Discover which social media platforms will appeal most to your target audience
Reaching your target audience on social media requires a significant time investment and strategy. However, when using social media platforms to promote your business, it’s best to understand that not every platform is going to be a perfect fit for your company’s messaging. Don’t fret, this is actually really good news. Because of the amount of time it takes to manage your social platforms, it will benefit you greatly to hyper-focus on the ones that ensure your messaging will be delivered directly to your target audience, while maximizing their engagement.
To help give you an idea as to where your target audience might be spending the most time, we put together a consolidated list of the most popular social media platforms, complete with which types of consumers and businesses they attract.
Finding the Right Social Media Platform for Your Business
Pinterest: With a primary demographic of educated women, Pinterest has made a name for itself and serves as a successful tool for businesses selling consumer goods or teaching “how to’s” and “DIYs.” This platform is great if you are in a visually dependent industry or you can portray your products or services through photos and videos.
Key Stats: 100+ million active monthly pinners (2015), 44% of women online are Pinterest users compared to 16% men, 37% of online users under the age of 50 use Pinterest, compared to 22% over age 50. (2015)
LinkedIn: A site in place that still embraces the idea of “social networking” versus “social media”. LinkedIn is a great space for B2B businesses to post and publish information that doesn’t necessarily have to be visually reliant. Key users are professionals that are looking to make business connections, find a new job, or looking to obtain professional advice and industry-related insights.
Key Stats: 380+ million registered members (2015), 49% of online adults who have a college degree are LinkedIn users, usage rates higher among ages 30-49, majority employed with income of $50,000+. (2015)
Twitter: This platform targets a much younger demographic referred to as “information junkies” and performs well for companies that have very topical information to share. Twitter works best if someone is available to respond to the conversation that takes place on the platform as the average life of a tweet - and this might be stretching it - is 24 minutes.
Key Stats: 316 million monthly active users (2015), 30% of users online under the age of 50 use Twitter compared to 11% of those over 50, majority of users live in urban areas. (2015)
Facebook: The most popular social media platform by far, this medium is more about building relationships and holding a long-term commitment with your customers. With the massive population of users, having a business page is unquestionably beneficial. Users expect to see more of the personal side on Facebook - in contrast to what you might display on your website. Share things that show the social side of the business, but be prepared for some competition when it comes to getting your stuff seen on the crowded News Feed. Work on building an engaged following or be prepared to pay a small price to be seen.
Key Stats: 1.49 billion monthly active users (2015), shifting towards becoming more popular among adults, numbers high in demographics across the board. (2015)
Instagram: This visual platform is the fastest growing platform and best serves business with highly visual content. Functionality is available to overlap with Facebook and Twitter so the time investment is less high if you’re already using one of the mentioned social media networks. Users are typically younger and lean towards the female demographic; though, male numbers are increasing.
Key Stats: 400 million total users (2015), majority online users - 55% - are ages 18 to 29, 47% of African Americans and 38% Hispanics online use the platform, and women at 31% still trump men at 28%. (2015)
Google+: Google+ boasts one of the largest online populations because every Gmail account gets an automatic Google+ account, but engagement remains relatively low. Although less popular and much quieter than the above platforms, Google+ lends itself to helping you boost your SEO, which is vitally important for any business looking to be found online. In addition, low activity means low competition, in contrast to the roaring News Feed on Facebook. If you are more of a service-based or information-based business and you’re pumping out content then having authorship and SEO may be the most important for your brand. Google+ will help you with that.
Key Stats: No released numbers from Google, other sites approximate 300 million total active users (2015), 70% of Google+ users are male, the 45-54 age group is growing the fastest. (2014)
Now that you understand that not every business will be successful on every social platform, we want you to review the list above along with the information you know about your target consumer audience. We encourage you to pick two or three platforms that you believe will work best for your audience, product or service. Because after all, the best social network for your business is the one you will use. If you have trouble finding the right social media platform for your business, contact us for assistance.