Prioritize Social Media Platforms For Your Brand

There are SO many social media networks out there and new ones seem to pop up everyday, just ask any teenager they are sure to know what’s new. With that said you don’t have to be on everyone of them. It’s important to understand them and find the right platform for your brand based on both industry and target audience. There are so many things to think about so we’ve broken them down for you and found some resources to get you started!

They say AGE is just a number but depending on your product or brand it can be extremely relevant to some ages and not all or vice versa. Don’t just think about “generations” as sometimes that isn’t a one size fits all either as someone in their 30s could have very different cares than someone at 25. Just an example of how different age groups feel about various platforms, check out this great overview, Social Media At Every Age. One thing I pulled from this post was that people like photos. We all know this but understanding which apps seem to be popular amongst all ages it is clear that people like easy and images. When it comes to thinking about your target audience, age can be one of the first things so take these great nuggets of Wisdom from Gabbi when thinking about the age you are targeting:

“Before launching your next campaign or creating your social media plan, take a step back. Go back to what your college professor told you to do (and how you proceeded to roll your eyes) and create an outline for your paper – with section A being audience analysis. Turns out, that professor was right.”

 Does GENDER matter to your brand? It might, especially if we are talking toiletries or makeup! This one may not always matter but when it does consider these quick facts (based on report from Business Insider December 2014):

  • Facebook still skews slightly more Female
  • Twitter has begun to lean more towards a Male audience
  • Pinterest is made up of mostly females
  • LinkedIn is slightly more popular with Men

Now what type of CONTENT do you have to share? Are you a company with tons of stats? Too many photos? A little bit of everything? Of course you can do a mix across all social networks but don’t waste your time. If you have photos they can be more powerful on networks that users expect to see them such as Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook (maybe even Tumblr!). If you have more content focused around articles or words then Twitter and LinkedIn could be the place for you.

Finally, some INDUSTRY related stuff! We found this great rundown of what different industries are doing across social media platforms. Released recently, Hubspot does a great job with “Benchmarks for 9 Different Industries”. Of course Marketing Services Industry is posting the most per week but it’s interesting to learn how valuable social media is to other industries such as Real Estate. We think this breakdown is pretty spot on so have a read on the section specific to your industry and see how you compare against others.

With all that in mind and understanding there are tons of platforms out there, narrow down which ones make sense for you. We would encourage you to pick only one or two if you are just starting out or three if you are already up and running. Most brands can benefit from doing three platforms well instead of trying to do them all. Once you start don’t stop, Social only works if you continue to stay involved.

One last thing, want some of the latest and craziest stats about social media out there? Have a quick read of these 30 Crazy Stats We Heard at Social Media Marketing World #SMMW15. (Don’t be shocked that “10. You will only get a 1-6% organic reach on your posts in Facebook. So heart-wrenching.”)