When choosing social media channels for your brand, it’s important to note: You don’t have to be on every channel.
This is especially true if you have no plans or bandwidth to take advantage of them. For example, if you are on Twitter but have hardly tweeted, it doesn’t look good.
Instead, choose some channels that suit the work you want to accomplish.
In this blog post, we will break down some of the core social media channels that brands use to promote themselves. More importantly, we will cover people's expectations of the brand in each channel.
This is very important because you are investing time and brand resources to attract audiences. Therefore, you will want to know that your target audience is A) your channel and B) what you expect and want you to share.
Let's start with Facebook.
1- Facebook
Facebook is notorious for allowing brands to have extremely low organic coverage on its posts. In other words, companies must "pay to play".
Facebook has a large active user base. (In fact, the platform recently reported that it has nearly 1.6 billion daily active users.) According to a study by Sprout Social:
"Of those who use Facebook, 74% log in every day. In fact, half of them actually check Facebook several times a day."
If you haven't advertised on this platform before, it may suddenly sound attractive.
How do people engage on Facebook?
According to HubSpot, a large proportion of Facebook users, that is, young consumers, use this channel to consume content, such as "online news, business and lifestyle stories."
This is very important for marketers. It tells us that Facebook is a good platform that can provide us with the most important information, such as company news and product launches.
Therefore, if the content is suitable for your brand, Facebook may be a good lever to attract viewers. To be sure, take a deep dive into your Facebook audience insights and see if your followers on the platform align with your target audience. If they do, it may be worth investing time in this channel.
If not, remember that you can also explore paid advertising campaigns on Facebook to build suitable followers for your brand.
2 – Twitter
Now let's look at Twitter.
Although people usually regard Twitter as a channel for word-of-mouth marketing, the platform also provides a large number of external marketing opportunities. It is relatively simple for brands to meet their customers where they are already and jump into relevant conversations.
This is the Hootsuite stats that we like very much:
"People are 31% more likely to recall what they saw on Twitter."
Therefore, people are about a third more likely to remember Twitter content than anywhere else on the Internet. why? This may be because the format of the tweet is easy to understand.
Or, it may indicate the mentality of people when they visit the platform. They are curious and eager to consume new and interesting information.
In any case, this lays the foundation for how you think about what should be shared on this channel. For example, you may want to post facts about your industry or your brand's views on news and information related to your space on Twitter.
What Separates Twitter from Other Channels?
People are starting to expect brands to respond to customer service inquiries on Twitter. If your brand is on this channel, please make sure you have the process and personnel to handle these messages.
In addition, to support, Twitter is also a great platform to connect with your users and customers to build trust between them and your brand.
In fact, according to Brand Watch:
Likewise, there are many opportunities to improve the relationship between customers and brands. There are more opportunities to establish meaningful connections with customers. These connections are very important and influential.
3 – Instagram
Okay, keep using Instagram.
Instagram has a very active user base, with 500 million people visiting the app every day. Therefore, brands have many opportunities to reach audiences in effective ways. This is true whether you are an influential person or a company, or a company that wants to connect with influential people.
We like this statistic from Global Web Index because it shows how people participate in this channel.
"More than one-third of Instagram users use their mobile devices to shop online."
This is 70% higher than those who do not use Instagram.
Optimizing the Customer Purchase Flow
If you are like us, you will always see ads on Instagram. This platform makes it very easy for users to directly enter the purchase process from advertising.
In addition to this, another reason you might want your brand to appear on Instagram is that your competitors are already there-very likely.
According to Instagram business:
"About 80% of Instagram users follow the business on Instagram."
We usually do not advocate the use of social channels just because of our competitors. But, for example, you are a retail company. Instagram’s easy buying process and its users’ buying habits can be a key part of your social media marketing plan.
4 – LinkedIn
This brings us to the final platform we will introduce: LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the best social media platform for B2B lead generation. It has a very niche user base-those who seek solutions in their profession and career.
The content shared on this channel is not saturated by a large number of topics, but more focused on suggestions, tips and tricks, job postings, and related information.
A Space for Professional Content
According to LinkedIn business:
This tells us a lot about the types of valuable content in the channel, so your brand can share the types of content that are relevant to LinkedIn users.
People spend time socially—because of boredom, passing time, or seeking entertainment. But they will invest time on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Business also stated that 80% of B2B potential customers come from the platform. People are eager to learn and absorb content that helps develop skills and enhance their careers.
Therefore, if your brand is B2B, LinkedIn can be a gold mine for potential customer generation and audience engagement, or a great recruitment tool for any brand's human resources team.
Now you have a better understanding of the core channels that can be used to execute social strategies. However, have you developed a strategy to make these channels serve your brand?
