There are many social media platforms available. From all the most popular ones like Facebook and Twitter to others on the rise, such as Snapchat and TikTok. But how do you know which platforms will provide the best return on investment for your business?
Fortunately, we can help you figure it out. Determining factors such as industry, target audience, and types of content you wish to share are all part of a comprehensive social media strategy and should be top considerations when deciding the best social media platforms for your business. Let’s go through it step by step.
Step one – analyze your target audience.
Take a step back and analyze your target audience. What generation is your demographic a part of; are they Baby Boomers, Generation X-ers, Millennials, GenZ, or do they fall elsewhere? Researching based on their overall values, behaviors, and what types of content they prefer to see will go a long way. Determine the most active audiences on each social network and compare that against your target demographic. For example, Facebook is aging—it’s the most appropriate platform to reach older users (40-65+). And age isn’t the only factor to consider. Gender, education level, geographic location, and more should come into play as well.
Step two – consider what types of content your target audience prefers.
Is it visual or written, is it images or videos, is it user-generated or company-based? Get to know each platform and what types of content are most prevalent on each social network.
- Facebook has a healthy mix.
- Twitter is mostly text, although images play a role too.
- Pinterest and Instagram are all visual.
- YouTube is all video.
- And LinkedIn is all business.
- TikTok and Snapchat are mainly videos.
The type of content your company is most likely to share should match the respective network. For example, eCommerce websites with a primary focus on visual content are ideal for Pinterest, as you can drive users directly to your site with an image and potentially even convert them into paid customers. Think about what your company does, and consider what balance of text, image, and video would best facilitate your products or services. From there, choosing social networks should be relatively straightforward.
Step three – understand your industry and your business.
Knowing your target audience and what types of content you’ll share with them will help you determine what networks are best for your business. But also take into account your industry. Are you a B2C (business to consumer) or B2B (business to business) company? Keep in mind networks such as LinkedIn, which is an excellent resource for B2B companies. Known as the business-oriented social networking site, it’s an ideal place for B2B companies to find new prospects, highlight recent accolades, and spread the word on their products or services. B2C companies aren’t necessarily right for LinkedIn, whereas they are probably more suited for Facebook and Twitter networks.
Facebook is ideal for local businesses, as the customer will seek out your page for updates, opening times, events, and more. It’s a great site to interact with audiences of all ages, offer customer service, and showcase your products or services. An important aspect to keep in mind when using Facebook is that your updates are only seen by a small percentage of your fans. This is why paid advertising plays such a large role—you can pinpoint your target audience (including your current fans and beyond) and show them important content such as special promotions or company announcements. It’s also necessary to post frequently and stay active on Facebook; brands that post multiple times a day experienced higher engagement levels than those who don’t.
Even if your business is small or has a unique niche, you can still find an audience on Twitter. It’s one of the most active social networks, with over 340 million tweets per day. Your followers can see everything you tweet unless you tweet someone directly. Tweets, which are comprised of 140 characters or less, are easy to create, and because they’re so short, they’re not very time-consuming. It’s possible to become an active player on Twitter in just 15 minutes a day! And by utilizing popular and relevant hashtags, you can get your message in front of other users beyond your current followers. You may even use paid advertising opportunities such as Promoted Tweets to show targeted users your content or Promoted Accounts to increase your following.
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Step four – listen to your intuition.
When it comes to deciding where you’ll spend your time on social media, listen to your gut. Are there any social networks on the rise that you feel are an excellent match for your business? How are your existing platforms doing? Which ones are getting the most traction? Evaluate your website analytics to understand whether social activity (either yours or user-generated) is a significant driver of visits to your site. If you’ve done your homework and are confident you’re utilizing a social media platform appropriately, don’t continue to spend the bulk of your time on it if it’s just not getting you the results you need.
Whether it’s time to reevaluate your social media strategy or start from scratch, Sage Island can help. Our savvy team of marketers know the ins and outs of each social network and can match your company’s goals to the most appropriate platforms—or even devise a comprehensive content plan for you. Give us a call today to get started.