What’s the Most Valuable Social Media Tool We Should Be Using?

This is a common workshop topic, and one of the questions I get asked pretty early on in any client engagement.

What should we be doing in social media?

Should we have Instagram?

Should we be using Pinterest?

How about Vine?

Have you heard of Swayy (or insert other new social tool here)?

My first answer to this is DO NOT TRY TO DO EVERYTHING. There. I said it. The next answer is that it depends on two things: the kind of business you’re in, and the capacity you or your team have to keep up with using multiple tools.

Before you consider adopting multiple tools, platforms, apps, etc. answer this:

Do you have a blog?

It’s still the first tool to master. It’s still the core of your social strategy. It’s still the ONE THING you must get done for search engine optimization, to establish your company as authentic and thoughtful. It’s still the place where you will prove that your team includes thought leaders in your industry. It’s still where you can tell the story of how your company does what you do better/differently/faster/with more credibility than others out there. Before you start using a Facebook page, tweeting, Instagramming, etc., make sure you’re publishing a valuable blog.