One of the biggest misconceptions about social media marketing is the idea that more platforms = more popularity. Many businesses believe that every major social media platform is relevant for their industry and therefore deserves their attention. The logic is, if lots of people use the platform, it makes sense to advertise on it, whether it’s TikTok, X, or Facebook.
At least some of those people are bound to be interested in your brand, right?
The truth is, different social media platforms are relevant for different types of businesses. And just because a certain platform is popular in general doesn’t mean it’s popular for your audience.
Here are a few ways to decide which social platforms to focus your marketing on:
- Identify Your Target Audience
Extensive research has been conducted to determine which platforms are most popular for each age group. While LinkedIn and Facebook are most popular for 30 to 49-year-olds, Instagram and X are most popular for 18 to 29-year-olds. However, X doesn’t get anywhere near as much actual usage as the other three platforms. TikTok is also popular amongst Gen Z and younger millennials, particularly those who consume a lot of digital content.
How old is your average customer? Maybe it falls in the middle of the ranges for LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. In this case, you can narrow down your options even further by considering how other businesses use each of these platforms.
- Consider the Advantages of Each Platform
Facebook and Instagram are ideal for businesses looking to build brand awareness and expand their visibility. These two platforms allow you to reach users beyond those who’ve already liked or engaged with your business’s pages by targeting highly specific audiences. You can create advertisements that target audiences by characteristics like gender, age, geographical location, annual income, etc.
Facebook and Instagram also give you the opportunity to interact with customers directly, which is why they are widely preferred by B2C companies. Since Instagram revolves around images, it’s the go-to platform for product-based e-commerce.
LinkedIn, on the other hand, is widely preferred by B2B companies because it’s more conducive to establishing relationships with potential clients.
- Which Platforms are Your Competitors On?
Next, it’s time to determine the preferred platform(s) of your biggest competitors. These businesses may have accounts on multiple platforms, but they almost certainly aren’t seeing the same levels of engagement across the board.
So, visit your top competitors’ social media pages and see how often they are posting, and how many users are engaging with their content (on average). Remember, you share the same target audience as these businesses, so if they are finding success on a certain platform, there’s a strong likelihood you’ll see similar results.
- What About TikTok?
Since TikTok is so trendy with younger demographics, lots of businesses feel the need to build a presence on this platform so they can market to this audience.
But here’s the thing about video content: It’s not as easy as it looks. You won’t go viral by posting a video of you talking about your brand or explaining how your latest product works. Businesses that see success on TikTok put significant time and resources into their videos to ensure that each post provides real value.
In order to capture and maintain someone’s attention on TikTok, you have to tell them something genuinely interesting or amusing, something that makes then laugh, smile, gasp, nod in agreement, etc. TikTok users typically engage with content that makes them react with strong emotions.
So, if your competitors have found success on TikTok and you’re willing to put in the effort to create valuable content, go for it. If you don’t have the time or resources to make this happen, there’s nothing wrong with ignoring TikTok and concentrating on a platform where you’re more likely to foster engagement.
For further advice on how to choose the right social platforms to market your brand, contact the team at The Found Gen today.