Marketing

Social Media Marketing: Choosing The Right Platform

April 03, 2023
social media marketing

The power of social media allows you to reach a wider and more willing audience. A recent study by Google suggests that 63% of customers begin their journey online, whether they purchase online or in-store.

With nearly three billion users worldwide, Facebook continues to be a dominating social network among users. But that doesn’t make Facebook suitable for all kinds of businesses. For example, a CRM provider won’t benefit from Facebook as it would from LinkedIn. With so many options, it’s important to understand which platform is the right fit for your brand.

This article will help you pick the right social media advertising platform for your business by identifying the best platforms for a particular industry.

Why Is Choosing the Right Social Media Platform so Difficult?

Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, Clubhouse, Reddit, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and whatnot–there’s no end to the list of social media platforms. Navigating the maze of social media can be overwhelming. Which one should you choose?

The answer is not simple; it’s based on your specific needs, so you must understand what each platform offers and how they differ.

Social media marketing started with Facebook. Almost every brand jumped on the platform to reach a wider audience and leverage high engagement rates. Facebook reaped massive returns for businesses worldwide, but that ended when it started getting overcrowded.

Due to the oversaturated advertising market and limited reach, the required budget for social media marketing on Facebook skyrocketed, forcing marketers to identify other suitable platforms.

Each platform has advantages and disadvantages that may or may not be tailored to suit a brand’s needs. Also, each platform has a different audience, engagement, reach, and visibility. After all that, finding the right platform for your business can be a head-scratcher.

Next, we discuss how you can get out of this chaos.

How to Pick the Ideal Social Media Platform for Your Brand

Here, we discuss five fundamental questions to help you decide your brand’s ideal social media platform.

What Is the Nature of Your Business?

The nature of your business primarily affects which social media platform you choose to represent it. For example, if you’re a retailer that sells physical products, Instagram or Pinterest may be the best fit for your brand since both are highly visual platforms. If you offer services like coaching or consulting, Twitter or LinkedIn are the better choices, as they allow you to connect with professionals and build relationships.

For a B2B business, platforms like LinkedIn or Google+ are ideal because they provide a higher authority audience, like entrepreneurs and CEOs interested in solution providers. It’s important to consider the type of content that will best represent your brand and determine which platforms are the most suitable.

What Is Your Target Audience?

Knowing your target audience is important when deciding which social media platform suits your brand. Different platforms have different demographics and user types; you must identify the ones that best represent your target market. 

For example, if you’re targeting a younger demographic, Instagram would likely be the best choice for your brand. Similarly, if you’re targeting an older demographic, LinkedIn may be the better option. Consider your target audience and what platforms they use most to make your decision easier.

What Are Your Social Media Goals?

The next step in determining your brand’s ideal social media platform is identifying your social media goals. Do you want to use it as a tool for customer support? Are you looking to build relationships and increase brand loyalty? Or do you simply want to drive more traffic and sales?

social media marketing goals

Answering these questions will help you determine which platform is best for your brand. If your goal is to use social media for customer support, choosing a platform that caters to this goal, like Twitter or Facebook, is a good idea. Instagram or Pinterest makes more sense if you seek sales-oriented goals. 

Consider your social media goals, and you’ll be one step closer to determining the right platform for your brand. This will help ensure you use the right strategies and tactics across each platform to effectively reach your objectives.

What Are Your Competitors Doing?

Understanding what platforms your competitors use and how they use them can help you determine what works for other businesses in your industry so that you can apply similar tactics to your brand. 

Start by listing the key competitors in your space, then inventory their social media presence. Also, note how often they post and the type of content they share.

This research can help you determine which platforms your competitors are succeeding in and which may be worth exploring for your brand.

But joining the same platform as your competitors won’t be enough to gain a larger market share as they already have an established presence. To get ahead, look through your competitors’ profiles and explore what type of content they’re posting, how often they’re engaging with their followers, and if there are any areas where you could potentially do something better or differently.

What Do Your Resources Suggest?

Resources are a crucial point where businesses can make or break their social media marketing success. You want to make the right decision by leveraging resources to help you reach your goals effectively and efficiently.

Here are three basic resources for choosing a social media marketing platform.

Audience Data: Your resources can come from both internal and external sources. For example, internally, you may have data on your existing customers or potential target audience. This can tell you which platforms they use and how often they use them. Alternatively, external sources such as market research and industry publications can provide valuable insights into the latest trends in social media usage. 

Budget: Budget is another crucial resource factor to consider. Knowing what you can afford to invest in a social media platform will help you narrow the options and ensure you invest your hard-earned money in the right channels.

Company Size: You should also consider the size of your company.  Are you a small business that can manage its own social media presence? Or will you require an agency or freelancer to manage your accounts? Answering this question can help you determine how many resources it will take to maintain your presence on each platform.

Resources should be guides rather than definitive answers; what works for one business may not work for another. AI-based content creation has significantly changed the resource allocation of companies. If your brand requires heavy content creation, using AI to produce content is a great way to save time, money, and labor.

AI tools such as Publer AI assist enhance your content production by generating unique images, ideas, and blog content. You can even use it to reply to comments and queries to maintain quality customer service.

Discover the Best Social Media Platforms for Different Sectors

social media marketing sectors

Businesses and brands differ according to their sectors, and different platforms cater to different business marketing needs. Here are several business sectors and the most suitable platforms for social media marketing.

E-Commerce

The e-commerce industry has rapidly grown into one of the largest consumer-centric markets. Deciding which social media platform is right for your e-commerce business is easier as most platforms suit this sector. 

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the most popular platforms e-commerce businesses use. Facebook is suitable for displaying product images, promoting offers, and engaging with customers. With a focus on visuals, Instagram is ideal for showcasing products in an attractive light. It’s also a great platform for creating consumer relationships through direct messaging.

Twitter is another popular platform for e-commerce marketing, allowing you to post short messages, engage in conversations and connect with other businesses. It’s also a great platform for responding to customer inquiries quickly. 

Pinterest is an emerging player in the e-commerce market, allowing businesses to share product images that consumers can easily share.

SaaS

SaaS (software-as-a-solution) is a B2B business model that provides web-based software applications to businesses, organizations, and end users.

Ideal social media platforms for SaaS marketing include LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn is a great platform for B2B marketing with its specialized groups and professional community. You use content such as infographics and videos to engage the audience and leverage LinkedIn marketing to promote your service to your target audience.

Twitter has been an effective platform for direct customer engagement and feedback gathering. Companies can use this platform to promote product news, updates, and events. Also, Twitter Ads can be used to target a specific audience and promote the brand more effectively.

B2B Events

The B2B events sector includes companies that offer event solutions for other companies. These events can be seminars, webinars, conferences, ceremonies, and dinners. As a B2B event business, you must target human resource managers and C-suite executives.

The best social media marketing platform for this purpose is LinkedIn. This platform hosts top professionals from all industries, and you can create targeted ads for your B2B events. You can also share content related to your event and join industry-specific groups where you can promote your services.

Technology

Choosing the best social media marketing platform for technology is no small task, as it caters to a vague audience. From IT specialists to gamers, everyone needs technology to make their lives easier. Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all great platforms for tech companies to reach their target audiences. 

Twitter is a great platform for staying updated on the latest industry news and trends and connecting with influencers and potential customers. It’s also a great way to monitor customer feedback and respond quickly.

Reddit is another powerful platform that allows you to engage directly with tech users in real time, ensuring your message reaches your target audience. This platform is ideal for organic growth since it encourages genuine, honest conversations.

Facebook is still the biggest platform for marketing technology products and services, but its algorithm changes can make getting exposure difficult. That said, a well-executed Facebook campaign can yield great results if you have an engaged audience.

LinkedIn is ideal for B2B companies looking to build relationships with other professionals in the industry. It’s a great platform for thought leadership and establishing yourself as an expert.

Video Production and Entertainment

The Video Production and Entertainment sector has plenty of options regarding social media marketing platforms.

YouTube is the most important social media platform for video production and entertainment companies. It’s great for building brand awareness and connecting with potential customers.

social media marketing video

Instagram is another popular platform for video producers. Companies can use Instagram to post videos that tell stories, engage followers, and advertise their services. Instagram also provides features like stories and live streaming, so video producers can get creative with their content and engage their followers in meaningful conversations.

TikTok is a newer platform, but it’s quickly becoming one of the go-to platforms for video production and entertainment companies. TikTok allows users to create and share short videos, which can be used as an effective way to market services or products on a budget.

Key Takeaways

Social media marketing is the major form of marketing businesses of all sectors rely on. Finding a suitable platform that caters to your brand’s needs is imminent.

While there are numerous other sectors that your business might fall into, remember that these platforms are the major ones in the social media marketing space:

  • Businesses in the e-commerce sector can leverage Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to market to a wide and responsive audience.
  • LinkedIn is the ideal platform for B2B businesses like events and SaaS, allowing effective targeting of HR managers and C-suite executives.
  • Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, and LinkedIn are excellent platforms for tech companies to reach their target audiences. 
  • YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok offer a visual environment, creating social media marketing opportunities for video production and entertainment companies.

Whichever platform you choose, Publer makes managing your social media convenient. With it’s bulk-scheduling, media integrations, AI assist, and more, you can streamline and save costs on your social media marketing. Sign up now to get started.

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