It is okay to feel overwhelmed with social media; however, if you have a solid, professional website, then you’re set.
The whole idea is to direct traffic to your website, which is why social media engagement is key in your digital marketing strategy. So, if you choose the platforms that best suit your customer needs and business goals, then you can engage with them successfully and reap the benefits.
But first, how to decide…
There are a lot of popular platforms; however, your main attention should be directed towards who your customers are, to determine, where they will likely be spending the most time. This will be defined by your business, meaning, if you are running a cake shop, FB, Instagram and Pinterest (great for generating leads and call to action potentials) will be options to consider; but if you are providing a consulting or training services to corporate firms, then LinkedIn (great for business-to-business aims) may be your most suited platform. So, in short: once you’ve decided where your customers will be, it’s only a matter of considering the pros and cons of each platform relative to your industry and business goals.
Here are 3 social media platform options to consider based on the above mentioned formula:
FB is the most popular, widely-used, and the most evenly distributed demographic of any platform in the world. So, if you are looking to increase awareness of your brand, this is the best place to start. The Facebook Advertising tool has recently been a game changer in the world of digital marketing because of its targeting capabilities; which means you can now target your ads to your specific demographic. So, it does not matter which business field you’re in, FB should be your number one go-to platform.
This platform is great for showcasing products, brand essence, generating leads, and driving significant traffic to your website. Consider the fact that Pinterest alone drives more website traffic than Google and LinkedIn combined, which is why more people are opting to search for products there than on Google. Pinterest is a vision board social photo sharing platform that visually connects services and products to the websites that offer them, which needless to say is a powerful tool to have.
LinkedIn is perfect for Business-to-Business (B2B) aims. So companies, whose target market is other corporate firms then this is the perfect platform. Consider the fact that two professionals join the site every second, with more than 135 million active users worldwide. It is also great for professional networking, company descriptions, recruitments, and employer/employee research. When researching business partnerships and the services of professional firms, this is where corporate executives look first, and since company and team profiles are up-to-date they are a great networking tool for any professionally credible establishment.
Instagram comes a close second after Twitter, and closing in. Specifically, the 18-29 year old demographic dominate this platform. Restaurants, designers, and architects are just a few business sectors that could benefit from this visual platform. Therefore, a photo contest among users would go a long way to engage this target market. The best thing about this particular platform, is it makes an amateur photos look better than they really are. Think brand image and you get the idea!
It’s not surprising that most celebrities prefer to use Twitter; it is the perfect platform to keep followers updated on what is happening as it is happening. But most importantly, Twitter users have a higher tendency to follow brands than other platforms combined. Close to 50% of the users log in daily to take advantage of exclusive offers, discounts, updates and contests, which is why Twitter is great for pushing products, deals and announcing Ad Campaigns. So, business sectors that focus on news, sports, entertainment and marketing will be best suited for this platform.
Are you ready to elevate your business to another level?
Feel free to talk to one of our digital strategists today. We are more than happy to help! Contact us now.
