The question is no longer whether or not your business should be on social media (all businesses should), but rather which social media network is right for your business. If you aren’t using the right social media networks to your advantage, you could be missing out on so many opportunities. In fact, 89% of marketers feel that social media is essential to their overall strategy. So, how do you decide which social network to use?
What Are Your Goals?
Social media has many benefits, but having a specific goal will help you get where you want to be and guide you toward the right platform. Would you like to improve your customer service by using a social media platform as a more accessible way for customers to ask questions about your products or services? Are you hoping to reach a new audience or demographic by increasing brand awareness? Do you want to learn more about your customers’ needs and wants? Answering questions like these will help steer you in the right direction.
What Type of Content Will You Create?
Certain types of content are more impactful when used on the right platform. So consider what kind of content will work best for your brand, and that will help you narrow down which social media network is right for your business. There are so many ways to get your message out into the world, such as:
- Photographs
- Videos
- Blog Posts
- Podcasts
- Testimonials
- Webinars
- Livestreams
- Ebooks
- Whitepapers
- User-generated content
What Social Networks Is Your Audience Using?
The main goal of social media is to help you reach your ideal audience. So, what social media networks are they using? Choosing a network they don’t use could be a waste of time. Analyze which platform they prefer and target them there. You can do this in a few different ways. One way is by doing a customer survey by asking where they get their online information and what influencers they follow. You can also look into the analytics of each of your social media pages and check on the traffic that way. Start with some of the most popular social media networks and branch out from there.
Facebook is officially the most popular social media platform in the world, with over 2 billion users. It also has a pretty broad demographic range, age 18-65, meaning there is a good chance that most people in your target audience have a Facebook account. Facebook is also great for a variety of content types so that you won’t be limited.
Instagram could be considered the 2nd most popular social network, with over 1 billion users between the ages of 18-64. The majority of users are under 25, making it an excellent choice if your target audience is the younger crowd. Instagram content is centered around eye-catching photographs and short video clips, though with the addition if IG TV, you can add longer videos now too, as well as Instagram Stories.
The Twitter user base is around 330 million people between the ages of 18 and 49. Twitter provides users a steady stream of information, mostly in the form of short text-based posts. The character limit is 280 or less, so you have to stay concise and to the point. The world of Twitter is more about immediacy, making announcements, sending out important messages, and other “in-the-moment” information.
LinkedIn is a popular choice for B2B businesses whose goal is lead generation. The demographic is smaller than other platforms, with its most active users only ranging from about age 30 to 49, though there are still some users under 30. It allows you to establish your business as a trusted leader in your field by publishing more in-depth content such as blog articles and videos. It is also a great place to engage in conversations with your audience in the comment section of posts or in private messages.
Similar to Instagram, the name of the game with Pinterest is images. The demographic here leans more toward women with ages ranging from 18 to 64. Users can “pin” images to different virtual boards to gather ideas for weddings, various projects, clothing ideas, vacation inspiration, etc. If your business fits into a specific niche, Pinterest might be a great place to flourish.
Let’s Get Social
Now that you know which social media network is right for your business, increase your brand awareness and get more business through social media by contacting The Evoke Group today! We offer services to help you create organic social media content as well as social media advertising.