Social media, amirite?
If you’re a business owner, marketing manager, or somehow responsible for driving traffic, you need to understand social media. At first it may seem like the wild west, but the key isn’t to spin your wheels being the best on every platform. In fact, many marketers choose only one or two channels to focus their efforts on.
But how do you know which is the right platform for the audience you want to attract?*
By understanding how each platform is different, you’ll understand how to make the most of your time.
There are lots of platforms out there, so I’ll hit the major ones.
NOTE: For amazing, in-depth graphics about each platform’s demographics, read this Sprout Social article.
Social Media Platforms
2.23 billion monthly users
65 million business pages
94% use the app instead of desktop
Supports text, images, video, and stories
YouTube
(fun fact: owned by Google)
1.9 billion monthly users
Billions of hours of videos watched daily
Utilizes SEO
Supports videos
(fun fact: owned by Facebook)
1 billion monthly users
Primarily for photo and video sharing
Businesses get free insights with their account
Supports images, videos, and stories
TikTok
500 million monthly users
Most downloaded app for 2018
Supports videos
Lots of anticipated growth in the future
335 million monthly users
Commonly used for customer service
Text limited to 280 characters
Supports text, images, and videos
294 million monthly users
Professional network
Great for finding professional clients and/or recruiting
Supports text, images, and videos
Snapchat
255 million monthly users
More difficult to get advertisement engagement in recent years
Supports photos and videos through DMs or Stories
250 million monthly users
Allows brands to build and promote “pins” or a collection of pins called a “board”
78% of users enjoy brand-related content
Supports text and photos
(Source: Buffer)
Still Don’t Know Where to Start?
That’s ok. Social media is overwhelming.
The best place to start is with a little competitive analysis. Where are brands like yours most active? What do their pages look like? Are they getting the type of engagement you want? How can you improve on their model?
Social media is an ever-changing imperfect science. That’s why a lot of companies outsource the work to agencies. But there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to get started on your own and see what happens!
*NOTE: Always be open to the realization that the audience you thought you wanted isn’t the one that wants you. Don’t try to force an audience to resonate with you; you must adapt to resonate with them.