What Social Media Platforms Are Right For Me and My Business?
It’s no secret that social media marketing can be a great tool in developing brand awareness. Over the past five years we have seen a steady increase in the number of active users of social media in New Zealand. Nowadays, around 82% of New Zealanders are considered active users of social media. That’s a market that a lot of business owners simply cannot afford to miss out on. But, when you are busy running a business it is no surprise that social media might be the last thing on your mind. We get it, social media can be super time consuming. But when done right, the return speaks for itself. So, instead of being active on every social media channel possible, we suggest narrowing down which platforms will serve you the best, and focusing your efforts on these platforms. It is also important to remember that as each business is different, and therefore each social media strategy will be too. There is no “one size fits all” notion on social media, success comes from knowing your audience and how to communicate with them effectively. Here at The Launch Agency we don’t play favourites. We believe that each popular social media platform has something different it can offer, which is why we suggest doing some research before developing your plan of attack.
This all starts by understanding your target market.
Who is it your business is trying to speak to? In order to reach them, you need to first understand them. What is their age, gender, location, and income? What are their likes and dislikes? By developing a thorough understanding of your target audience, you can create a plan to communicate to them effectively. Once you have an understanding of who your target audience is, you can have a look at what platforms you might find these people on. We have broken down some of the top social media platforms and what they have to offer so you can work out what platforms your audience are using and develop a strategy to reach them.
Facebook is a great platform for businesses to be on as 60% of all social media users use Facebook. With 2.7 billion monthly active users, Facebook comfortably sits at the top in terms of platform popularity. But, let’s really break down the demographics of Facebook users and see if they match your target audience demographic. While the platform is used by many ages, the highest age category was 25-34 years old, with 32.4% of users falling within this age bracket. If your target market is gender specific it might also interest you to know that 57% of Facebook users are Male and 43% are Female. So why are majority of companies present on this platform? If you have a personal Facebook account have a think about the data you input into your profile. Typically this includes your age, gender, location, relationship status, and interests/likes. This all data that can be targeted by social media marketing and businesses’ can benefit from this if they have an effective social media strategy in place. Facebook also allows you to add URL links on your posts. If your goal is to boost traffic to your website, providing your audience with a link can be an easy way to do this. With all of these features, it's no wonder Facebook is such a powerful marketing tool.
Instagram is another popular platform with 1.16 billion monthly active users, and 62% of these logging into the app at least once a day. If your target audience is in their late teens to early twenties, Instagram is definitely worth your time. Analytics show us that 75% of all 18-24 year olds use Instagram. However, if you target audience is slightly older than this, Instagram is still definitely worth looking in to. Businesses with a target audience between the ages of 16-34 should consider this platform, depending on their niche. When looking at the gender demographics of Instagram users we see a pretty even split, with a 51% female and a 49% male audience. If this sounds like your target audience, you should get your business onto Instagram now rather than later. Insights also tell us that 81% of people using Instagram use the platform to research products or services before purchasing. Combine this with the 130 million monthly clicks on commercial posts and you can see why Instagram is such a gold mine.
TikTok
TikTok is a relatively new platform, but already has 689 million monthly active users. It is also one of the fastest growing social media platforms of all time. 41% of the audience on TikTok falls within the age bracket of 16-24 years old. If your target market falls within this age bracket TikTok is definitely a platform for you to consider if you have the time to create the entertaining video content found on this platform. The average time users are spending on TikTok each day is 52 minutes, which is significantly higher than other social media platforms. The key to TikTok success it creating original and entertaining video content that promotes brand awareness.
Users of Pinterest fit a more specific demographic than other social media platforms with 70% of all users being female. They have 442 million monthly active users and their largest age demographic is 25-34 years old. Pinterest’s analytics also tell us that 85% of all users are on the platform to plan new projects and that 77% find new products when browsing on the platform. For businesses that are wanting to communicate with females within the age bracket of 25-34 years, Pinterest could be the platform for you. If you can produce aesthetically pleasing content designed to inspire other’s future projects, get your business on to Pinterest!
Twitter has a total of 353 million monthly active users who also fit a very specific demographic. While anyone can use the platform, analytics tell us that 70% of Twitter users are male. We can also see that 63% of all users are between the ages of 35-65 years old. Therefore, if you are looking to target males in this age bracket, Twitter might be the platform for you. It can be a great place to quickly update followers and while twitter users generally share thoughts and opinions online, insights suggest that tweets featuring videos show 10x higher engagement levels than those without.
LinkedIn is another platform that is home to a very specific demographic. Of their 310 million monthly active users, 50% of these have a university degree or higher. This aligns with the purpose of the platform, as it acts as more of a professional networking platform than other social media outlets. This explains the levels of high education found in its user demographics. Their gender demographic includes 57% male users and 43% female users, with 60% of all users considered millennials, indicating they fall between the age range of 25-40 years old. They also have over 55 million companies registered on their platform. If your business has current or future job opportunities available or you are keen on networking with other professionals and businesses, have a look into LinkedIn!
So now you know what users are present on each social media platform, we hope you’ll be able to identify which platforms are best suited to your business. If you are still confused, get in touch with us and our social media specialists can help you identify which platforms you should be utilising to communicate with your audience, as well as developing a strategy to ensure you reach them.