Which Target Social Networks Should You Be On? 5 Things to Help You Decide

In this article, we’ll explore different social media platforms and ways to help you identify which target social networks have the greatest potential for success.

Social media has changed the face of digital marketing. It’s an affordable way to reach a highly-targeted audience. And since there are nearly 4 billion people actively engaging on these networks, it also has huge potential for sales. 

Social media can be a major asset to your marketing efforts, but with hundreds of platforms to choose from, it’s difficult to know which ones are best for your needs. 

Keep reading to find helpful hints to assist you in developing a social selling strategy that delivers results.

 

5 factors to help you choose your target social networks

Social media can be highly effective in reaching your audience, generating leads, and building revenue for your side gig. The key is to choose the networks that will enable you to reach the right people with the right message at the right time. 

With hundreds of social media platforms available, here are five factors to help you choose your target social networks.

 

1. Your audience 

When developing a social media campaign, the most important thing is to understand the people you’re trying to reach. Age, gender, geographic location, and purchase habits can all provide clues as to who makes up your target audience.

To create meaningful content and deliver it to the right people through the right channel, you need to know two things:

• Where is your audience? Discover which social networks they’re using and reach them there.
• Where are they most active? Find out how they’re using those accounts, what kind of content they’re searching for, and what information they follow. 

This information can help you determine which target social networks could yield the greatest marketing impact.

 

2. Social media statistics 

New social media networks are constantly emerging. The challenge is determining which trends will fade quickly and which platforms will withstand the test of time. 

To measure new platforms against tried-and-true channels, track statistics and see how they measure up. These numbers can reveal how many users are accessing the channel monthly, how long they stay on the site, and what they’re searching for while there. Data also includes helpful demographics to determine whether users align with your ideal prospects. 

 

3. Brand identity, products, and goals 

Just as different social networks attract certain users, they also attract certain businesses. Target social networks have distinct identities and characteristics that lend themselves to various strategies. 

For example, Instagram is a social network that relies heavily on photo sharing. Brands that are highly visual, like artists or designers, would have success in posting images of their work. LinkedIn attracts a professional audience, so businesses who share educational industry information would resonate with a following on that platform.

It’s important to keep your brand’s identity, products, and goals in mind when selecting the right social networks for your promotions. Posting to the wrong network means you’re reaching the wrong crowd, and your messages won’t resonate as well. 

 

4. Competitors

Conducting an analysis of your competitors can provide helpful insight for choosing your ideal social networks. With a little investigation, you can:

• Find out what platforms similar brands are using.
• Learn what is and isn’t working for similar brands.
• Discover audience engagement on each channel and monitor comments or similar threads to find candid feedback from actual customers. 
• Learn what people like about their social selling and discover areas for improvement. 

Use this information to shape your own social media campaign, and use the channels that will deliver optimal results.

 

5. Social media marketing goals

Determine your reason for creating a social media marketing campaign in the first place. If your goal is to engage your audience, focus on social platforms whose main purpose is to share content among users. 

To amplify customer support, visual content sites like Snapchat aren’t as impactful as Twitter or Facebook, where real-time communication is quick and easy, and you can make meaningful connections with your customers. 

Understanding your reason for using social media can help you find the networks that will enable you to reach your goals.

 

Consider these 3 social media sites 

Despite the overwhelming number of social media platforms in today’s digital marketing age, there are three major players you should consider for your business.

 

1. Facebook 

Every month, more than 2.8 billion people access their Facebook account. It’s the largest of all social media platforms and is part of most people’s daily routine. On this platform, people are active, stay on the site for significant amounts of time, and connect with others through shared content, comments, and likes. 

Facebook’s connectivity is one of the reasons it’s so appealing to marketers. Each user has contact with other individuals, businesses, and events. When you reach one person with useful content, they’ll likely share your information in a way that expands your reach exponentially. 

 

2. Twitter

Twitter is another social media powerhouse. It attracts more than 330 million monthly users. This platform has been in existence for 15 years, and it continues to attract new users every day.

While it doesn’t necessarily generate leads, it’s a great search engine and an effective way to provide customer service. Retweeting is an easy way to share content and broaden your audience as well as connect with other Twitter users. 

 

3. LinkedIn

The social media site for professionals, LinkedIn is a great way to reach decision-makers. If you want to connect with businesspeople or share knowledge for a niche industry, this is the platform for you. 

LinkedIn can help you generate leads, drive traffic to your website, and develop brand awareness. Also, the LinkedIn community is highly targetable. You can search people by career, industry, job title, and more, so you’re sure to deliver the right message to the right person. 

The following video explores more of the top social networks and the pros and cons of each:

 

Explore social media marketing today

Social media marketing is a powerful tool for anyone seeking secondary income. You can engage your audience, develop meaningful relationships with customers, and generate revenue—all for little to no cost. 

It’s important to carefully consider the 5 factors above when determining which target social networks will be best for you and your business. With the right research and all of the options available, you’re bound to find networks that help build your success.

Want to start your own part-time business? Contact us today.