What's up everyone?
Welcome back to my channel.
In today's video, I'm going to help you figure out which social media platform is best for
your personal brand and for your business.
Not only this, I'm going to walk through the top social media platforms and tell you the
pros and cons of each.
So if you're interested in learning, then keep on watching.
Now before I begin, the last thing I want you to have is shiny Object syndrome.
I'm gonna be walking though a lot of social media platforms and I don't want you to feel
overwhelmed or feel the need that you need to be on every single one.
So keep in mind that every time I explain a social platform, really ask yourself, would
my audience like this?
Is my audience actually on this platform?
For instance, if your audience is make-up junkies that love to watch tutorials about
make-up then maybe podcasting isn't for you.
And maybe you should stick to Instagram or YouTube.
So really keep in mind your target audience every time you're considering choosing a new
social media platform Now a common question that I always get aside from which social
media platform should I be on?
Is how many social media platforms should I be on?my rule of thumb is always to have
two to three platforms so that you're diversified but not stretching yourself too thin.
And in a moment, I'm gonna explain to you each platform so that you know which two to
three ones you should be on.
Now when talking about social media for me personally, the first platform that comes
to mind is Instagram.
I personally believe that Instagram is a non-negotiable and every single person who has a business
should really be on Instagram not only because there's a lot of active users on that platform,
but also it is the best platform to build a strong personal brand.
And what I mean by this is Instagram is kind of like the new unprofessional resume.
In just one glance alone of looking at your profile, someone should be able to understand
what you do, who you are, what you like, what your aesthetic is, what's your style, and
its a really great way to showcase who you are as a human being, on the internet.
Not only this, Instagram is a really great way to build relationships and I know a lot
of you guys think Instagram is super competitive, the feed is absolutely cluttered and we all
hate the algorithm.
However, with Instagram, a lot of people neglect the power of Instagram stories, and Instagram
DM.
Even for me, when I post on my feed, it's really for me to kind of build my feed aesthetic,
build my feed portfolio, and show my style as a content creator.
Everything is curated whenever I post on my feed.
However, I spend the majority of my time on Instagram stories so that people can actually
get to know me as a person.
Not only this, I spend massive amounts of time in my Instagram DM because this is the
place where relationships are being built, especially if you are a service-based business,
you can actually get clients through Instagram.
A lot of my clients have actually come through Instagram because I've cultivated strong relationships
with them one on one.
So definitely, if you are a content creator, if you are a business and you wanna grow a
strong tribe, you are definitely sleeping on the DM function and the IG story function,
because that's where you actually build strong relationships and especially if you have a
business that's also when you can generate sales.
However, here is the caveat.
The caveat is that on Instagram I personally believe that you are competing for cheap attention.
What that means is that on Instagram, the people who are on there are usually mindlessly
scrolling or mindlessly passing by the stories.
Therefore as a content creator, as a business owner, it's gonna be really hard for you to
generate trust just through Instagram alone.
That's way to all of my clients, I always recommend that yes you need to be on Instagram,
however, you also need a video or audio platform to support you.
Which leads me to talk about YouTube versus podcast.
Now this was a huge debate that I had when I was first starting out as a content creator
and choosing which platforms I wanted to be on aside from Instagram.
I really wanted to be on YouTube, but I also wanted to be on Podcast.
As you can see I ended up choosing YouTube, and in a second I'm gonna tell you exactly
why.
Now as you guys all know, I have my own coaching business and when I was choosing which platform
to be on, I realized that with YouTube, because it is video and audio combined, my potential
customers or my potential clients can really get to know me really well.
For instance, on YouTube, people can see your mannerisms, they can see how you talk, they
can see how you act, they can see your face.
And for me, I personally believe that YouTube is a really great way to turn cold leads into
very warm ones.
For instance, even for me when I'm hopping on a discovery call with a potential client,
most of the time that client already knows they wanna work with me because they've watched
my YouTube videos and they know exactly what I'm about.
Not only this, the traffic that comes from YouTube is unparalleled.
But, not only is it really great traffic volume, it's also targeted traffic.
What I mean by this, is that YouTube is basically like a search engine.
Unlike Instagram, people are probably just searching for hashtags or sorting usernames.
They're not really searching for their problems.
Whereas, on YouTube, people are physically typing in how to grow on social media.
How to quit my 9 to 5.
And, that's how they stumble on my videos.
That is targeted traffic, because I know that if you're watching this video and you've gotten
up to this point, you're probably interested in social media.
Which means, that you'd probably be interested in my services.
That is why YouTube is absolutely amazing, because that search engine function alone
is helping you filter out your ideal clients.
Last but not least, in terms of the pros of having a YouTube channel is the analytics.
The analytics on YouTube is better than Instagram, it's better than any other platform that I've
been on.
You're really able to understand your audience super well.
Do my videos suck?
Okay, let me check.
Alright, someone dropped off at the one minute mark, I wonder why.
Okay, wait, where is this audience coming from?
Are they coming from my Instagram account, my Facebook account, also you can even know
what they exactly typed into the search engine to find you, which is going to help you a
lot with content creation and also developing your products and your services.
So, for me, there's so much data on YouTube that I can leverage as a content creator and
as a business owner and that is why YouTube has just done so much for my business and
has really helped me grow as a content creator myself.
Now, at this point, you might be wondering, okay, great Vanessa what's the catch?
And, the catch is, is that YouTube takes a lot of fucking work.
It is probably one of the most time consuming platforms to be on, because you've got to
film videos, you've got to edit videos, you've got to engage, you've got to think of content
and it's this whole production, especially if you want to take YouTube super seriously
and you really want to grow with the platform.
You've got to step it up in terms of your content.
You've got to be consistent and you've got to really engage with your audience all the
time.
So, yes, there's a lot of rewards when it comes to YouTube and I personally believe
that my business was built on YouTube.
However, it does take a lot of sweat equity.
And, last but not least, another reason why YouTube may not be the best platform compared
to Podcasting and again, we're going to get into Podcasting in just a bit, is the fact
that some people that go to your videos may not be the most loyal.
A lot of people go on YouTube to find their solution and then they bounce.
That's why it's really important that you're able to build relationships and that you're
on multiple platforms, so that people can get to know you better.
For instance, when people go on to my YouTube channel and they watch a video, yes they might
click out right after, but if they're actually interested, they might binge on my videos
and they also might go to my Instagram account.
And, once they go to my Instagram account, that's when I really cultivate that relationship
with them.
Now, speaking of loyalty, this brings me to Podcasting.
Now, Podcasting has a lot of benefits, number one being loyalty.
If someone can actually spend 30 minutes listening to your episodes they are pretty fricking
loyal to you and because of this loyalty, it's a lot easier to convert these listeners
into actual buyers and clients.
And, the best part about Podcast episodes is that you have so much flexibility in terms
of the ads that you put inside.
For example, on YouTube, if I just created my own ad right now and just popped it on,
you guys would probably bounce right away and click out of the video.
However, in Podcasting, it's absolutely normal if Podcast hosts have their own advertisements
in between the clips of that episode.
They'll be plugging their own services, they'll be sponsored by their affiliate links, so
on and so forth.
So, it's a really great way to actually create sales from the people that are super hot leads
and that are super loyal to you.
Aside from this crazy loyalty and engagement from Podcast listeners, one of the main benefits
of having a Podcast, is how easy it is to get started.
For instance, unlike YouTube, where I have to hop in front of the camera, I have to put
makeup on and I have to make sure my mike is good and I have this whole script.
On Podcast, you could literally wake up in the middle of the night feeling inspired and
record an episode, it is just that easy.
That's why, if you don't have a lot of time, but you still want to create content and build
a relationship with your audience, Podcasting is definitely the way to go.
However, even though your listeners on Podcast is probably more loyal than your subscribers
on YouTube, the problem with Podcast is that the functionality of search is not as good
as YouTube and therefore, it's going to be harder to be found.
Like I said earlier on YouTube, it's like a search engine and people are typing in their
problems.
However, you're probably not typing in your problems on Podcast, you're most likely kind
of looking for certain subjects or categories to listen to.
That's why, as a content creator on Podcasting, it's going to be a little bit more challenging
to actually have a lot of traffic initially to your Podcast show.
Not only this, even though I personally don't have a Podcast, a lot of my friends do and
they've told me as well, that the analytics on Podcast is just not very good.
Meaning, that you're going to have very little visibility of who your audience actually is,
whether they like the episode, what their thoughts are.
So, if you really think about it, let's say you look at Instagram and YouTube, people
can leave their comments, people can DM you.
Whereas on Podcast, people can just leave a review and that's it.
That's why, again, it's really important to be on multiple platforms, so that your audience
can stay connected with you and for you to continuously build those relationships outside
of your main platform.
Now, this leads me to the fourth platform that I want to talk about and that is Facebook.
Now, personally before I started my business, I thought that Facebook was dead.
However, if you are a content creator or a business owner, Facebook Groups is absolutely
killer if you want to stay in touch and build really strong relationships with your audience.
For example, you know how I said on Podcast if you don't have analytics and you don't
really have the functions to understand who your listeners are, if you actually invited
all of your listeners to join you in your Facebook group, you're going to then have
way more visibility in terms of who is in your audience and who is in your tribe.
Even for me, with my YouTube channel, I have my own Facebook Group called, The Fearless
Boss Network, where I have over 5000 people inside.
Many of these people have been watching my videos or have been following me on Instagram
and in that community alone, I'm able to really foster that community, really help them and
also be able to gain even more trust with them as a content creator and as a coach and
business owner.
So, trust me when I say this, Facebook is not dead.
My Facebook group is so active and super lit and if you are a content creator or a business
owner, you are totally missing out if you are not creating your own Facebook group to
house your audience.
Now, at this point in the video, I've talked a lot about the big 4.
Instagram, YouTube, Podcasting and Facebook.
These are the ones that everyone is talking about.
However, the one platform that is not talked about enough is LinkedIn.
Now personally, I follow my rule of thumb of not being on too many platforms.
I'm only on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
However, I have heard many success stories of people that are on LinkedIn.
More and more LinkedIn is really developing to be a true social networking platform.
However, the beauty about LinkedIn is that their algorithm is not as stingy as Instagram,
Facebook or YouTube.
If you really think about it, even on LinkedIn, just updating your status is going to generate
a lot of attention, because every single person is going to get a notification within your
network.
LinkedIn is a really great place to publish content, whether it's blog posting or video.
And, because the algorithm is so loose, so many people actually see it on their feed.
Not only do you get way better reach and engagement on LinkedIn, but you also have a more sophisticated
type of audience on there as well.
And, what I mean by having a more sophisticated audience, is that generally on LinkedIn, you
probably won't see teenagers or elementary schoolers hanging around there.
The people who are active on LinkedIn are generally in college, university or they are
busy professionals.
Meaning, that if you are a service provider or even if you sell products online, LinkedIn
is a great platform to attract ideal customers and clients.
And, what I mean by that, is that most people who are active on LinkedIn are generally busy
professionals and therefore, they have more propensity to spend.
They have a higher purchasing power, which means that they are more likely to convert
into clients and customers to your business.
However, before you get shiny object syndrome and hop onto LinkedIn, again like I said earlier
in the video, you really need to ask, is my ideal audience actually going to be there?
Because, the one caveat with LinkedIn is that currently, it only really tailors to certain
niches.
Niches that are in the education sector, technology or business.
If you are in the beauty niche or the food niche, then maybe LinkedIn might not be the
best platform for you at this moment in time.
Now, of all the 5 platforms that we talked about, make sure that you also watch this
video right here to understand how you can grow your online presence and build a very
strong personal brand.
I think at the end of the day, regardless of which platforms you choose, make sure that
it's aligned with you are and what you want to portray out into the internet.
And, whether or not your ideal audience is actually going to be living in those platforms.
Once you're done watching that video, watch this one, so that you can learn how to level
up your business, your social media and your life in general.
Thank you so, so much for watching this video.
I really hope that enjoyed it and that you are able to narrow down which platform is
perfect for you.
I hope you guys have a great day, a great week and a great life and as always, I'll
see you in the next one.
Bye guys.