Thanks to social media, how we share information in 2023 looks different from how we shared information in 2003. The ability to spread information about a particular topic isn’t just limited to how many people you can call on the phone or text with your 100 free text messages. The possibilities in 2023 seem a bit endless. As a business owner, that probably makes you feel joyful and anxious simultaneously! Of course, you want good news to go viral, but it seems terrible news hits every social outlet faster than you can open your laptop screen. So, let’s chat about this ever-changing social media landscape and ensure you are on the right platform for your business.
The nature of social media is what it sounds like: it’s social. These digital communication platforms or technology allow users to create, share, and interact with content in a virtual online community. This can include entertainment, self-expression, networking, educational resources, Social Activism, marketplace and e-commerce, etc. From the 2003 explosion of MySpace to the recent launch of BeReal, it has been a struggle to pick a platform, create the content, and stay there long enough to figure out the algorithms. Right?
Who are the big social media platforms?
- Facebook- Still king of social with almost 2.9 billion users around the globe!
- YouTube- The video-sharing platform has over 2 billion logged-in monthly users.
- Instagram- The visual-centric platform with more than 1 billion monthly users.
- TikTok- Has over 1 billion monthly active users, primarily younger audiences.
- Twitter- With over 400 million users sharing short messages called tweets.
- LinkedIn: Leading platform for professional networking, with over 700 million users.
So, what is the right platform for your business? Well, that depends, of course! Let’s start by making sure we identify your demographic. Who are you trying to reach? Creating an audience profile will help determine the type of social platform you should use and the content you should create. Maybe you want to break into a new market? Create an audience profile based on who you want to reach and determine if your current platform still fits. However, don’t spread yourself too thin. You don’t have to be on every platform to get your brand noticed. Produce content for only one or two platforms, but do it well. And lastly, be consistent. Regardless of platform, regularly delivering valuable and on-brand posts establishes trust, maintains relevance, and fosters long-term relationships with your followers. The number of times you push out content in a given day or week will be determined by how many valuable and on-brand posts you can actually create.
What do you do if you have checked the boxes above and social media still isn’t working? Double-check your analytics. Maybe you are on the correct platform but not producing the best content. Dive into your social metrics and see what posts get the best engagement. When was the last time you published content? Can you even produce the content needed for this platform? You can be on the right platform for your audience, but if nothing is going out, nothing will come in. Also, don’t forget about other avenues of brand awareness. Social media shouldn’t take all your advertising dollars unless it works. Magazines, digital newspapers, billboards, new stations, and radio ads work today! Mix things up, and you might surprise yourself with some new clients.
Social media is great, but remember, social media is still changing. Always make sure you are evaluating your marketing strategy. If this feels overwhelming to you, let’s chat. At SweetWater Marketing, our staff can help you find out where your business needs to be in this highly digital world and help get your brand out there to the people who need to know about it!