What Social Media Platforms Suit Your Business?
Social media has rapidly become one of the most essential mediums for businesses of all sizes. Each of these platforms holds the potential to increase your online presence by giving your business a voice and presence in the digital world. That said, not every platform suits every business.
Choosing the right social media platform is important, and there are a variety of factors to consider when making this decision. Today, we’re going to discuss four of the biggest and most well-known social media sites and how they might benefit your business.
- 2.79 billion users worldwide
- 11.4 million Australian users
- 25-34-year-old male users are the largest demographic
Facebook is the one social media platform that every business should be on. A curated Facebook page is fantastic for building brand awareness and authority in a casual setting, allowing you to create more genuine connections with your audience and business network. You are also able to curate customer reviews and testimonials that the public can view.
One of the most attractive elements of Facebook is the size of its user base. There are a staggering 2.79 billion Facebook users in the world. Even accounting for duplicate and fake accounts, which Facebook estimates as 5% of their monthly active users, this is a massive chunk of the world’s population.
The benefit of such a large user base is that your business can make meaningful connections with hundreds of demographics, even those you haven’t marketed towards in the past. Facebook enables such growth opportunities – if you use it correctly. As one example, getting involved with specific interest Facebook groups grants you access to incredibly targeted markets!
Facebook itself is continuously pumping out new or improved features for businesses using their platform. The content curated for your page can also be a blend of visuals, text, and video. If you want to do paid ad campaigns, Facebook has one of the better campaign managers and running Facebook ads is quite low-cost. These points are just a glimpse at the versatility of Facebook.
Keep in mind that to get the most out of Facebook, you’ll need to be fairly active and spend some time on community engagement once you build a decent following. The same is true for almost every social platform.
In summary: Facebook works well with lifestyle marketing and brand awareness campaigns.
- 1.07 billion users worldwide
- 10.6 million Australian users
- 25-34-year-olds are the largest demographic
Instagram is a fantastic platform for businesses that want to focus on middle-aged and younger audiences on a primarily visual platform. As such, Instagram excels for travel, fashion, and beauty businesses. However, the right strategy can adapt it to businesses in almost any industry.
Strong, original visuals are critical on Instagram. An account without a visually interesting or appealing feed won’t generate much interest at first, which is where some businesses can struggle. Remember, Instagram is primarily a mobile platform. People will scroll through their feed rapidly until something catches their interest. Stopping the scroll with beautiful imagery is critical to Instagram success.
Alongside good visuals, hashtags are key to getting the most out of Instagram. 91% of 20,000 users surveyed used Instagram to follow their interests. Using hashtags correctly and posting content relevant to those interests is how businesses become relevant to those users. It is actually common for Instagram users to follow brands when said brands post interesting or creative content. In part, this is why hashtags are one of the easiest ways to get followers organically!
Instagram is also useful for encouraging and interacting with audience-created content. Think of ‘tag us and you may get featured’ campaigns. If you want to get more consumer engagement, Instagram could be the right platform for you.
In summary: Instagram works well with lifestyle and influencer marketing and community engagement.
- 738 million users worldwide
- 13.6 million Australian users
- 46-55-year-old professionals are the largest demographic
LinkedIn is the business to business social hub. It is a platform built specifically for networking between professionals, making LinkedIn an ideal space for lead generation.
Any B2B business will find LinkedIn a great platform to use. The features are aimed at growing your professional network and building a reputation for your business. Even if your business isn’t B2B-focused, LinkedIn remains a valuable platform for establishing your authority in the industry, especially if your audience is primarily working professionals.
Any business that regularly attends networking events, seminars, and conferences should seriously consider LinkedIn. The platform is invaluable for forming connections post-event and for advertising your involvement in any upcoming events.
As a side note, LinkedIn is also great for finding new employees.
In summary: LinkedIn works well with direct B2B marketing, brand awareness, and professional networking.
YouTube
- 2 billion users worldwide
- 15 million Australian visitors every month
YouTube can be an incredibly valuable channel for business, but a great deal of work is required for producing content. Video production is a time-consuming process, which can outshine the benefits of a YouTube channel immensely. However, YouTube is a fantastic platform for educational marketing and growing brand awareness.
People love video content. It’s easy to consume and share, engaging, and doesn’t require much effort from the viewer. YouTube also provides community engagement spaces and useful ways to organise your content, encouraging viewers to watch multiple videos.
A business prepared to commit to educational marketing can leverage YouTube to great effect. YouTube is also a platform heavily used by influencers, and influencer marketing can be very effective. These aren’t the only types of marketing you can employ on YouTube, just two of the most effective.
In summary: YouTube works well with educational marketing and community engagement.
Choosing A Social Media Platform For Your Business
Now that we’ve briefly discussed a handful of the social media platforms out there, it’s time to consider what you want your socials to achieve. Do you want to improve brand awareness with 20-30-year-olds? Do you want to establish authority in a B2B space using video content? Ask yourself these questions and more. Be sure to think about:
- Your audience demographics
- The type of content you can produce
- The type of engagement you seek
- Your marketing methods and goals
Consider the responses to these questions as your social media wish list. Now, objectively compare the list to the strengths of each social platform and any limitations that circle your marketing efforts, like budgets. At the end of this process, you should be left with a selection of social media platforms suited to your business and marketing goals.
Incredible opportunities are waiting for businesses that leverage social media for all that it’s worth. If you have any questions about what social media platform would suit your business best, get in touch with our digital marketing experts today.
