Social media has become a vital marketing tool for any business that wants to stay relevant and visible. According to 88% of marketers, social networks have helped increase exposure. If you use social media at its best, you could be taking advantage of an enormous opportunity.
It can take a lot of work to get started. Even something that seems simple, like choosing a platform for social media marketing, can be much more complex than you think. Choosing your channels and creating a strategy can be overwhelming. You can begin by narrowing your options to the most widely used and popular platforms.
What social media platforms should I use to promote my business?
Prioritizing what is important to you will help you determine your business’s best social media strategy. Does it expand your reach? Are you generating more leads with it? Does it have to do with brand recognition?
The next step is to determine which platform will provide you with the best exposure and the right audience. Does your brand have a vital visual element that connects well to platforms like Instagram or TikTok? Are you focusing on current events that would be good for Twitter? Is your audience varied and therefore requires a mix of platforms, such as YouTube and LinkedIn? Find out by diving into social media!
How to narrow down your choices
There are many social media platforms available. Some connect people who share similar interests, hobbies, demographics, and more. There are too many social media platforms for you to stay active on. You’d be better off focusing your efforts on sites that will help you achieve your goals.
According to the latest digital 2020: Global Overview report, Facebook, YouTube, Whatsapp, and Instagram are the most popular social media sites in terms of active users.
Free Social Media Calendar
Define your social media goals
Social media has many advantages, but you need to set specific goals first. You can then create a successful social media strategy for your business.
Your objectives will determine the platform you select, the type of content you create, who you are targeting, and much more. You might want to concentrate on some of the expected social media benefits:
- You can improve your customer service by offering another platform where customers can contact you with questions, complaints, and concerns. See what other brands have done to implement social service successfully.
- Find new prospects and leads who are similar to the best customers.
- Reach out to new audiences and social media demographics that might be interested in your products or services.
- Expose your brand to new audiences and increase its awareness.
- Discover the habits, needs and wants of your customers and audience. Increase traffic and sales to your website.
Find out what channels your audience uses
Successful Social Media Marketing aims to bring you into contact with the most receptive of your audience. It’s best to avoid choosing a platform on which your target audience does not operate.
There’s no “Field of Dreams” opportunity where prospects will use the social platform of choice simply because you created a profile. It’s much more effective to find out which social networks your audience uses and then reach out to them on those platforms.
When starting this process, it is first important to conduct audience research to create a buyer persona. You will know exactly who you’re looking for, and you can narrow down their platforms by gender, age, demographics, or interests.
You can find out where your audience hangs out online in various ways. A simple survey of your customers is one of the easiest ways to find out where they hang out online. You can ask them what social media sites they use, how they obtain their information on the internet, and who they listen to.
Social media sites can also provide you with information about your audience. Facebook, for example, will estimate your audience size if you pay them to advertise. Analytics can be used to identify who your audience and what they do.
