Social media can definitely be overwhelming. Understanding how social media can help your business can take more time than you really have as your growing. As you start to create a social media presence for your business there are many different things to consider.
Pick your social channels
Different social media channels can provide the perfect fit to your target audience, while others may just not be geared to who you’re hoping to target. Consider which platforms will make the most sense with your industry and target audience.
Some of the major social media platforms include:
Twitter:
Pros:
- Unlike other social networks, Twitter does not have an algorithm that requires engagement for posts to be seen. You know your followers are going to get your tweet.
- A good tweet does not take long to create.
- It is easy to track data collected through Twitter.
- Twitter automatically shortens links.
- You can automate and schedule what you want to share.
Cons:
- Many people have thousands of accounts they follow. The more accounts the follow the more tweets to weed through in order for them to see yours.
- It takes a lot of time to engage with the community and it may not be worth the cost for the business.
Demographics of Twitter Users:
- 24% of all U.S. Twitter users are male.
- 21% of U.S. Twitter users are female.
- There are 262 million international Twitter users.
- 32% of U.S. Twitter users have higher college degrees.
- 38% of U.S. Twitter users are between the age of 18-29 years old, 26% of users are 30-49 years old.
- 80% of Twitter users are affluent millennials
Pros
- Relationships are easy to build
- Your business can be tagged in posts by brand ambassadors.
- Interactions from users have a snowball effect.
- Ad targeting is very specific
Cons:
- Facebook’s algorithm can make it difficult for businesses to grow their pages.
Demographics of Facebook Users:
- Male users (19.3%) and female users (13.2%) between the ages of 25 and 34 years are the biggest demographic group on Facebook.
- Seniors aged 65+ are the smallest demographic group on Facebook.
- 82% of college graduates are on Facebook
- Almost 90% of Facebook’s Daily active users come from outside the US/Canada
Instagram:
Pros
- As you put the right hashtags it is easy to search and find content.
- Easy to grow. With engagement and consistent posting it’s easy to grow your account.
- It’s easy to follow branding and show your business personality.
Cons
- Instagram is heavily weighted toward visual brands. It can be difficult if your brand does not have visual content.
- Millenials and GenZ heavily use the app. If you market towards an older market it may not be the right app.
- Works best if you’re posting at least once a day.
Demographics of Instagram Users:
- 67 % of U.S. adults ages 18-29 use Instagram
- 89% of users are outside the U.S.
- 72% of teens use Instagram.
- 73% of U.S. teens say Instagram is the best way for brands to reach them about new products or promotions.
Pinterest:
Pros
- Easy to drive traffic to external websites.
- Followers aren’t forced to follow everything you do. It’s possible for them to follow specific boards.
- Very easy to share posts.
Cons
- Attractive to a very specific audience
- The majority of users are women under the age of 45.
- The images you use must be very specific.
- More content typically needs to be shared to be noticed.
Demographics of Pinterest Users:
- 71% of Pinterest users are females
- 35% of Pinterest users are 35-49 years old.
- 34% of Pinterest users are 18-29 years old.
- 16% of Pinterest users are male.
- 70% of Pinterest users have a college degree.
Given the demographic information for each major social media platform it is easy to see which may be the perfect fit for your business social media strategy. It is important to not spread yourself too thin. Do not try to grow accounts on multiple platforms at once. It is great to focus on one as you’re building and hone your voice and brand. See what works and what doesn’t.
