Are you are looking into which social media platform is best for your small business? It can be confusing to know where to start.

There are a lot of things to consider making this choice for your small business. Here’s a list of questions to answer when choosing a platform:

1. Where are your potential clients hanging out? If all the people you wished you had for clients are on Facebook, you should have a presence there too.
2. How much time/money do you have to allocate to social media? If you only have 2 hours a week to spend on social media, then I would pick one outlet and do it really well. Don’t spread yourself too thin that it’s only mediocre. Social media only works if you stay involved.
3. Should you be outsourcing your social media? If you just don’t have time for this, you can outsource your social media to a third-party. You can come up with a plan to work with your existing marketing plan. This person would also have advice for choosing a platform for your business.
4. Which platform compliments your small business? If you own a business and want to share a lot of images, maybe Instagram is a good fit. If you are a lawyer and only share a few blog posts, maybe LinkedIn would work for you. These aren’t set in stone. I have seen lawyers that take part in Facebook groups and do very well at networking but they are very social people and that’s why it works.
5. How many social media sites do you want to be part of? I would not become overwhelmed with joining every platform for your business. When you have an account and it goes unattended that looks worse than not having an account at all. I would keep the number low and manageable. You can also reuse your content over different networks.
6. What platforms do you have a personal account on? If you already know your way around the website this makes things so much easier. Consider adding a business account on Facebook if you already spend your spare time on there.
7. What does your competition do? This is always something to explore. If they are doing it well, how can you make your business better? If they are failing at their social media, how can you learn from their mistakes?
8. How long has this platform been around? There are new social media websites popping up all the time. Some of them also don’t last too long. Don’t be drawn in by fads. Look at how many viewers the platform has. You don’t want to waste your time and money.
9. Is this the right time for your business to start on Social Media? Do you have the time and money for it right now? Is one of your employees on sick leave? Maybe your business would benefit from waiting a few months and revisiting this question.

Here’s a good list of social media platforms out there with their user statistics.