In less than a decade, social media has made itself an indispensable digital marketing tool. But social media isn’t a singular entity. There are dozens of platforms to choose from. Depending on your business, some may provide better ROI than others.
With limited time and resources, how can you determine which platform will be the best outlet for reaching your target audience?
Truth is, the right answer is unique to each business. That said, here are three key questions that you can ask to narrow down your options.
What Are Your Goals?
What do you hope to accomplish through social media? Is it lead generation or brand building? Do you want to drive revenue or provide customer service?
You’d probably like to accomplish all of these results, and then some. But when it comes to social media, a singular (or dual) purpose creates a stronger presence.
Remember, each platform is specialized—it serves a specific purpose. Some will naturally be aligned with your target customer, while others will be speaking directly to potential employees.
For instance, YouTube is the perfect medium for providing how-to videos, product spots, demos, and customer testimonials. You can use it to build your brand, establish trust with consumers, and increase product visibility.
But all of that is moot if your primary goal is to interact with potential consumers and provide customer service to existing ones. For that, Facebook would be a much more effective channel.
What Industry Are You In?
Industry often dictates why some brands are a natural fit with certain social media platforms, but less so with others.
For example, Instagram is the mecca for B2C retailers that want to sell lifestyle products. As an image-heavy site, it’s the ideal outlet for highlighting your wares, especially if you pair your efforts with an influencer marketing campaign.
However, if you’re a B2B seller, Instagram probably wouldn’t create the same impact as channels like LinkedIn and YouTube.
What Is Your Audience Demographic?
Who are you trying to target? Have you fleshed out detailed consumer personas to gain a better understanding of who they are, where they are, and what they respond to?
While there are dozens of factors that go into consumer personas, age is among the most important elements since it can have such an outsized impact on their desires, messaging preferences, and favored social media sites.
There isn’t an even age distribution amongst the user base on social media platforms. They tend to skew toward a specific age group. For example, if your target demo is in the 16-25 year age range, you’ll enjoy much better results on TikTok and Instagram than you would on Facebook and Twitter.
Semgeeks—A Social Media Agency in New Jersey
Social media is one of the many tools a modern business must wield to thrive. And while it’s not a bad idea to cover all of your bases by joining every platform, you should focus the brunt of your efforts on a select few.
Still not sure where to start? That’s okay.
The team at Semgeeks is here for you. We can partner with your brand to craft a detailed social media strategy that drives the most value. Together, we can build a comprehensive growth strategy that continues to generate results.
So, if you want to discover more, let’s talk.
Sources:
Pew Research. Social Media Use in 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/04/07/social-media-use-in-2021/
