,” you might be telling yourself. Here’s what you should really be saying: “Should my organization pursue this?” Just because a new channel is getting its 15 minutes of fame doesn’t mean you have to start revamping your marketing plan.
This applies to established platforms like Facebook and Instagram, too. Does it make sense for your organization to be on these networks? Here are some questions you need to ask yourself before spending your time and resources.
“Where’s My Audience?”
Are you marketing a pediatric hospital, a nursing home or a family practice? If your audiences skew younger, then Instagram might be the right call for your organization – it’s unlikely Grandma and Grandpa will be busy taking selfies and reposting memes on the photo-sharing platform. If your audience skews older, though, then Facebook should be one of your top priorities – older adults comprise a significant portion of its base.
Knowing where you’re most likely to find your top prospects will save you headaches and money in the future. Instead of throwing away your budget on a platform that won’t work for you, you can allocate them to something that will actually bear results.
“Does My Content Make Sense?”
Each platform has its pros and cons, and you need to see what works best. If your product or service has a beautiful design, then you may want to put your efforts into image-heavy platforms like Pinterest and Instagram that will do its aesthetics justice. You can highlight new hospital tech, accommodations and an assortment of other subjects that catch a healthcare customer’s eye.
Conversely, if you’re in the business of healthcare research or something that doesn’t lend itself to visuals, then a platform like Facebook would make more sense. They can click links to your site where they can read the latest studies or download your new e-book.
When you ask yourself this question, you should also look at your existing content. If your content thus far has been text-heavy, you’ll need to convert that content to fit a new platform’s media or create new content altogether. That’s a lot of time and work. Which leads us to the last question …
“Can I Do It?”
If you don’t have the resources to take on another social media platform, then you’re probably better off holding off until you can afford to. There’s more to handling a social media page than posting content – it’s called community management for a reason. You have to respond to questions, monitor for spam, review analytics … it’s a lot.
With that said, there are services like HootSuite, Sprout Social and Zoho Social that can automate some of these items for you. Still, there needs be a point person to make sure everything is running smoothly. The key is not to stretch yourself too thin because then other aspects of your content strategy can suffer.
Need help with your social media marketing efforts? Call 305-350-5700 or visit Waxcom.com to see how Wax Custom Communications can complement your social strategy.
