Savvy business owners know social media is integral to sales. Around three-quarters of people use social media platforms when making purchasing decisions, whether to investigate a product, familiarize themselves with a brand, or ask their networks for buying advice. Businesses that don’t engage in social media are leaving money on the table.
With more social media platforms available and gaining popularity all the time — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Clubhouse, to name a few — it’s difficult to have an active presence on all platforms. Here’s the good news: Your business doesn’t need to have profiles on all platforms. In fact, engaging on a platform that isn’t right for your business wastes time and money, and could actually detract from your brand’s identity and message. For example, if your target demographic is well-educated businessmen aged 55 and older, spending time on TikTok (a platform where they aren’t likely to spend time) would misuse resources and could cast your business as silly or out of touch with your customer. Instead, the smart strategy is to pick the best social media platforms for your business and go all-in with them.
How do you know which platforms are right for you?
Here are a few things to consider when refining your social media strategy, or working with an agency like LuckyTamm Digital Marketing to do so:
1. Begin by setting goals. Social media can benefit your business in several ways. Defining how you want to use it can help you identify which social media platforms will be most useful to you. Of course, keeping your goals in mind will also help you create content and reach your audience more effectively. Goals may include: improving your customer service by providing a new platform to engage with your clients; reaching new audiences and new demographics; listening to your customers’ needs, wants, and habits; increasing traffic to your site; launching a new product or initiative; and/or boosting sales.
2. Determine where your audience is. Social media allows you to speak directly to your audience, so you need to know who they are and where they are. They aren’t likely to come to you just because you’ve set up a profile on a social media platform you enjoy. There are two primary ways to identify where your customers are: First, learn the demographics of your customers and match those to the profiles of social media platforms (see below for some hints). Second, conduct a customer survey asking them where they engage most.
3. Consider the content you typically create. Different types of content perform better — or are required for — different platforms, so it’s important to consider the strengths of your business when picking social media platforms. For example, engaging with YouTube requires you to regularly produce and post videos. Instagram is a highly visual medium that calls for top-quality photography and regular live or ephemeral video content. Consistency is key when it comes to social media. It’s not wise to create a profile and never post, so it’s important to choose a social media site where you’ll consistently have content to post, discuss, and use to engage with your audience.
Social Media Platform Snapshots
To help you match your business to the right social media platform, here’s a quick rundown of the key qualities of several of the top-performing forums.
Monthly Active Users: 2.8 billion
Key stats:
- It’s the world’s largest social network.
- It’s the most developed channel for paid social marketing. (Marketers often tap into Facebook to reach new customers with relevant advertising.)
- Facebook is prioritizing e-commerce shopping via Facebook shops.
- It’s also an important platform for establishing brand awareness and customer service.
- Users 25-34 years old are the largest demographic group on Facebook.
YouTube
Monthly Active Users: 2.29 billion
Key stats:
- It’s often not thought of as a social media platform, but it is. YouTube is also the world’s second largest search engine.
- It presents opportunities for brands to host their own channels and produce original content, as well as to create video advertising that can be inserted in other creators’ videos.
- 70% of viewers have purchased from a brand after seeing it on YouTube.
Monthly Active Users: 1.22 billion
Key Stats:
- Formerly a photo-sharing app, Instagram shifted to emphasize live video content (via Stories, Reels, Instagram Live, and IGTV).
- It’s an important social media app for social commerce; Instagram has introduced several features for brands to sell directly in-app, direct customers to shopping websites, and/or advertise.
- A strong visual identity is required for Instagram.
Monthly Active Users: 756 million (last reported in 2016)
Key stats:
- LinkedIn marketing is key for brands looking to connect with a professional audience, particularly for lead generation.
- LinkedIn is experiencing some of the highest organic (unpaid) reach of any social media platform.
TikTok
Monthly Active Users: 689 million
Key stats:
- Only around since 2017, it’s noteworthy for its meteoric rise. It was the most downloaded app in 2020.
- Its most prominent users are teenagers and members of Gen Z. It’s nearing the number of active users of this demographic’s favorite app, Snapchat.
- For brands, using TikTok requires closely following trends and memes, and working with TikTok influencers.
Monthly Active Users: 353 million
Key stats:
- While Twitter is widely known, only 21% of Americans use the platform.
- It’s popular among politicians, thought leaders, journalists, celebrities, and comedians.
- Conversations move quickly on this platform. Brands using Twitter must be able to track news and trends closely, and respond quickly with an appropriate Twitter voice—usually with a lot of personality.
Clubhouse
Monthly Active Users: 10 million
Key stats:
- Launched in September 2020, brands and social media marketers alike are trying to decide if this new social media app has staying power or is a passing fad.
- It’s a live, drop-in audio chat app where thought leaders can communicate directly with their audiences in the style of conference calls.
- So far, brands delving into this app are using it primarily for influencer marketing and starting conversations.
How LuckyTamm Digital Marketing Can Help
LuckyTamm Digital Marketing has a team of social media professionals and content creators that can not only direct you to the best social media platform for your business, but also regularly deliver engaging content to your customers. We’re glad to advise you and drive your social media efforts. We offer free consultations. Connect with us, today!