Being on the wrong social media platform for your buyers

Key takeaways

Being on the wrong social media platform for your business means good posts reach people who will never buy. The usual cause is choosing the platform the owner likes or the one competitors use. Check where recent customers found or checked you, and move effort to that platform over a few months.

• Ask your last 10 customers which platforms they use.
• 0 enquiries from a platform in 6 months is a warning sign.
• Choose by where buyers decide, not where you scroll.
• Keep a tidy profile on the old platform while you move.

How do you know you are on the wrong platform?

You are probably on the wrong platform if followers are mostly outside your market, posts get engagement but no enquiries, and customers say they found you elsewhere. Platform insights show age, location and, on LinkedIn, job titles. If those do not match your buyer, the platform is not working for you.

• The most common social media marketing mistakes small businesses make
• Who actually follows you? Read your audience insights

Why do businesses end up on the wrong platform?

Businesses end up on the wrong platform because they start where the owner already has an account, follow a competitor, or chase whichever platform is in the news. Ofcom's research shows UK usage is broad but split sharply by age and purpose, so a general popularity ranking says little about your buyer.

• How to find where your customers are on social media

How do you move to the right platform?

Move gradually. Start posting on the new platform two or three times a week while keeping the old one ticking over with one post a week and replies. Point the old profile to the new one. After three months, compare enquiries and decide whether to pause the old account.

• 1. Confirm the new platform with customer answers and insights.
• 2. Set up the profile properly before the first post.
• 3. Shift most posting effort, keep replies on both.
• 4. Review enquiries from each after 3 months.

When should you stay on a platform that seems wrong?

Stay if customers check you there before buying, even if they do not enquire there. Many people look up a business on Facebook or Instagram to see if it is active and trusted, then call. A quiet but tidy profile with recent posts and answered reviews still does a job.

• Which social media platforms should a UK small business use?

What numbers show a platform is wrong for you?

Three numbers show it: enquiries from the platform over six months, the share of followers in your area or target sector, and how many customers say they found or checked you there. If all three are low while another platform does better, effort is in the wrong place.

• Enquiries from the platform in 6 months.
• Followers in your area or sector.
• Customers who mention the platform.
• Comparison with your best platform.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a B2B supplier putting most of its effort into Instagram because the owner enjoys it, while its buyers, facilities managers, mostly use LinkedIn. Moving the weekly effort to LinkedIn and the managing director's own profile tends to bring the right conversations within a few months.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Platform checklist

• Ask recent customers which platforms they use.
• Compare platform insights with your buyer.
• Count enquiries per platform over 6 months.
• Move effort gradually, keep replies everywhere.
• Review after 3 months.

• Trying to reach everyone on social media
• Posting on the fly: the cost of having no social media plan

Next step

Ask your next five customers one question: 'Which social media apps do you use most?' The answers usually settle the question.