What is the best social media platform for your business
Rather than attempting to have a presence on every social media platform, it is better to pick the best platforms specifically for your business. If you pick just a couple, you can concentrate on creating engaging content. By picking any more, you risk spreading yourself too thin trying to be all things to all people. Elements to bear in mind when deciding are; the age of the users, the type of businesses on each platform and where your type of audience will connect best with your business. Below, I have picked out the four most popular platforms but there are others to consider. Here are some descriptions of each platform for you to decide which suits you best:
Twitter is mostly used by 25-34 year olds1. It is a live information platform best used for traffic updates, news and celebrity stories, politics, medical updates and awards. Twitter has a low character allowance of 280 words. This keeps it short and snappy informative and often an educational source. It can be a great platform to chat directly with customers, putting out questions or information concerning your business. You can use it for keeping up with competition and connecting with similar businesses.
LinkedIn users are mostly between 36 and 55 years old, with 34% between 36-45 and 37% between 46 and 55 years2. It is a professional platform where digital CVs are uploaded. These profiles can be perused by potential future employers/recruitment agents and can be used to build your presence amongst your peers. LinkedIn is fast becoming the business equivalent of Facebook with posts on the rise. Businesses and individuals will time posts relevant to current affairs and their business to gain a following. It also gives a business a chance to put content out to become a business leader in their field. Be aware that users tend to prefer an informative voice rather than images of what you’ve had for your dinner. Sharing your business back story wins, losses and new products or advice are all encouraged. LinkedIn is great for peer connections and B2B rather than B2C.
Instagram users are 25-34 years old, with 18-24 years old on the increase. If you have a business marketing to these ages, Instagram is a great place for your brand. As it is a visual platform, consider how well you can represent your business through photography and videography. Reels and stories help you connect to your audience directly and build a community. Instagram is a great place for subtle marketing but it does need constant work to keep your followers engaged. When opening an Instagram business account, you need a Facebook account to link it to so carefully consider whether you want to use Facebook as a marketing platform too. Check out this guide for all the benefits of running a business on Instagram.
Facebook users are 19-49 years old3. This is the broadest age range to share one social media app which means Facebook remains the most popular platform for business pages. Instagram and Facebook are linked together for ease of posting which can be very helpful. However, I would always caution that each platform is slightly different so ensure you examine your audience on each platform separately and decide on your content accordingly. The benefits of Facebook are the ability to share your articles directly from your website and a snippet to draw people to view the article and increase your website views. Facebook is also a good customer support area and often a place people will go to message a business directly.
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