There are so many different social media networks that it can be hard to know which ones you need to be on to really promote your site. There are a lot of different platform apps that promise to help you manage multiple accounts so you can be on all of them, but that may not be a worthwhile solution. The nature of how social media networks allow you to interact with prospects and customers has evolved, you need to evolve to in how you approach using these networks or it can lower your clout with your audience.

Why being on all of them doesn’t work

When social media networks first started getting popular, the tactic was to open an account on all of them. Gurus advised that the profiles should be consistent, but that it was imperative to have a showing on as many of the networks as possible. Now, decades later, there are hundreds of social media networks. Being on all of them is impractical; it can also hurt how you are perceived by your true demographic audience. If you are trying to target a specific group, stay on the networks they are on and you will be more effective.

How to find out where your audience really is

To find out where your audience really is, don’t guess according to the stats provided by the networks – look to your keyword analysis. They are going to show you were traffic came from and this will include the social networks. Good keyword analysis will also look for mentions. You not only want to be on the ones where you have been mentioned, but you want to make sure you are responding to the mentions. This builds your reputation within that community.

Do you stay away from the rest completely?

Just because your main audience may not be on a certain social network doesn’t mean you should avoid it altogether, it does mean that you have to prioritize your efforts. If you are looking to generate demand in a new demographic range, make that a concentrated effort – but not at the expense of your most important demographic. It is always a good idea to have a “feeler” account to see what you can find out about tapping a new market. Treat them with the same respect as your usual prospects; just don’t spend as much time there until it is called for.