What you should know about utilizing social media to market your business in 2020.
The most important item you can do prior to marketing your business on social media is to research your target audience. Your target audience informs all elements of your social media strategy. Identifying and understanding your social media audience can allow you to dominate your marketing campaign. Audience research permits you to distinguish which social media platforms will be most effective in reaching potential clients, and lead to much higher conversion rates.
A social media target audience is the people who are most likely to be interested in your products and services. They likely have common characteristics, such as demographics or behaviors. There are numerous methods to find who falls into your target audience. One is to compile data on your existing customers and social media audience. What generation are they, where are they located, what are their interests? Secondly, you can research the customer base of your competitors. Are they reaching an audience you had not considered? Are they using content that has resulted in more reach than yours? Next, you can research which social channels your audience is using. What apps are being most utilized by the target audience for your business? Also, you should understand how your product or service enhances your audiences’ life. How does it make it better, easier, more interesting? Creating “benefit statements” involves stating basic information about your target demographic.
When deciding which social media platform to use to reach your targeted social media audience, you must look at today’s social media demographics.
- Facebook and YouTube are the best platforms to place ads because their user base contains the highest earners.
- On Pinterest, women are by far the majority of users.
- Instagram is mostly used by millennials and Gen Z’s.
- LinkedIn’s user base is well-educated, making it better for industry-specific content that might be more complicated than that on Facebook
No platform is one-size-fits all. The top 2 social media platforms for advertising are:
Instagram is currently one of the fastest growing social media platforms available. Turning 10 in the year 2020, 63% of Instagram users log in daily. This visual-centric platform began as a photo-posting app and has grown into a great source of income for businesses. With over 200 million Instagram users visiting at least one business profile each day, it has become an exciting new sales channel for creators.
Instagram’s’ largest audience falls between the ages of 18-34. It accounts for over half of the global Instagram population.
As one of the fastest growing social media platforms, it’s projected that the number of Instagram users in the US will reach 125.5 million active users by 2023. The network surpassed the 1 billion monthly active user mark in June 2018. 90% of those accounts follow at least one business. According to a survey, 83% of Instagram users discover new products and services on this platform.
On Instagram, sticking to a content theme makes it easier to build your content calendar. While it is most effective to cycle between memes, product photos, and user generated content, it is best to do so while also sticking to a rotating color scheme. Here is an example of Postmates advertising:
Users 65 years and older are the fastest-growing group on Facebook. This age group makes up nearly 40% of users in 2019, growing 14% from the prior year. Millennials and Boomers only increased by 2%, and Gen Xers actually reduced their Facebook use. In 2015, 71% of teens were active on Facebook, and that has now dropped to only 51% of those between the ages of 13 and 17. You should keep this data in mind when creating targeted ads and content. In conjunction with an older generation, 74% of Facebook users are high-income earners.
1.92 billion users visit Facebook DAILY. 74% of its users use it every day. Also, the highest traffic occurs mid-Wednesday and Thursday. Therefore, the best time to post on a social media platform is between 11am and 2 pm Wednesdays and Thursdays.
One thing to keep in mind while creating media for social platforms is ensuring it is mobile friendly. A mere 6% of Facebook’s advertising revenue comes from desktop-only users. Because of primarily utilizing their mobile devices, Facebook users also view 85% of videos without sound. Video is extremely engaging and is an excellent tool to utilize in marketing. 55% watch videos every day, and 68% said they preferred to learn about a product or service through video rather than reading a text.
Sue B. Zimmerman, who has been named by Huffington Post as one of the “Top 50 Must-Follow Women Entrepreneurs” says:
When you show that you are the go-to authority in your industry in each neighborhood you will build brand awareness faster, stay top of mind and reach your target audience easier. Be aware of sharing content in the format that is most native to that neighborhood.
Finally, don’t forget that there is a real person behind the follower. I believe that it’s the real conversations that lead to opportunities on Instagram. Focus on your engagement strategy; like, follow, comment and direct message with others on the platform for continued growth and impact.“
To encompass the most successful social media content, you need to know your audience, you need compelling copy, and you need an attention-grabbing image. To accomplish this, you can utilize the classical marketing acronym for writing copy, AIDA:
- Attention: Your copy must grab your audience’s attention. What would make your client interested in learning more?
- Interest: Your copy must be interesting and show how you can help your audience.
- Desire: Your copy must make people understand why they want your service. This includes talking about the benefits of your offer, not just the features.
- Action: Your copy must have a specific call to action. What is it people should do next?
Marketing through social media is one of the most versatile and cost-effective strategies that small businesses can use to reach their target audience and boost sales over time. That is why 97% of marketers are using social media to reach their audiences. If you are looking for more information on how to utilize even more social media platforms to grow your business, check out these sites:
https://www.wordstream.com/social-media-marketing
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/facebook-stats-for-marketers/
https://blog.hootsuite.com/target-market/
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/
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