Social media marketing is a broad term that has come to encompass all kinds of marketing through social platforms. This could include YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and so much more.
Each of these platforms has its own character, audience, and interests. Some are much more professional, and attract a more adult audience while others are much more informal and attract younger audiences. For example, companies’ posts should never look the same on LinkedIn as they do on Snapchat. Posting incorrect content on each platform could reflect badly on your business as a whole.
That is why it is important to know how to sculpt your ads and posts for each individual platform. Here is a breakdown of each platform and the audience that it attracts when it comes to Social Media Marketing.
Facebook is one of the most important social media marketing platforms for small businesses and large businesses alike. Overall every business belongs on Facebook. Here you can post all kinds of content from written ads to videos and even live sessions. Facebook users tend to prefer video or live content but you can still receive great results with text and photo posts as well.
Demographics
In general, this social media marketing platform attracts slightly older individuals. The average Facebook user is between 20 to 60 with an average age of 40.5. This is useful to know for businesses looking to market to adults around their 40s. Facebook has become a place of discussion as well as a great hub for advertising.
Among all of the social media options, Facebook is a safe option to use for your business. It is easy to get into and also it has a great platform for running paid advertisements. Since Facebook has collected so much useful information it is really easy to target specific customers that could use your services.
Instagram and Facebook might be owned by the same company but they can function as two completely different marketing tools. This app is known for being based on the visual aspect of your business. If you make anything that can be turned into a beautiful video or photo then this is a great platform for you.
Some great examples of business that do great on Instagram are, photographers, chefs, restaurants, artists. Anything that can be visually appealing in a quick moment of looking.
Demographics
Instagrams audience normally leans on the younger side. The average users are between 16 and 34, meaning that this platform is great for attracting young adults. So whatever kind of service or product that you offer it could be a great place to market to younger audiences here.
This app thrives on visual content as mentioned before. So photos and videos tend to outperform every other form of content on this site. If your product or service cannot easily be turned into a beautiful photo or video then this could be a difficult platform for your business. This is not to say that it is worthless as all businesses can benefit from all social media usage. It is just a question of if the investment into the social platform will return enough value for your business.
LinkedIn is the social platform for business. It is the place to learn, hire and discuss business. That means that this platform is normally very dry, professional and informative. This is not a good social platform for posting material that might make someone laugh. Rather this is a great place to post informative content, blog posts and videos. This is also a great place to impress potential customers and clients with how much you know and how much you can help.
Demographics
The average LinkedIn user is usually 25 to 50 years old. This means that you can have great success marketing products and services to users who are around these demographics. LinkedIn is also teeming with highly educated individuals. This platform is also male leaning as 57 percent of its users are male and only 43 percent are female.
LinkedIn is a great place to build professional connections and share knowledge. It is a place for discussion, learning and growth. This is a great Social Media Platform for any business that is more on the professional side and targets older business owners.
YouTube
YouTube is the video hub of the world. It is no secret that YouTube has grown immensely since its creation. It has since grown to be the second-largest search engine in the world and rivaled only by Google. There are millions of videos watched every day on youtube. The question is if your business will fit this platform or not.
YouTube is a great example of another platform that can work for nearly every business out there. Since YouTube thrives on how-to, and frequently asked questions videos there is almost always some kind of content that customers would like to see. A great way to find content to post on YouTube is just to answer the major questions that you hear every day. By answering them on YouTube you can begin to develop yourself as a trusted professional.
Demographics
YouTube users are normally a slightly younger audience, however, all ages tend to frequent this social site. This platform is also slightly more male leaning at 62 percent male users and only 38 percent female. There are many people who watch YouTube videos for many different reasons but overall the content that does the best is, how-to/educational content, unboxing videos/product reviews, gaming, Vlogs and so much more.
This is a great platform for any business who has a lot to teach potential customers and clients. It is a great way to relay helpful and important information out into the world. Additionally this is also a great platform for any business who does a great job to entertain customers with humor or talent.
The only drawback to using YouTube to market your business is that it is very time-consuming to create advanced YouTube videos. Constantly improving smartphone cameras have done a great job to make it easier but it is still a challenge to take on. Unlike Facebook or Instagram where you can simply add together a graphic and some text, YouTube requires substantially more work but the payout can be greater as well.
Twitter is an interesting platform because it revolves around short bursts of entertainment or information. This is a great platform to convey your brands attitute or sas. It allows you to spread the personality of your company beyond just your walls. Some great examples of companies that have mastered the art of Twitter would include Dennys and Jack in the Box. These two brands have done a great job to humanize what they do and adding their own narrative into the world. These brands are even known for having entertaining and comical twitter pages, this has helped them find more customers and win overcome some of their competitors.
Twitter can be a difficult platform because it is so personalized. It is much safer to post on LinkedIn when you are simply relaying information or helpfully answering questions. Twitter on the other hand is full of opinions, and human dialogue which can land your business in some hot water if done incorrectly.
Demographics
The Twitter audience tends to lean slightly on the younger side. There are also more males on this platform than females, coming in a 66 percent male to only 34 percent female. Twitter is full of customers who love a quick joke, quote or piece of advice on current events or news.
Twitter is most useful for brands that are already established. It can help your business adjust from being known to being well known. It is not the best place to start, however. Done correctly it can help to improve your branding strategy and create a great reputation for your business.
Pinterest is the last but not at all the least important social media platform on this list. This platform is fairly similar to Instagram in the way that it attracts highly visual content. Large images with text overlays are the most common way to present content on this platform. Some great examples of content that excel on Pinterest are, products, recipes, quotes, and even exercise.
Demographics
Pinterest users are normally around 20 to 40 years old. The audience is comprised of young adults and young professionals. This social network tends to have a majority of female users at 71 percent. This platform is full of shoppers, and decorators. It is a great place for beautiful content and wonderful products.
This platform is built for displaying novel ideas, great products, and interesting ways to do things. One of the greatest things about this platform is that it is a powerhouse for conversions. Unlike many other social media platforms on this list, Pinterest is where people come to buy products. This leads to Pinterest being one of the highest converting social media networks out there.
Choosing Your Social Media Marketing Platforms
As you can see there are many social media networks for all kinds of business and purposes. There are still many more that were not included on this list. The important part about social media marketing is to choose your platforms carefully, and then take your time to learn about each one. Be careful to avoid the one size fits all approach of ignoring the differences between various social media platforms. Each deserves to be perfected properly.
Only choose as many social media platforms as you can handle regularly. Posting infrequently on 6 social media channels is not going to do you any good. It is much better to post consistently on only a few channels in order to build a useful following. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. For small businesses, a good number to shoot for is 3 social media networks. If that does not work for you there is no shame in doing 2 perfectly or even just focusing down on one.
Take your time and invest the resources required in social media marketing. Social Media is just like anything else out there, it takes time and effort in order to see results. It is not magic and it does not regularly happen overnight. Join a content creation plan today and start to create a brand for yourself online.