Which social media platform is right for me?
Most businesses are using social media and if you’re not, well, perhaps it’s time to take a good look at your marketing plan.
It is no secret that social media is taking the world by storm. The average person in the UK has five social media accounts and spends around 1 hour and 40 minutes browsing these networks every day!
But how do we know which ones to use?
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have become part of most people’s day-to-day lives but what about the others? Should we be on Instagram? Should we be Snapchatting? Is it necessary to market on all the social media platforms that our audiences are on?
Quite simply, the answer is no.
I appreciate that this can all be rather overwhelming, especially from a business perspective. You feel you should cover every social media platform to target every possible customer but I’m afraid you are mistaken.
Let’s break it down.
Facebook can be great for both B2B and B2C businesses. Because of the variety of users on the platform, it really can be used to advertise anything to anyone. And to go alongside the platform there is Facebook advertising.
Facebook advertising allows you to specifically target certain individuals, based on anything from their age, gender, behaviours and hobbies to where they live. The reach is endless!
Like Facebook, Twitter is used by both B2C and B2B businesses. The platform is ideal for targeting consumers and businesses because of the variety of users.
Twitter also has an advertising element. Although in my opinion it is not as specific as Facebook, it enables businesses to target fairly specific users.
LinkedIn is definitely for those of you within the B2B environment. While you can advertise to consumers on LinkedIn, it is probably better for you to advertise to consumers on other platforms, e.g. Facebook.
LinkedIn is a social networking website that allows people to connect based on professional endeavours, including finding employment, building professional relationships, and/or sharing professional news.
If you are, for example, a marketing agency, your presence on LinkedIn is a necessity, it is a great way of networking and raising awareness of your brand. But if you’re a local hairdresser looking for business, your time is probably best spent elsewhere.
Instagram has become one of the main social media platforms and using it to better your business perhaps should be considered.
With approximately 400 million users on the platform, not to attempt to use it would be a great shame.
Instagram is a great way to visually showcase your business, products, and services. It’s true, ‘an image speaks a thousand words’.
Images are a great way of engaging with your audience. It is no secret that many people would rather see an image than six paragraphs of text. If you can get across your message in an image or a series of images, this is likely to have a bigger impact.
Instagram is now being used by both B2C and B2B business. For example, Instagram is a great way for clothing stores to display their products and promotions. Similarly, it is a great way for businesses that are selling ovens, for example, to advertise their products visually for other businesses.
Instagram now also allows businesses to be contacted directly through the social media platform, encouraging consumers to submit enquiries.
Snapchat
It may come as a surprise to you, but most people using Snapchat are aged between 25 and 34 (34 per cent). Now I know what you really think. Like many others, you just assumed that the vast majority of users on this social media platform are 18 – 24 years’ olds, and yes, there are a lot of people of that age Snapchatting but they are not the only ones, 14 per cent of Snapchat’s users are over 55!
However, this does not mean that every business should be advertising on Snapchat.
Typically, the businesses advertising on the platform are B2C and are selling some sort of product and/or service that is either aimed at the younger generation or is more a luxury, rather than a necessity. For example, advertising a boutique on Snapchat that sells designer handbags would be more than likely be successful. However, in my opinion, it is not best fitted to a business trying to sell another business a fuel tank.
And so much more…
The above platforms are not the only social media around and available to businesses. There is YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest and the rest! But if I told you about all of those now, I fear you may spend half of your day reading my blog post. If you are interested in the other platforms or want help implementing social media in your marketing strategy, email [email protected]!