There are more social networks these days than you can shake a stick at. Of course, you have (what I like to call) the Big Five: Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter. But of course there’s also Instagram, Snapchat, Ello and about 6 dozen others I can’t even think to name right now. Before you waste your time and money with marketing on every single social network ever created – try to think about which social networks are right for your business.

Have you already started social for your brand? Using Google, do a search for your brand or company name. This can help you determine which of your social networks are coming up best in the results. By focusing efforts on what is already doing well, you won’t have to start from scratch, just continue improving what’s already working.

Next, do another Google search, this time for the keywords, terms and phrases that users might search with when looking for a business like your own. You can use this to highlight not only how well you are doing for these results, but also see which businesses are doing well for those same keywords. Be sure to take notes on what they are doing, and try to see if you can implement some of those lessons yourself. Try to spot communities (Google+), groups (Facebook and LinkedIn), forums, and other places that people may be congregating to discuss your industry. If they are high on the results – there must be some reason – check it out yourself!

Finally, perform a full search of your competition (local competition only if you are a local brick and mortar business). Browse their websites, check out where they are engaging on social media. Perhaps you can do something better than they can on a specific network. Maybe you’ll see a certain network is a waste of time. There is a lot you can learn from studying the competition. Be sure to also search for the localities where you perform your business – see what is showing up highest on the local results – and figure out what those businesses are doing right!

But in all seriousness – just know your limits. You don’t have to be on EVERY social media site ever created in order to succeed online. Focus on where your potential audience is congregating. All you need is two or three good ones (I always recommend differentiating – you never know how long that un-owned media will last).