Often when a company brings us in to manage their social media accounts or want to share a video we produced for them – they’re not sure which platform to focus on.
A common question they have is – ‘Do we need to be present on all major platforms - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube and SnapChat?’
My first response is - ‘Where is your audience and what are they consuming online?’
For many years, Facebook was the default place to go. Every business was told to have a Facebook page. Some businesses even chose having a Facebook page over having a website.
The second thing I always say is – ‘Don’t become reliant on one social media platform.’
Why? Because like Bebo, Friendster, Google+, Vine, Woo Media, etc., one day this platform may no longer exist, or work for your business like it used to.
You need to know where your audience is now, and be prepared to adapt alongside the changing digital habits of your online market. If you’re struggling to understand what platforms those are, keep reading.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shifted his attention away from Facebook, instead focusing on building the Metaverse. Meanwhile their stock has dropped by 60% this year and many major brands are leaving Facebook due to its poor organic reach.
However this has now left a bigger space for smaller businesses with less of a marketing budget to shine, as the massive budgets of big companies aren’t saturating the platform. If your target audience is over the age of 30, Facebook ads for marketing are still extremely relevant. Facebook has a robust online advertising tool integrated into the platform, allowing you to tailor your ads by demographic and interest more so than on other social media outlets.
Instagram users can be of any age, making it a powerful tool to reach any age demographic.
20% of the time people now spend on Instagram is watching reels. if you are on Instagram, you need to be publishing reels at least on a weekly basis.
Instagram reels have many benefits that TikTok has, but the reach is less confined to a younger audience. A mix of reels, stories, and image posts, allows you to build connections with your existing customers, engaging with them on a more personal level than LinkedIn or Facebook. If you’re selling a product, their integrated shopping section can generate more direct sales -with a selling fee of 5% per shipment.
TikTok
TikTok has gone from a niche social network for lip-syncing teens to the fastest growing app in the western world, with one billion active users worldwide with users spending an average of 52 minutes per day on the app.
Marketers are drawn to TikTok as it reflects a key social media trend for creative skills and collaboration amongst young audiences. However, it does seem to be retaining its audience as they age, and as it continues to grow in popularity, older generations are getting in on the action too.
Brands can boost their credibility and friendly brand image by being at the forefront of Tiktok’s cutting-edge trends. Huge budgets are not required for video content creation either. Spontaneous content produced in ordinary surroundings is common for even the biggest of brands, such as Ryanair, Duolingo and even the WHO.
TikTok is not a platform heavily used for advertising, but they do have a big winning tool - their algorithm.
Tiktok’s algorithm especially knows what the user finds interesting based on their online activity, making it one of the best platforms to reach a global audience that will show content to your typical customer profile. Combining light-hearted or informational content and inviting collaborators to speak about your business can help build brand awareness and drive traffic to your website or store.
LinkedIn is the best for B2B and B2C marketing, but it may take some extra networking effort to reach your ideal customer.
Ask yourself if your audience is on LinkedIn at least a few times a week. LinkedIn users span all ages, from newly-graduated college students to c-suite executives. This audience is looking to build their personal or business success in some way by building their LinkedIn network.
When using LinkedIn to accomplish your business goals, it’s important that you’re prepared to engage with others’ content, too.
Top Tip: To engage on a deeper level with your audience, search LinkedIn for industry groups to join that align with your company and audience interests. This can be a good way to locate relevant people within your industry.
Twitter has 206 million daily active users, seen as an authentic network to share opinions and its real-time nature is perfect for sharing breaking news and urgent updates.
Twitter is most popular amongst the 25-34-year-old age bracket (38%) followed by 35-49-year-olds (20%) according to Statista. In terms of gender, more men use the network at 62 percent compared to 38 percent of women.
Marketers can use it to start conversations and engage users and deal with complaints or queries in real-time. Many big brands now use it to respond to trending news, using humour to increase their otherwise corporate brand image. Retweets can be a great way to drive engagement amongst your user base and create a discussion or get feedback from a particular user and their followers.
How to grow on any platform
Frequent posting of engaging content is essential for the algorithm to want to show your content to current and potential customers. If you’re posting content and then going offline straight after, you may not get the results you were hoping for.
If you need help in developing an online campaign or even better - have an experienced team manage your social media accounts for you - producing video assets, graphics, engaging with your audience, building sales funnels and monitoring your online growth – then don’t hesitate to contact the team here at GKMedia.ie
