I am a CEO

So now we have it in the open , for survival of any organization , social media is or soon would be an essential requirement.

So the next question which arises is , does a Brand need to engage with all platforms.  - In answer to this I would say , that’s a highly subjective choice   ,for each brand its own. But yes probably the idea of spreading a bit too wide, unless  its linked up well would be a  question.  If the brand can pay attention to all the media it chooses to engage with , they should be spread out, different demographics usually sit in each of the social media platforms. However the little that I have seen suggests that Face-book, Twitter and You tube seem to be the favorite platforms for most marketers. Specially the first two.

Lets delve into this decision a bit deeper – In actuality the social media platform that you indulge in depends on two basic things  -

1) The Target population – it is a good idea while making your digital Marketing strategy to decide  on the specific target markets that you are  looking to engage. e.g. YouTube is a  very popular platform with teens, adolescents, young adults and Housewives to some extent. Their level of engagement with this platform is different. Similarly face-book has recently seen a  boom in the 45- 55 year old population . Basically its important to understand  the demographics of the Social media platform that one is looking to engage with and thus making the choice .

2) The message that you want to send out – Second  criterion for the choice of platform i would say would be the message that you want to be sent out ,if its a campaign or a  long lasting showcase  of culture.

3) The  intent – the  purpose  of the communication. If you just want to go viral, which i must say is not the easiest to do , then You Tube is a good platform, If its to build a community around a brand then probably face-book is a good platform , twitter is a good platform for discussions, and for promoting other  platforms, its also good for promotions and customer care.

Those are the three basic ones that one needs to consider and if this phase is dealt with well, its half the battle won. It is seen that  lots of times   the cause for failure  of Social media campaigns is usually the selection of an in appropriate  platform, or rather  not understanding these  basics before  engaging.

Please  remember Social Media Platforms are  not just (or rather should not be treated as) extended mouthpieces for the brand. Here the conversation is not on your terms but rather  on the  customers. Thus even when one is selecting a message , its important to consider is this message something that the target audience would engage with , is it something they are interested in , or is it just something that the brand is interested in and wants t0 push out to the audience.

So to sum it up,  indulge with that many platforms only that you can handle and devote time to regularly, secondly don’t get into a platform cos everyone’s there ,  make certain of the fit , give it a thought.