How to Select the Right Social Channels for Your Company
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Is your business on the right social channels? It’s easy to get lost in the mix with social media. One of the top questions we hear from our clients: What social media channels should we be using to promote our brand and engage customers? Many organizations make the mistake of being on every social platform without having a social strategy and knowing where their audience has the strongest presence.
In an effort to help save you time and stress, we created a primer for each major social media channel to help guide your channel selections and start developing a loyal fan base.
Facebook — the world’s largest social network with 1.19 billion users — remains the most popular in the US. Research shows that 63% of Facebook users visit the site at least once a day. Facebook reaches across a diverse mix of demographic groups. Companies can connect directly with their customers by answering questions, sharing the latest info or asking for feedback on their Facebook wall.
Takeaway:
Facebook is a good platform to engage with customers of all ages. The general posting rule of thumb is to share content once a day on your page.
Today Twitter has 284 million monthly active users with the strongest age segment (31%) ranging from 18-29. And with 72% of people more likely to make a future purchase from a small business after they interact with them on Twitter, businesses should consider having a presence here.
Takeaway:
Companies should have a presence on Twitter and plan to share content regularly, sending at least one tweet a day
This platform is geared towards professional networking with 1 of every 3 professionals on the planet on LinkedIn. LinkedIn's core demographics are those between the ages of 30 and 49. LinkedIn is a good place to distribute content and companies should plan to share 20 posts per month, which allows you to reach 60% of your audience.
Takeaway:
Your company should create a page on LinkedIn to showcase organization efforts and post once per weekday.
Google+
Keep this platform on your social radar and if you haven’t already created a Google+ profile page, add this to your digital to-do list. Creating a Google+ page for your business can bring you closer to the top in Google searches.
The Google local and Google map capabilities also help customers find you and provide reviews and ratings.
Takeaway:
If your company is established on other social channels make sure to list your company on Google+ to help customers find you.
Pinterest currently receives 70,234 monthly users. Among these users 80 percent are females ages 18-35. Pinterest’s visual format lends itself to a rapid-fire pinning process that spreads content quickly.
Takeaway:
Pinterest is a great channel for retailers and brands as they can link directly to products. Plan to pin several times a day.
Instagram averages 200 million images per month. Over 90% of the 150 million people on Instagram are under the age of 35. The Instagram platform is also attractive to brands focused on apparel, entertainment, and media.
Takeaway:
If you are targeting the younger segment or focused on specific brand categories, Instagram is a good option. Share images and short videos once a day.
YouTube
YouTube reports that over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on its platform—that's almost an hour for every person on Earth. According to a recent YouTube demographic report, 41% of the US views come from those aged 18-24. In addition, YouTube reaches more US adults, ages 18-34, than any cable network, according to Nielsen.
Takeaway:
Brands with video content who desire to reach a large audience or target younger demographics, should consider this social platform. Plan to upload short videos once or twice a week.
There are countless options when it comes to promoting your brand via social media.These are some of them.The exact mix and frequency are unique to each business.
What channels work best for you? Please let us know in the comments below.