Which Social Media Platform Is Best for Your Business?
If you are thinking of getting started with social media marketing, you might feel a bit overwhelmed with all the different platforms available. Plus, if you are like many other businesses, you might be inclined to spread yourself thin and be present on ALL of them.
However, the key to a successful social media marketing strategy is choosing the RIGHT platform, not ALL platforms.
Before we dive right in and explain the key differences between the top four most powerful platforms with tips for choosing the right social media platform for your business, there are two questions that you need to ask yourself first:
What is your target market?
If you haven’t already figured this out yet, you must create a buyer persona. Certain criteria to consider would be customer demographics, psychographics, and behavioral aspects.
Once you have established these, you have a clear picture of WHO you are targeting and can shape your messaging and communication efforts accordingly.
What are your goals?
Why do you want to create a presence on social media? If you want to increase brand awareness for your Business-to-consumer(B2C) brand, then the platform and messaging will be different from a Business-to-business (B2B) company that is looking to secure leads.
Take the time to plan out exactly what your marketing objective is.
Choosing the right social media platform for your business
Now, once you’ve established both of these, it’s time to decide which platform you should use for your brands marketing efforts in order to reach your ideal audience and reach the goals you are aiming for.
Top Social Media Platforms
This is THE biggest platform in the world with over 2.7 billion active users on a monthly basis. However, it’s important to notice that 74% of this platform’s demographic falls within the 35-54 years old range. When choosing the right social media platform for your business, you need to consider who your audience is. Therefore, if your target audience is of a younger age, Facebook may not be the ideal platform to invest all of your marketing efforts in.
Facebook is a great place to post both creative photo content and text content, which then can be shared by those who follow your page.
Key industries: Fashion, Auto, Ecommerce
If you have a brand that is business-to-consumer focused, Instagram is the platform for you. Recently acquired by Facebook, Instagram surpassed the 1B users mark towards the end of 2020, making it a close runner up to Facebook. This platform’s demographic is a lot younger than Facebook’s, with 67% of its users aged 18-24 years old logging in more than once per day.
Instagram is the ideal platform for posting original graphics, photos, and videos. This platform also gives you an additional opportunity in terms of gaining more reach organically, with the help of hashtags.
Key industries: Travel, Beauty, Fashion, Health and Fitness, Lifestyle, Business, Food
This is the world’s biggest social network for professional networking. If you are a B2B organization looking to connect with executives or decision-makers, this is the best platform to express thought leadership in your industry, enhance credibility and establish your authority.
Your business can either publish its own original content or share other industry leader’s and brand content while adding in your own opinions!
Key industries: Financial Services, Law, Information Technology and Services, Management Consulting, Marketing and Advertising agencies, Human Resources, and Computer Software.
YouTube
Slowly but surely, YouTube is becoming users’ first choice when looking for information. In fact, it is being used more and more frequently as a search engine for users who are looking for “How-to” and educational content in a video format. But most surprisingly, it is the world’s second-most visited website right after Google.
Your business can either post informative and educational videos, question & answer videos, tutorials, inspirational videos, and so much more. Just make sure to establish a SEO strategy as your video’s visibility will depend immensely on that.
Key industries: Music, Gaming, Beauty, Lifestyle
So, now you know about what each social media platform can do for your business so you can choose the right one! Let us know in the comments below which platform you will choose to be part of your inbound marketing strategy.
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Melissa Maulini | CEO | Defined Media
