Finding the right social media platform can help market your business, but social media can also be ineffective if your business isn’t distinguishable from others.
Defining your target audience and setting goals for social media posts will help you determine which media platform is best. Understanding your audience and the purpose for each platform will help your business discover its place on social media.
Determining your Target Audience
Defining your target audience is the most important factor in determining the right social media platform for your business. The best way to define your audience is by analyzing the products or services your company sells. Use the following questions as a guide to help narrow down your target audience’s demographics:
Is it something that everyone can use?
Is it only meant for a certain gender or age?
Are you looking for specific consumers who speak a certain language or live in a certain region?
Despite your targeted criteria, each consumer will likely have multiple accounts on different platforms. Utilizing several platforms will provide you the opportunity to reach potential new customers.
Choosing the right social media platform depends on what kind of business you have. For example, a B2B (business-to-business) focused company will likely be successful on LinkedIn and Facebook but not as successful on Instagram.
Understanding Social Posting Goals
Your social media posting goals should be other factors when choosing a social media platform.
Without a specific goal in mind, social media posts can often become bland and ineffective. Social media can be used to reach new clients, accentuate your brand, connect with other companies, and establish your credibility as an expert in your field.
Message variations can be effective if tailored properly.
Many users will follow your business on multiple platforms so seeing the same generic message on three different platforms can make your posts easy to scroll past.
Some messages simply won’t work for certain platforms which is why it is so important to build the message around the platform and the audience viewing it. Once a clear and attainable goal is defined, you can choose the platforms that will work best for your business.
Social Media Platforms
Each social media platform connects you to a different audience. Understanding the differences in platforms and audience demographics can help your business take advantage of each media type.
Instagram has over 1 billion users with 70% under the age of 35. Because Instagram’s average engagement number is four times higher compared to Facebook, personalized advertisements can be incorporated to directly target your ideal audience and increase engagement.
Content on Instagram is typically more conversational which allows your business’s personality to be showcased. This creates a deeper connection between your followers and your brand.
Instagram’s platform is perfect for businesses that post graphics, videos, or any creative content. Many businesses that rely on images to display their products use Instagram as a successful marketing tool.
Facebook’s platform offers general brand exposure to users that are extremely diverse in age range and gender. With over 1.84 billion daily active users, the platform can be a great method for reaching a wide audience. While Facebook can be used successfully with untargeted content, there is also an opportunity to designate messages to your target audience if it is desired.
Facebook ads manager is a platform that allows a business to easily handle targeted advertisements across multiple social media apps. This platform is used by 86% of U.S. advertisers, according to Oberlo, and allows a business to create new advertisements and test their predicted performance before the ad is posted. The platform manages your advertising budget and provides you with updates so you can see which tactics are effective.
Twitter can connect your business to an audience of 192 million daily active users, and works best for companies that want to distribute information quickly and concisely. Twitter is a useful marketing tool for B2B businesses. Hashtags and personalized advertisements can be implemented to help your posts reach your target audience.
Images can be added to any tweet to help support your content and clarify your message. Keep in mind that effective content should not use current trends frequently since 63% of users on Twitter are between 35-65 years old.
LinkedIn is a professional networking website that is good for targeting a very specific audience. This platform provides an opportunity to be incredibly personalized with the content being posted. With over 740 million users in 200 countries and territories, advertisements can reach a diverse, international audience.
LinkedIn can connect your company with other businesses, new employees, new customers, and existing customers since it is the second most popular social media app for B2B. By utilizing Pulse - a built-in platform on LinkedIn - you can create articles that will lead readers back to your website which can ultimately help improve digital traffic.
TikTok
TikTok extends to 155 countries and has almost 700 million active users worldwide with the majority being under the age of 30. TikTok automatically promotes your videos to users in your local area which increases your chances of acquiring new customers. Posting videos with hashtags will also expose your account to more users and potential customers.
TikTok’s platform allows you to reach users who have blocked advertisements on other platforms or lost interest in boring, recurring ads. As long as your videos are creative and trendy, TikTok will be a beneficial app for your business.
Snapchat
Snapchat has 265 million daily active users. Snapchat is a good platform to use if you are wanting to reach a younger audience. A wide range of consumers are likely to see advertisements on Snapchat since 63% of users visit the app daily and 49% visit it more than once a day.
Content on Snapchat can be shown as an image or video, providing room for creativity with information, and can have multiple advertisements displayed back-to-back. Your website can also be linked to your business’s Snapchat advertisements.
