Is Facebook the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business? Read This First Before Making Your Biggest Mistake!

In my previous blog post, Emeric of AgoraPulse emphasized that one of the reasons why some brands don’t find success on Facebook is because they’re just not sexy enough to be on Facebook. And yes, this is practically true. If you’re a brand that caters to industries such as food and beverage, travel and leisure, entertainment, shopping-or if you’re promoting a celebrity name and status, then of course, the Facebook community will welcome you with open arms. It’s basically because your target audiences, those who are interested in your chosen field of industry, are already on Facebook.

But what if you’re promoting a brand that deals with… let’s say, iron and carbon ore? Yes, iron ore. Do you think the same warm welcome will await you?

So, before you ever jump into the bandwagon and eventually get frustrated with Facebook, you have to look at other avenues first. There’s no harm in trying-in fact, by choosing the right platform you can find better success and leverage your brand on social media in ways you never expected.

Question 1: Are you a B2B or a B2C Company?

If your business caters to a consumer-based audience, then by all means, be on Facebook. What are you waiting for? Your competitors may already be there, and there’s no way you should be left out of the rat race. It’s because most of your target market, the people who are interested in the line of industry your brand is in, are already on Facebook. You can not only introduce your brand to these markets, but likewise get a share of the audience from your competitors in the long run.

However, if you happen to be a business to business company, then you may want to look for a more profitable social network to focus on. It’s not because your brand isn’t sexy enough for Facebook, but because you are targeting other businesses, and not mere consumers. You’re after the decision makers of the industry you’re in, and these people mean nothing but pure business, not necessarily social chitchatting.

Avenues such as LinkedIn and Google+ may provide you with better leverage, as you get to connect with people who can serve as your clients, and even future business partners.

Question 2: Are you into posting a lot of your product images?

If you intend to go to social media to promote your products and other items, then you may not only want to be known on Facebook, but on Pinterest as well. While you can use Facebook to establish your brand to a target market, Pinterest meanwhile helps a lot in spreading your brand by having your posted images re-pinned by other users. Pinterest helps increase product exposure, and your brand name is likewise tagged along.

The same rationale goes with service-oriented brands that intend to publish graphic posters online from time to time. Pinterest is more suitable for infographics as it presents larger images in full view, unlike that on Facebook when there’s only limited space for images of bigger height to be properly viewed.

Question 3: Is your brand representing businesses that rely on real time updates?

If your line of business is more on events-related industries, and you are into broadcasting the latest events and happenings from time to time, then you might not just want to focus on Facebook, but also on the likes of Twitter or Foursquare. Why? Because these networks function more as broadcasting tools, above anything else.

Sure, you can put your brand profile on Facebook, but when it comes to marketing your events, Twitter and Foursquare are more useful because with just a few lines you can spread the buzz about your brand, and this short spiel can be shared to different networks in a short period of time.

The Unwavering Need to Volt In

While Facebook proves to be the most practical channel for social media because of its undeniably large user base, it is still very helpful to work on a strategy and utilize the social media platform that meets the most of your brand’s needs. The good thing about this is that you can still integrate Facebook with your other channels as a means of backup support and strengthened connections.

By knowing your weapon of choice, you are able to further leverage your brand on social media and enjoy satisfying ROI within a matter of time.