One of the common problems for new and established business owners is deciding where to build a community. While in-person is an option for many niches, others require forays into the wild online space to pick which platforms are best for business. Ultimately, this creates a dilemma.
The Two Must-Have Platforms
There are two must-have platforms for almost any business, even an in-person one. A website and a direct marketing list allow you to work directly with your customers while maintaining control of your business’s image.
Website
Websites are functionally the home base of your business. You control how it looks, how it works, and what content is on it. Everything should link back to your website. It’s the best place to begin.
There are many ways to set up a website, though many options require no coding experience whatsoever. Setup can be DIY’d or hired out. For the most part, maintenance is simple once the initial setup is done.
Direct Marketing List
Whether you prefer email, text messaging, your own app, or another option, having a way to speak directly to your customers is vital. Plus, the statistics on direct marketing conversions are always encouraging. If you don’t control this list, it can be taken away from you instantly.
Many direct marketing options start with a free account. As your business grows and your needs change, you can upgrade to a paid option. Since this flexibility means it can grow with you, there’s no reason not to have one.
Other Business Platforms in 2024
In many cases, your business must also be on platforms controlled by others. Otherwise, you could have the best company in the world, but few could find it. Social media and other platforms are a vital part of business strategy.
Traditional Social Media
Traditional social media like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn all offer a slightly different way to build community through content creation. Users interact with the content in various ways, and this can build trust. Traditional social media often requires a tailored understanding of each platform to produce content users want to interact with.
Non-Traditional Social Media
Non-traditional social media options like Pinterest, Nextdoor, and Google Business are also options as business platforms. The difference is that these platforms are less social and more advertisement-based, so they rely on a slightly different strategy.
Up and Coming Business Platforms
New platforms develop, become popular, and go out of business at an astonishing rate. In some cases, these novel platforms greatly boost your business, while in others never reach a return-on-investment phase. Still, they’re worth considering if something works with your existing strategy.
Personal Platforms
These days, personal platforms are also a factor you can use in your business strategy. These days, you can grow a personal platform as you grow one for a specific business. Ultimately, this tandem growth often helps both.
Picking Business Platforms
There are many factors to consider when choosing which business platforms are worth your time and which do not serve your purposes. Most of the factors boil down to four key points, and careful consideration helps you choose the best path forward.
Audience
Where your intended audience tends to hang out online is a critical factor. While you can find some of your ideal clients on any platform, choosing one with a higher concentration is often more beneficial in the long term.
Realistic
When choosing platforms or adding new ones, it’s vital to be realistic with your time and resources. While it may seem easy, using the underpinnings of each system, generating the content, and moderating a community all require investment.
Sustainable
Sustainability is also a key component when looking at business platforms. Some platforms will change their rules, alter the algorithms, and otherwise make a presence there more challenging to maintain. Sustainability may mean leaving some platforms while joining others.
Scheduling
Scheduling is a critical component for your sanity. You want to be able to schedule so your marketing plan keeps on ticking even if you’re on vacation or have a medical emergency. Fortunately, there are many platform options for this, but not all of them.
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