One of the easiest ways to become an influencer in your market is to choose your platforms carefully. Rather than try to build a presence across every available platform, you should choose just one at a time and concentrate on building an audience that’s highly engaged.
Besides, it’s hard to position yourself as an expert in a niche if you’re struggling to find the time to be everywhere. Grow your audience in one central platform first, and then expand your outreach as you find time and learn ways to automate your marketing.
Choosing your primary platform can be tricky because it will be based on where your audience congregates. This means you’ll need to do some more research to figure out where the majority spends their time.
Start by evaluating the different social networks to determine which one is the most popular in your niche. Chances are, you’ll find people across the board, but one platform should stand out to you. Go with that one.
For example, Instagram is known for fashion icons, makeup tutorials and beauty bloggers, while Pinterest is known for chefs, artists, designers and DYI leaders. However, you’ll also find fashion icons, make up tutorials and beauty bloggers on Pinterest as well.
There’s always going to be a cross-over, but it’s important to determine the platform most preferred by your audience so you can focus your energy on building a following there.
Tip: Go ahead and secure your brand name on all popular social networks so that you can use it later when you broaden your outreach. It’s an important component of protecting your brand, even if you’ll initially only be focusing on one platform.
When determining what social network to go with, you should consider the demographics of your audience. Older people tend to flock to Facebook, while younger consumers prefer Instagram, Snap Chat or Pinterest. Twitter is a mixed bag, and Pinterest is typically geared towards older professionals.
Choosing just one platform when you’re just getting started will make it easier for you to build a strong presence quickly, while ensuring you spend your time wisely.
