With so many social media platforms peppering our screens, it’s difficult to know where to direct your time and money, particularly in the current economy when both are a luxury. Some marketing strategies post to all the most popular social media platforms, hoping to capitalise on all potential benefits.

At Altum Media we know that, in the current social media environment, that quality over quantity is simply not enough. Instead, the right kind of quality posts are needed for each different social media platform to get the best chance at success.

Not sure what we mean? Don’t worry, this article has you covered. 

We’ve broken down the highlights of each social media platform, with top tips from our marketing experts.

Why use social media?

If you haven’t been living technology-free for the last couple of decades, then you’ll know how prevalent social media is within our society. Latest statistics show that more than half of the world (4.7 billion people) is now active on social media (smartinsights.com).

In marketing, this resource is one that you NEED to take advantage of.

  1. Reach. Find more people who are interested in your brand.
  2. Communication. Get to know the people who care about your products and services and let them know more about you.
  3. Identity. Build and consolidate a trustworthy profile for your business that will increase customer loyalty long term.

The best social media platforms

Without further ado, here are the six most popular social media platforms, what they are best at, and how you can harness them to take your business to the next level.

For when you want to reach the most people: Facebook 

With 2.91 billion active users* each month, statistically speaking, Facebook will connect you to the largest number of potential customers out of any social media platform. However as mentioned previously, you also need to bear in mind the average age of a Facebook user (25-35) *. If your target audience is younger or older, then your time and money may have the best ROI elsewhere.

*Statistics taken from SproutSocial

How to make Facebook work for you:

  • Create an engaging Facebook Business page that can direct people to your website, important people in your business, and most importantly showcase your products and services. pages should contain all relevant information on how to reach you for queries, the direct messaging service should be checked regularly to ensure it is up to date. They can also be linked to websites, images and videos, and individual profiles, keeping all things business in one place.
  • Use Facebook’s paid advertising campaigns to set up and maintain marketing campaigns. Its quick and easy so you don’t have to be an expert. Target Facebook users based on the information they provide in their profile, so all the data is first party. As one of the longest standing social media platforms, Facebook typically has more information on each user, allowing you to target your ideal customer accurately.

For when you want to share images and videos: Instagram

The most popular photo-sharing platform with over 2 billion active users each month*, Instagram is the best tool for sharing the visual side of your brand. With photos, videos, and livestreams shared through large networks of friends and newer targeted advertisements, reaching your desired audience is smooth and easy.

Largest age group is 18-35 so Instagram has a slightly larger and younger demographic than Facebook, however the greatest difference here is the emphasis on the visual.

Realistically, every brand will benefit from a strong Instagram presence so if the aesthetic side of your business doesn’t feel marketing-ready, that might be a good place to start making some changes.

*Statistics taken from Sprout Social

How to make Instagram work for you:

  • Make use of all visual elements. From photos to reels and hashtags to captivating captions, your brand should utilise every aspect of Instagram’s features. Allow your brand to be discovered by making an eye-catching, public page that can be shared, tagged, and easily found with a quick search.
  • Stay on top of trends. Watch what is popular amongst your target audience, and it might be worth jumping on the band wagon (with an original and personal spin of course).  
  • Have an active presence. Make sure you respond to direct messages professionally and quickly as this demonstrates that you care about your customers and that you are committed to providing high quality service from the outset.

For when your target audience is younger: TikTok

With 1 billion* active monthly users, TikTok’s popularity has increased exponentially in recent years.

The most important distinction with TikTok is the age bracket that it caters to primarily which is 10-19*, a lot younger than any other social media platform discussed in this article. Whilst the average age of users is increasing, if you’re trying to target thirty-somethings with a professional business service, this might not be the best social media platform for you.

*Statistics taken from Sprout Social

How to make TikTok work for you:

  • Take advantage of paid advertisements. In the current format, paid ads are in the same format as organic content. Use a friendly, informal tone, follow trends, and feature young people in your video adverts for the most success.
  • Use influencers to showcase your products and services. There is no better referral than a person-to-person reference and influencers are the closest thing to this in social media marketing. Partner with an individual who genuinely benefits from using your products and work together to grow both of your networks.
  • Keep videos short. Though newer updates allow videos to last for up to three minutes, the attention span of many users is a lot shorter, remember initial videos could only be 15 seconds long! Once you are more established, a captive audience will watch for longer, but initially, every second counts – make it count positively.

For when your target audience is professional: LinkedIn

Well known amongst professionals for sharing work-related achievements, this social media platform is perfect for reaching those who are experts in their field. Think your products or services could make a real difference to a certain industry, then this is the social media platform you should be targeting.

The largest age group is 25-35* so you might want to think about tailoring content to attract young professionals too.

*Statistics taken from Sprout Social

How to make LinkedIn work for you:

  • Use longer text. As this is one of the few social media platforms that favours long text posts, make the most of it! Tell the story about how you got your product inspiration, write a step by step of what you’ve learned on your professional journey so far, and show off your recent achievements.
  • Network, network, network. LinkedIn is all about who you have in your circles, and who they have in their circles, the more people who you follow, the more people who will see your posts. You really can never have too many connections.
  • With a plethora of businesses dominating LinkedIn’s profiles, paid advertising really pays off on this social media platform.

For when you want to go viral: Twitter

Twitter has been a consistent top social media platform since its founding in 2006 but its use as a social media marketing platform is less known.

This short form of written social media is mainly text focused, though photographs and videos are also known to go viral.  Twitter has over 211 million active users every day* with the most popular age of users being between 18 and 29*.

*Statistics taken from Sprout Social

How to make Twitter work for you:

  • Create a brand page on twitter. Some brands use Twitter to show a more informal side to their business, whilst others prefer to remain professional, sticking to traditional marketing tone. Whichever you choose, make sure it is cohesive with your brand and then stick to it.
  • Prioritise short form. Keep your readers wanting more with single photo tweets, or text posts with fewer than 400 characters. These posts are quicker to read and thus are more likely to go viral.
  • Make sure to include hashtags in each tweet that you publish. This will make your posts more easily located, particularly if they are about current affairs or popular topics.

For when you’ve got something to explain: YouTube

YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users* and the largest age range demographic (15-35) * of all social media platforms discussed. This makes it the platform with the most potential when it comes to social media marketing. The new YouTube Premium made adverts before every video mandatory and as a popular, these advertisements are one of the main ways for brands to utilise this platform.

*Statistics taken from Sprout Social

How to make YouTube work for you:

  • Create a channel for your business and post longer form videos. These can include day-in-the-life vlogs, how-to videos for your products, or interviews with different members of the team.
  • Utilise the paid advertisements. Remember that a lot of people count down those five seconds before they can click ‘skip ad’ so those are the most important seconds of your whole advert.
  • Try and make the experience as interactive as possible. Actively responding to comments and producing content regularly will increase the number of subscribers your channel has and will also increase customer loyalty.

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Abby Millar

Content specialist with experience in food & drink