It goes without saying that social media has grown to dominate the marketing game for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The real question is, what social media platform is right for your business? If you’re developing a marketing strategy for social media, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of outlets available, with new online communities popping up every day. Ultimately, all social media platforms come with their own pros and cons, and understanding those can make or break your brand’s online presence.
For starters, Facebook easily has the largest reach of any social media platform, boasting more than 2.7 billion registered users across the globe. Facebook allows you to run sponsored ads to promote your business, which can be targeted and beneficial regardless of your budget. Another unique option here is to create a private community for your customers, allowing you to communicate directly with your audience and foster long-term relationships. Most importantly, the Facebook audience skews slightly older than other platforms, which could be a positive or negative aspect depending on your target demographic.
While Facebook may be ideal for older demographics, Instagram has quickly become the top choice for targeting young adults between 18 and 24. Additionally, Instagram has rolled out eCommerce features that let customers shop directly from your brand’s page. Instagram is also the perfect platform to pursue affiliate marketing opportunities, allowing affiliates showcasing your products to use tags or hashtags that link back to your page. Although Instagram hasn’t been around for nearly as long as Facebook, the platform has grown rapidly and currently has over 1 billion registered users worldwide.
If your objective is to engage with your core audience, Twitter can serve as an excellent tool for sharing news and updates about your brand. Despite having more than 300 million registered users, Twitter offers easy targeting with the use of hashtags. This allows you to connect with users who are interested in topics similar to your business. While not ideal for actual sales, Twitter can still offer the benefit of audience reach and engagement.
YouTube
YouTube focuses solely on video content and currently has 2 billion registered users. New research suggests that video is quickly becoming the go-to tool for converting sales, as it gives potential customers a real glimpse into your product or service. However, producing high-quality video content can be both expensive and time-consuming. If you aren’t able to create videos for yourself, you can also opt for affiliate marketing. YouTube covers a wide variety of niche audiences and finding the right channels to promote your brand can benefit you tremendously.
Social media is a vast landscape that is always changing and evolving, especially when it comes to business. By having a thorough understanding of the current platforms and their benefits, you can start creating an online presence that reaches more of your target audience without getting lost in the feed. If you need help managing your social media channels, Web Rocket Media has specialists ready to help you; contact us today!