When beginning your video marketing journey, one of the first things you should consider is which platform to start posting your content to. Choosing the right platform can be overwhelming. With so many options, it can be easy to choose the wrong platform and waste time with a platform that doesn’t align with your goals.
However, the following process will make it clear which platform is the right one to focus on for your brand and audience.
The first thing to consider is your target audience. Are they young and creative on TikTok and Instagram? Or are they business-to-business professionals on LinkedIn? By determining which platform your audience is most engaged on, you’re taking the first step to not only choosing the right platform, but also choosing the platform that will generate the most reach and engagement from that audience.
Next, you’ll want to identify your goals. What are you hoping to accomplish with the content you are producing. Types of goals can include:
- Brand Awareness
- Lead Generation
- Education
- Sales
Not all platforms are made equally. For example, TikTok and Instagram are great for brand awareness though short, engaging content. On the other hand, Youtube is better for long-form storytelling and educational content. LinkedIn is another great platform, but it’s focus is on business-to-business and professional content. Many brands make the mistake of using the same content on every platform, but that will only waste your time and waste the content by not placing it in the most engaged audience for your brand.
You should also evaluate your resources, time commitment and bandwidth. It’s important to focus on a one or a few platforms at the start, especially if you don’t have the resources of a larger marketing team. If you try to create and be the best on every platform on your own, you’ll get burned out extremely quickly and your content and brand will suffer.
It’s also important to create on the platform that is easiest for you. If you’re a talented wordsmith, and writing comes easy to you, consider LinkedIn and Twitter. If you’re creative and enjoy creating short form content, then Instagram and TikTok may be best for you.
Whichever platform you choose, make sure you are posting where your target audience is already engaged, it aligns with your goals, and that you don’t try to master too many platforms at once to avoid burnout.