There’s no denying that social media is one of the most popular and effective marketing methods, especially for small-scale businesses. There are many social platforms at your disposal where you can market your business. Be it Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter.
But how do you decide which is the right platform for your business?
You can’t possibly be active on every single platform, and on top of that, it is essential to understand that not all platforms are created equal. Each network has unique features and quirks regarding how effectively they can market and promote your business.
Take a look at this quick, straightforward guide to help you choose the right platform to market your business.
Identify Your Target Audience
To spread the word about your business, you must know your target audience. After all, they are the ones who will help you run your business by buying your products and using your services.
When seeking out your target audience, you want to get down to the specifics and learn everything about them, including their gender, age, occupation, the platform where they are active the most, who they interact with, and what they are looking for, to name a few.
At the same time, you should also look at what your competitors are doing and which platforms they’ve used successfully to market their business. This will give you insight into what’s working for others and what’s most likely to work for you.
Is your company B2B (Business to business) or B2C (Business to consumer)?
When choosing a platform, you must know the nature of your business. This is because the type of channel you decide to market your business is directly connected with its nature. For instance, for a B2C company, platforms like Instagram and Facebook are excellent for gaining visibility and interacting with customers. They help you visually engage with potential clients and turn them into lifelong customers.
On the other hand, for a B2B company, a platform like LinkedIn helps build personal connections and target other potential businesses.
Define Your Goals and Objectives
As a business owner, you want to drive your sales and attract new customers while serving the existing ones. However, you are likely to have other creative goals and objectives, including growing your customer base, building customer loyalty, increasing traffic to your website, conducting market research, etc.
Whatever your goal or objective, you must list them to choose the right platform to market your business better. For example, if your goal is to reach as many people as possible, then Facebook is the best platform for you as it gives you access to the largest audience of all the social media platforms.
At the same time, defining your goals will also help you think about which platform is better to increase engagement with your audience and promote your business.
Use Your Product or Service As A Guide
If you’re starting, you want to generate high ROI and be functionally lean. So, for starters, letting your product or service guide you when choosing a platform is always a good idea.
For example, LinkedIn should be your primary channel if your company is focused on generating quality leads. On the other hand, if you are selling a product and want to focus on spreading the word, Instagram or Facebook are options that you should consider.
Key Takeaway
From creating an effective marketing strategy to choosing the right platform, a whole process goes into the successful marketing of a business.
Whichever platform you choose, always remember that you need to be where your target market is. The goal is to reach out to your potential customers and sell them your product or service, so if you choose the right platform to advertise on, you’ll be able to target the right people and hence, make more sales.
