How to Pick the Right Social Media Platform for Your Brand

The consumer of today is online 24/7 and it cannot be denied that social media is here to stay. In the last decade or so, the Digital Age has ushered in technologies that have changed the way we live on a daily basis; we check our phones right after we wake, and the lock screen’s click is the last thing we hear as our eyes close.

For brands and businesses, what this means is that their marketing strategies need to adapt.

Online presence is a necessity for businesses that want to succeed in the present day. Whether it’s having your own website or via social media platforms, your brand should exist in the online space.

In this article, we provide you with the important factors you need to consider when growing your social media audience. Discover the best social media channel for your brand’s niche and reach the right audiences to maximize your digital marketing efforts.

While having a website for your business can be likened to having a piece of real estate for where your store stands, digitally, social media marketing can be representative of having a physical store inside a shopping mall – but you have billions of shoppers walking in and out every day.

4.70 billion social media users as of June 2022, per Data Reportal. This number is why your business needs to be on social. Reaching a large audience through a social media platform makes it easier to find your ideal customers.

In fact, per Hubspot’s Social Media Marketing Report in 2021, 77% of marketers claimed that social media marketing proved to be “very effective” for their business. So, if your business isn’t on social, what are you doing to reach your customers?

And today, how does one even live without a phone? Mobile tech has allowed people to be online 24/7, with social media users spending an average of 2.5 hours a day on these platforms.

If you still think that social media is a passing trend the same way people thought that email is dead, then it’s unfortunate how your business is going to get left behind. Your target audience is real people, too. Consumers are more than pixels on the screen. Decision makers, company executives, and potential investors are on social media as well – they’re real people that you can reach through the click of a button!

So, if you play your social media marketing strategies correctly, you get to leverage the advantages of working with a social media marketing agency for your business, whether it’s B2C, B2B, or C2C:

Increasing brand awareness and reach
Generating leads and sales
Creating a community for your brand or product
Enhancing customer service and support

Now that we know social media marketing is important, let’s jump into the types of social media platforms that exist and how you can identify which one would work best for your brand.

That being said, should your business already be on a social media platform, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or LinkedIn, how effective are your social media and influencer marketing strategies?

Having a ‘strong online presence’ doesn’t mean that your business should be on all the popular social media sites, but it’s how authoritative, relevant, and engaging your brand is online.

The key to successful social media marketing is identifying which platform better serves your brand. Let’s look at the most popular ones and see how you can identify if it’s the best platform for your business.

Facebook

Facebook is one of the – if not already the undisputed – most popular social media platforms. It’s great for businesses of all sizes and niches. The platform has nearly three billion monthly active users as of writing, so it guarantees that your brand can reach a large audience.

FB is also great for creating engaging content that can help promote your brand or product due to its massive population and reach.

Instagram

Instagram is a social media platform that fits brands that are aesthetic, imaginative, and visual, making it an effective platform for influencer marketing.

If your business is selling products or services that are appealing to the eyes, then Instagram is the platform for you. It has over 1.4 billion active users, with a large audience of a rather younger demographic focused on videos, pictures, and images.

Twitter

Twitter, which is reported to have 486 million users as of mid-year 2022, is the social media platform for businesses that want to share short, concise messages with their audience. The platform is perfect for sharing news updates, announcements, or promoting your brand or product. It’s also being utilised to respond to customers as an alternative customer service channel.

TikTok

TikTok is the social media platform for influencers and brands that want to share short, viral videos, such as reels, with their audience. A fast-rising star in the social media sphere, TikTok is home to 750 million users, mostly from the younger generations.

LinkedIn, which has 810 million users, is the social media platform for businesses that want to connect with other businesses or professionals. The platform is suited for networking, job postings, or promoting your brand or product. It’s also best utilised as a hub to showcase your authority and expertise.

Now let’s look at how you can identify which one would work best for your brand.

The first step is to identify your goals. What do you want to achieve with your social media marketing strategy? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or create a community for your brand? Once you know your goals, you can start to narrow down which platform works best for your business.

If you’re looking to increase brand awareness, then Facebook and Instagram are great platforms to consider. If you’re looking for a platform to generate leads, then LinkedIn would be a great option. And if you’re looking to create a community for your brand, then Twitter would be a good platform to consider.

The second step is to consider your audience. Who are you trying to reach? Every platform has a different type of audience, so it’s important to consider your ideal customer.

For example, if you’re trying to reach a business audience, then LinkedIn would be at the top of your list. If you’re trying to reach a younger audience, then Instagram or TikTok would likely be a better choice – thanks to a heavy reliance on video content.

The third step is to consider your budget. Each platform has different social media advertising options, so it’s important to consider your budget before choosing a platform. Facebook and LinkedIn offer more traditional advertising options, while Instagram and TikTok offer more creative advertising options that maximise video content.

Once you’ve considered your goals, audience, and budget, the platform that would work best for your brand becomes so much clearer. If you’re still not sure, then try experimenting with different platforms to see which one works best for your objectives.

What truly matters here is how impactful social media can be in growing your audience, and online presence isn’t built overnight. The sooner you get the ball rolling on your social media marketing campaign, the faster you’re going to see results as well.