As a business owner, you have probably realized that nowadays it is important to have a presence on social media. But do you need to be on all of them? Which one is “your social media”?
One of the main causes of a failed social media strategy is being present on the wrong platforms. This is understandable, given that everything is constantly changing and what is trending today may not be tomorrow.
Creating cohesive social media accounts for businesses, with real-time growth and access, takes time and dedication and doesn’t fit in with all the other tasks that an entrepreneur has on their plate. So, the question that these entrepreneurs sometimes don’t have an answer to is: which social media platform should my business be on to improve my digital footprint?
Is my company B2C, B2B, or both?
Facebook is the network that everyone knows. But should your company be on this network if you want to sell? Knowing how to answer this question is important. Unfortunately, we have not yet reached the point where users access social networks to make purchases.
There are exceptions—such as searching for local products on Facebook Marketplace—but as a general rule, users do not consult feeds to buy anything.
Unless your product is an impulse buy, your posts or ads may be reaching the wrong target audience. The best social media strategies involve gathering leads and generating interest in your business, whether on Mark Zuckerberg’s largest social network—Facebook—or other social networks with less exposure but which contribute to an appropriate digital marketing strategy.
Who is my target audience?
Here we will need to do some testing with paid advertising to find out what type of audience follows us and could be a potential buyer/customer. Once we have some data such as location, age, gender, and interests, we will have a better understanding of the audience we want to reach.
What is my overall goal?
A while ago, I spent an afternoon with my nephew, who loves soccer. After almost an hour chasing balls and preventing him from breaking some windows, I made a deal with him: I would continue playing with him until he scored three goals.
As soon as he scored the goals, I told him the game was over and we were going inside. He promptly stamped his foot and said, “But those weren’t the three goals,” pointing to the goal, “those are the three goals,” pointing to the bushes.
As childish as it may seem, this is sometimes how entrepreneurs or marketing managers set goals. “We want to reach our target” without really disclosing or knowing what the real target is for their company. The chances of getting results will be the same as I had in the soccer game with my nephew—disappointing at best.
One important thing to remember is that social media is for “seeing,” which means that people who use it go there to see things and not necessarily to do something. This makes direct sales through these platforms difficult, but social media has other potential for engagement.
This is what companies need to focus on. You can be sure that by finding the answers to these three questions, it will be relatively easy to reduce your presence to two or three solid social networks to achieve the desired results.
Some information about social media in Portugal that can help you discover “your social network”
Facebook Users
Users in May 2020 – 7,118,000
69.8% of the population
Mostly women – 51.8%
1,630,000 between the ages of 25 and 34
Instagram Users
Utilizadores em Maio 2020 – 4 218 000
41,3% da população
Maioria mulheres – 54,6%
1 220 000 entre os 25 e 34 anos
LinkedIn Users
Users in May 2020 – 3,451,000
33.8% of the population
2,100,000 between the ages of 25 and 34
Twitter Users
Users in May 2020 – 1,270,000
Most under the age of 24
39.5% women
60.6% men
Understanding which social media platform is right for your company will not only save you time, but also help you achieve and grow your goals with this marketing strategy. Defining a social channel means being social. Posting, responding, and monitoring are crucial to getting to know your audience and highlighting social media as one of the main resources in a marketing strategy.
At EDC, we have a specialized social media management team ready to define the best strategy for your business and streamline your social media presence.
