Is your business leveraging social media as a marketing tool? According to the numbers below, it probably should be! We want to be where our customers are, and it looks like they’re definitely hanging out on social media!
*Statista.com January 2018
Posting on social media is a great way to engage with customers and nurture relationships, educate about your products and services, promote events, and even sell.
But no matter how great the opportunity, social media marketing is a big undertaking! And potentially a huge drain on your company’s most precious resource: time. With platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, and so many others, it’s hard to know where to focus for the greatest impact.
Let’s decide where your business should be. (Hint: You don’t need to be everywhere!)
The key to having success on social media is consistency. You need to show up consistently and provide value to make an impact and get results. Given that, it’s best to focus on 2 or possibly 3 social platforms that you can commit to. (If you’re not yet consistent on social media, start with one platform for now!)
That leads us to the next logical question…
How do you choose which two platforms are best for your business?
Although simply choosing the platform you like best or are most familiar with may seem logical, that may not be the best answer to reach your customers.
Snapchat is fun, but unless you’re selling to the younger crowd, this might not be where you want to spend your time. Your focus should be on the platform your customers and prospects like best.
One consideration in choosing the best social platform for your business is the sheer volume of users, and the other is who those users are.
Let’s see which social platforms have the most users.
Statista.com 2019
Clearly, Facebook and YouTube marketing will get you to your customers, but don’t forget, these numbers are in millions! Don’t discount Pinterest just yet.
Next, think about who your ideal customer is. What is his or her age?
Below you can see the % of female and male internet users on various social media platforms. Again, while Facebook is popular for everyone, other platforms have a bigger split by gender. If you’re selling a product for men, this is where you might decide to ditch Pinterest for now. If you’re targeting women, keep it on your list!
Statista.com February 2018
Age is interesting as well. Whether your customers tend to skew older or younger may be a determining factor for where to focus your time. Here are the age groups who are most present on each platform.
While these high-level demographics can help guide you, you’ll likely want to use more insight to choose your platforms. For instance, if you are B2B business, LinkedIn can be a great choice. If you have a business selling art or fashion, visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram might be important for you.
Once you decide on your 2-3 social media channels, get to work! Remember to be consistent with posting and pay attention to what your audience responds to.
Questions on what to post? Check out this blog post with tips on what to post on social media to get you started!