What Is Triage?
In urgent or emergency times, a triage system is often developed. For example, a paramedic at a car wreck must make the call as to who to treat and transport first. He simply cannot see to all of the patients at once. So, he must first learn about them and then make a “triage” decision, determine which he cannot spend time on, which does not need time or effort, and which needs to be attended to immediately.
So What Does This Have To Do With Social Media?
Any business or organization ends up having to make decisions regarding how much labor and time they can devote to social media. A lawyer might not have any time at all beyond simply setting up a Facebook page and answering messages when they get them. If the lawyer owns multiple firm locations and is now able to focus on marketing methods, they might decide that now is the time to focus on such things. However, that doesn’t mean they should jump feet first into setting up a Pinterest, does it?
No. That would be a waste of time, both for the lawyer and whatever users came across his efforts. That’s what social media triage is about, figuring out where labor and time would be best used.
Social Media Triage in Action
What this boils down to is knowing the company, industry, and audience as well as the demographics and strengths of the various social networks.
We see companies make the basic mistake of over-extending their efforts all the time. They think only in terms of needing to be on social media and never stop to ask, “Which social media?”.
The fact is that you’re only going to direct a certain amount of effort toward social media, so you need to go through a type of Social Media Triage to figure out which networks will give you the best return on investment. Look at some demographic statistics for each of the major social networks in the U.S. and determine which one best fits your target market.
Social Media Triage Is Analysis
Which social media networks should you be considering? It is certainly worth thinking about all of the available options. However, if we tried to list every one of them, we’d lose you right here. Generally you want to consider which platform fits your company’s needs most.
If you’re a video production firm, YouTube is a no-brainer with the huge user base, high rate of views, and it’s entire form and function being based on playing of videos. However, a photography studio or local boutique may want to place an emphasis on Instagram with it’s emphasis on imagery and creativity. A major non-profit should be on Facebook, surely, but we would recommend the next priority be LinkedIn, so that the organization can forge connections with possible donors and recruit staff. A social media company can do this analysis for you or you can do it for yourself.
Not Sure Where To Start, Or Where To Go Next?
That’s okay. The landscape of social media is constantly evolving – it’s natural for people to feel overwhelmed by all of the options. Gatorworks is happy to help by consulting with you on how to create and execute a social media management strategy.
Gatorworks is an award winning digital marketing agency with a history of success helping clients grow their businesses. We are recognized as a top Ecommerce SEO & Marketing Company on DesignRush