Social media is one of the most effective free marketing tools available, and once you realize where it is useful for your business, you might decide to allocate funds for paid posting & advertising. In order to be most effective with your brand’s social media presence, it is important to first determine which platforms you should be active on. To decide which platforms will most benefit your brand, you should consider certain factors such as your target audience, your content, and your ultimate goal. You can then focus on the quality of your content, instead of trying to post to every platform available.
Facebook is the most widely used social media platform worldwide. The average Facebook user is slightly older – Meaning it might not be the ideal platform to market to young teenagers, but would be more effective for a market of 35 to 50 year olds. You can post all types of content to Facebook including images, videos, text, and links. Paid Facebook advertising allows you to target by age, gender, location, employment, & more – no matter your audience, Facebook advertising will help you find them.
Instagram is a powerful tool if you will be posting a lot of visual content such as videos or pictures. The platform is mostly used by a younger audience, and almost always on a mobile device. Users can also post live videos to Instagram or longer ones to IGTV. Although paid advertising is a great option on the app, thanks to its algorithm & use of hashtags, Instagram is easier to grow an organic following on. For Instagram business accounts, back end analytics information is available within the app. You cannot share links within an Instagram post unless you are tagging a product and have it linked to Instagram shop, or if you post the link in your bio.
Pinterest is another heavily visual platform. Users categorize their pins according to boards that each serve a different purpose or interest, often looking for inspiration. Because of this, it is especially useful in advertising to business-to-consumer markets such as fashion or decor. Even if they don’t purchase a product, the brand name will now be in their mind.
Engagement is key on Twitter – It is a great tool if you are prepared to follow trends and stay up to date on what people are already talking about. Users often turn to Twitter for news updates, sports, and entertainment. Like on Instagram, you can also target consumers based on relevant hashtags or keywords. You can also post images, videos, and links to Twitter, but there is a character limit.
LinkedIn is frequently thought of as the “professional” side of social media. Users visit the site either to recruit, be hired, or enhance a personal or company brand. LinkedIn is a great tool if you are appealing to a business-to-business market and your goal is to gather leads within the industry, or to make connections & professionally network yourself or your company.