How Many Social Media Accounts is Enough?

In January 2102, large companies averaged 178 corporate-owned social media accounts.  We don’t know how many social media accounts these companies have today, but we’re guessing the number is probably higher, if it has changed at all.

What about small and mid-size businesses? That number is a little bit harder to state with certainty, but the real question is, How many do you need? We’re pretty sure you don’t need 178.

Small and mid-size businesses should get in on the social media act, but before doing so, you should establish a strategy. You should know what you want out of your social media marketing and have specific goals established that you can measure. Beyond that, how many social media accounts you have is up to you, but recommend that you not have more accounts than you can reasonably manage so you can see the full benefit from your efforts.

How many is that, exactly? For starters,  you probably should have a LinkedIn account – especially if you are targeting business clients. A Facebook page might be in order too, particularly if your target audience is on Facebook. Then there is YouTube, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and the list goes on. With each social media site you consider, you should determine how you are going to use it before you decide to use it, and whether the audience you want to reach spends their time there as well.

Think about what is practical and what is likely to move your organizational goals forward before you decide on hard numbers. It’s okay to secure accounts that you don’t use right away if you want to protect your trademarks. That’s just good business. But before you become active on a social media site, make sure you have your social media strategy in place so you can be sure to see a return on your social media investment.  That’s also good business.

Published on: August 27, 2013