What Are Different Social Media Channels, And How Are They Used?
There are so many social media marketing channels out there, how could you possibly keep track? Each channel has its own audience and content format, so you have to tailor your content accordingly.
With a new social media platform popping up seemingly every day, it makes sense to focus on the major leaguers. In this blog post, we discuss the main social media channels, the types of content that thrive there, and how you can use it to promote your small business.
First Things First
When it comes to leveraging social media networks, the first step is to identify your target audience and determine which platforms they are most active on. Would you put a billboard for your local car wash three states away? No, of course not! So why tweet when your target audience is scrolling on TikTok? You’d basically be talking to yourself. While there’s no better way to get great advice, it won’t bring in any new customers.
Here’s an example: if you’re targeting a younger demographic, then Instagram and TikTok are more effective than other social platforms like Facebook. On the other hand, LinkedIn might be better for B2B businesses looking to connect with potential customers and drum up lead generation.
Once you have a better idea of your target audience, you can develop a social media marketing strategy that includes creating high-quality content, using appropriate hashtags, leveraging influencers, and partnering with other businesses. You can also use the various metrics provided by each platform to measure your performance and track conversions.
There’s no doubt that a great digital marketing strategy includes being active on social media platforms. So without further ado, here’s what you need to know about each one.
Facebook is the largest social network in the world, with over two billion users.
It offers a variety of advertising options, including video ads and boosted posts (to attract more people to your page). Its main function is to build brand awareness and generate leads, but it can also be used to drive sales through eCommerce or retargeting ads (which show up on other sites based on what you’ve looked at on Facebook). Active users can post live videos through the Facebook Live feature, too.
If you’re going to use Instagram, you want to make sure your content is visually appealing. People are drawn to images and short videos that are beautiful and shareable. Instagram Stories is a feature that allows users to share videos and photos which are visible for 24 hours unless they’re so good that you want to pin them to your profile.
Twitter is a social media channel that allows users to share content in 280 characters or less in tweets. It’s a good place to get your message in front of people who might not otherwise see it — and it’s also a great way to interact with other businesses and influencers. You can even use hashtags specific to your industry, specialty, or company (like #GetLifted).
Pinterest is a visual platform, so it’s important to use images and videos. This type of social media content can drive traffic to your website or blog, promote products and services, and even help you build your brand.
Pinterest has more than 100 million monthly active users in the US alone! This makes it an ideal place for businesses looking for an additional marketing channel.
LinkedIn is where you go to build your personal brand and network with professionals in your industry. You can target specific companies and individuals and post articles, videos, infographics, or links to case studies when your target audience is professionals or other businesses.
Snapchat
Snapchat is a mobile app that allows users to send photos, videos, and text messages to each other. It also contains features such as stories and filters that enhance the content you share with your followers. Snapchat is popular among young people; they use it primarily for photo sharing and messaging their friends.
TikTok
TikTok is a social media app that allows you to create short videos and share them with your followers. It’s extremely popular with the younger generation. While influencers are commonly connected to Instagram, there are tons of opportunities for influencer partnerships on TikTok.
YouTube
On YouTube, people upload and watch video content. It’s also the second-most popular search engine behind Google. One of the best ways to utilize YouTube is through user-generated content (UGC). This is when consumers of your product create and produce their own content about your product. People tend to trust their peers before corporations, so UGC feels genuine and is basically digital word-of-mouth (leading to higher website traffic).
Which Social Media Channels is the Competition Using?
It’s time to face the music; your competition is most likely already on social media channels communicating with potential customers. By watching their activity on the different platforms, you can find out in real-time which social media trends your competitors are doing and which types of content marketing they are creating. Then you can do it even better.
Look at who pops up in Google searches similar to what your brand offers. Study a handful. What are they posting on social media? What seems to be their strength and weakness? How can you win over their followers?
Keep an eye on the competition through different marketing tools. You can gather your own metrics, but also monitor traffic and valuable insights (impressions, engagement rates) to find out what your competitors are doing.
How You Stack Up Against the Rest
You can also use third-party analytics to see if you’re hitting your own marketing goals, as well as automate posts to go live at the best times of the week. The possibilities range from why it’s a good idea to see what your competition is doing, and how to tune into how they are executing their marketing strategies.
Let Lift Marketing Create the Best Social Media Strategy
On the surface, social media marketing channels seem overwhelming. Taking a deeper dive, there are even more moving parts to it all. Whether you’re launching a new product or need help reaching social media-related business goals, our team has it all: social media management and curating social media posts to fulfilling a marketing plan, as a marketing agency, our team at Lift Marketing can guide you. Contact us today to talk all things marketing campaigns!
