[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When done correctly, social media can be a highly effective and lucrative marketing medium. But where should you start?
This is a tricky question, and it’s one that can be difficult for businesses to answer. After all, many companies are established on several social media platforms. How can you catch up to the competition, which might have years of social media experience?
The real keys to social media marketing are knowing your audience and knowing your strengths. And there’s no time at which this matters more than when deciding which social media platform you’re going to use.
What are the best social media sites for marketing?
If you choose the wrong social media platform, you’ll fail and not even understand why. But if you pick the right one, you’ll enrich your relationships with your customers and open yourself up to new relationships at the same time. In other words, it’s really important to get this right the first time.
Facebook is the largest and most well-known social media platform there is. For all the talk about younger people abandoning Facebook, it remains the biggest platform out there, and therefore it’s most likely your best place to start. No matter what your goals are – video content, upcoming promotions, linking to blogs on your site – you can accomplish it on Facebook.
On the down side, the sheer volume of businesses on Facebook means that it may be difficult for you to get noticed. However, with more than a billion Facebook users worldwide, you’re sure to find your audience on Facebook.
Instagram is a particularly interesting platform, especially if you’re targeting a younger audience – approximately a third of teenagers believe that Instagram is the most important social media platform. And the exposure to that young Instagram audience can pay off in a big way. People who follow businesses on Instagram engage with those companies a whopping 58 times more than they do on Facebook. Furthermore, paid ads are significantly more effective on Instagram than they are on Facebook.
The younger-skewing demographics of Instagram may be a drawback for some businesses. Additionally, outside of paid ads, Instagram does not allow users to insert links in their posts, meaning that people might not know how to find your website to make a purchase. Instead, links can be placed in your bio so that interested followers can find your site.
YouTube
YouTube isn’t just a place to watch the latest Star Wars trailer. It’s a bona-fide social media platform that helps businesses get worldwide exposure every day. People watch 4 billion videos on YouTube each day. Better yet, over half of all YouTube viewing is done on mobile devices, allowing people to see your products hands-on before deciding to purchase.
YouTube is a video-only platform, so if you’re unable to produce videos, this isn’t the place for you. However, it’s a great time to embrace video, since marketers are becoming very keen on using video over blogs and other types of content. YouTube is a great place for you to upload your videos and cement your business as an industry thought leader.
No matter which platform you use, it’s important to stay abreast of trends and monitor the engagement levels of your audience. After a while on social media, you may find that you’re more suited to a different platform, and that’s fine. What’s important is that you stay true to your core values and your audience. In this era of social media and image-based marketing, trying to be something you’re not may be the biggest mistake of all.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mpc_callout preset=”preset_3″ content_width=”100″ mpc_button__mpc_tooltip__border_divider=”true” mpc_button__mpc_tooltip__padding_divider=”true”][/mpc_callout][/vc_column][/vc_row]
