As a business coach and mentor, I am asked questions about how to market on social media sites. The three most frequently asked questions I get are:
- Which social media platforms should I be using to reach my customers?
- Should I market on more than one social media site?
- What is the difference between social media platforms?
As with any marketing initiative, you should focus on your target market. Therefore, you should start by identifying your target market space. Define your customer’s attributes, habits, and preferences so you can reach them.
- Demographics – age. gender, education, marital status, etc.
- Location – where are your customers located and how can you reach them
- Lifestyle – activities, interests, values, needs, opinions, etc.
- Demand – what is their pain point? what need are you trying to fill?
Which social media platforms should I be using to reach my customers?
First, compare customer demographical data with social media data. This shows you which social media platforms your target market visits. For example, look at social media demographical data on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
As you can see the majority of the social media audience is between the age of 18 to 50 and Facebook has the largest audience. The demographic data on gender shows that it is evenly split, with the exception of Facebook having a slightly higher female audience.
As a percentage of the overall population, Facebook dominates the social media space, but evidence shows that more people with college education partake in LinkedIn and Twitter.
Looking at the income demographics shows that Facebook’s audience is evenly distributed amongst the different income levels, while LinkedIn and Twitter audience has income levels greater than 50k.
Should I market on more than one social media site?
The answer to this question is a resounding “yes” because it is likely that your target market frequents more than one social media site. Consider how each social media site is used by your target market. The way you market on the various sites depends on your industry.
If you are a local based business, you should join and participate in social media groups that are in your community, by contributing beneficial content. If your business is national or international, you should join broader-based industry-focused groups where your customers are members. Again, you should add beneficial value-based content to these associations and groups. Adding value-based content helps you build credibility in a community. So when you advertise in the community you are recognized as a reliable, knowledgeable, and valued member of the community.
What is the difference between social media platforms?
Your target market can be reached on more than one social media site, so it is important that you tailor your content to be appropriate for the social media site. People visit different social media sites with different intentions. This means that your audience can be reached through all of the social media platforms but the messaging should be delivered differently on each platform.
Attribute |
Social Media Site |
|
Professional/Expertise/Authority/Knowledge/Proficiency/Capabilities |
|
|
Opinion/Outlook/View/Belief/Judgment/Views/Thoughts |
|
|
Personal/Friends/Family/Personality/Experiences |
|
When you post content on Facebook, it should be with the tone of a neighbor, friend, or community member sharing an event or story. While a LinkedIn post should have a more professional, factual tone and verifiable content. Twitter is a more opinion, fact, or thought-provoking centric site. The goal is to modify your content to be appropriate for the social media site.
The future of social media points to the content being more visual than narrative. Videos and infographics are becoming very popular and are an amazing tool to reach customers. A video can demonstrate how your product is used or made while infographics can summarize the benefits and value your company brings to your customers.
Though social media has made a big splash in the world of marketing, don’t neglect traditional marketing initiatives such as advertising (print or online), joining trade associations, or local groups (like Meetups). Social media is not the end-all in marketing but it also cannot be overlooked.
