Social media has been a platform for communication since the late 1990’s. Within less than a decade, social media became a valuable marketing tool for businesses. And now, it is detrimental to ignore the need for an online presence. Today, we have thousands of social sites all serving a similar purpose, but each reaching a distinct demographic. Some of the most popular sites are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. Each of these sites uses a different format to serve a similar purpose to reach a distinct audience. So how do you use these sites effectively? How do you work with the different formats in order to reach a distinct audience? There is one unifying rule for every platform: Keep it simple.

  • Choose your platform

There is no need to complicate your social media strategy by using every single site available. Simplify your strategy by choosing a few sites that will reach specifically to your intended clientele, and link relative posts to multiple platforms in order to bring attention to each of your profiles. For example, share an Instagram photo to your Facebook page so that your Facebook followers can follow your Instagram account as well.

  • Keep statuses and captions short

Most people don’t spend much time on a particular post, so whatever you want to say needs to be said quickly. Twitter limits tweets to 140 characters. You should extend that rule to most of your social media posts. Nobody wants their feeds clogged by long-winded copy. If you do have more to say, use your posts on other sites to link to information or a blog on your personal website.

  • Use Visuals

There is a thing called “scrolling”. It’s the habit of quickly skimming through content on your newsfeed to filter out uninteresting information. The best way to combat this habit is with visuals. This will highlight your content and catch your audience’s attention long enough to see what the visual is about.

  • Stay Focused

Be wary of the urge to post content merely for the sack of posting. One quality post will get more traction than two fluff posts. Know whom your audience is and what they want to see. Use your social media sites to relate to your customers and to offer transparent interaction with your business. Make sure every post has a specific purpose and will engage your audience. Develop a social media strategy specifically for your needs. Be mindful with what you post and use your social media presence to your benefit.

In short, when handling your social media accounts, keep simplicity in mind. If it can’t be said with a short video, a visual, or 140 characters, than reconsider if it is really something that needs to be posted.