Choosing Your Social Media Platform

If there's one thing I've learnt during my internships, it's that digital marketing is still in its infancy. The 'pro's' are actually just fumbling along trying to figure things out like the rest of us. The Marketing Executives who have been around for the last few decades, are still trying to wrap their heads around this new and amazing digital platform, capable of inviting them into their consumers homes, no questions asked. 

Social media has become a huge part of the digital marketing wave. These days, new platforms pop up like daisies. If you are a new blogger, freelancer or just starting to launch your small business, the plethora of platforms can be a little overwhelming. So which platform will serve you best? Which one will help you rocket your new venture into the stratosphere of the internet? 

Social media can either be extremely visual, or all about the chat. Depending on what service or type of content you provide, some may be more suited than others. 

Facebook

Best for... Ecommerce businesses & Creative Freelancers. If you have an online store or offer freelance services, it can be extremely beneficial to create a Facebook page to build your loyal customers. Facebook gives you a great platform to offer things like special discount codes and offers to loyal followers. If you are a creative freelancer, Facebook can help share your amazing work and if you're lucky, it may go viral. That's how I found the amazing freelance photographer Kirsty Mitchell.

Twitter

Best for... Freelancers & Bloggers. Twitter is more of a conversational tool than Facebook. Its real time style is perfect for networking, making it great for bloggers to interact with each other and the occasional PR company. It allows freelancers to find others in their field as well as people looking for their particular services. *Handy tip* Tweets that include images generally get more 'favourites', clicks and retweets than text heavy tweets, so try and include your blog images in your tweets. Essie Button is by far my favourite blogger on Twitter, she engages with her readers and has just the right amount of tweets every day. 

Pinterest

Best for... Ecommerce, Graphic Designers & Bloggers. Pinterest is really storming up the social media ranks and it is quickly becoming one of my favourite platforms to use. It can help to give your brand a more personal touch, allowing your customers and readers to see what kind of things inspire you, make you laugh and what projects you may be working on. Pinterest is a very visual platform, which makes it great if you are a graphic designer wanting to showcase some of your work. For an excellent example of a graphic designer's Pinterest account, check out cocorrina. 

Instagram

Best for... Photographers, Graphic Designers & Ecommerce. Another visual heavy platform, Instagram is the leader in photo sharing apps. If you are a photographer, you can post some of your recent photographs to gain more attention for your projects. I've also noticed a lot of ecommerce sites utilising Instagram lately, posting images of new stock and offering discounts to their followers. For an example of a great ecommerce Instagram, check out Shop Dixi. 

YouTube

Best for... Filmmakers and Ecommerce. YouTube can be a difficult one to navigate, the trick is to keep videos short and to the point. Small online shops can create small reviews, DIY's or how to's using the products they sell to drum up interest. 

As a film student, I greatly appreciated the free platform that is YouTube when I wanted to showcase my student projects, it meant that I could get an audience for my short films without paying for film festivals or distribution companies. You can even film some short behind the scenes videos to really engage your audience and gain a loyal following. For a great short film YouTube channel, check out my friends over at Flawless Films, an online production company making their own short films and parody's. 

Tumblr

Best for... Photographers, Graphic Designers, Illustrators, Artists and Writers. Tumblr is still a little tricky to understand, it is widely known for being the home of all fandom. The advantage of that is that a lot of the members of those fandoms are very creative people (can you say fanfiction and fanart?). Tumblr is by far the most creative of the social media platforms, it houses some amazing art, poetry and photography and it's a great place to get in touch with like minded creatives. To see an amazing example of an illustrators Tumblr page, check out Sirin Thada. 

Vimeo

Best for... Filmmakers and Videographers. YouTube's more professional counterpart, Vimeo is the home of the pros. You can find some truly stunning videography work on Vimeo and it's a great place to showcase your work if you are a wedding videographer or make HQ short films/documentaries/art films. You do have to pay if you want to get the most out of it, but for independent filmmakers, it's the best platform to be taken seriously. For a truly stunning Vimeo channel, check out Timothy Melville. 

The list above hopefully gives you an idea on the best platforms to start with. Of course, if you have enough knowledge of a platform and a bit of time and creativity, any social media channel can be used effectively, no matter what services you offer. It all comes down to you knowing your brand and in what direction you want to go. 

Which social media platform does your business or blog suit best? Do you feel a little overwhelmed by the massive amount of social media choice?