Social Media today has taken the past couple of decades by storm. By any means, it has never been a ‘nobody’ but in this day and age, almost everybody you know has at least one account on at least one platform. And if they don’t, their business definitely does. So what really is social media and why is it such a powerful tool to utilise? Let’s get into it!
Social media, according to Oxford languages, is defined as websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. Whilst this is true, I feel like this definition is the bare minimum.
Social media has turned into a range of applications (more widely known as apps) & websites and each one prioritises content differently, with algorithms unique to each one. Social media has come a long way since every account was a generic user, personally, I would now divide each account into 3 categories: Consumer, Creator and Business. But don’t get me wrong, your account may be the majority of one category whilst dabbling in another. I would consider all accounts as consumers, even businesses, as they now intend to engage with their audiences’ content to build relationships & trust.
Facebook (Meta)
Facebook is now considered the ‘original’ in many people’s minds. Others may have come before it, but they didn’t quite conquer like Facebook did, and due to this, they’re no longer with us. Originally, Facebook had a very broad consumer base. And although they still do, the younger generation tends to use alternative platforms to share and consume content. (We will get onto that in a moment…) Facebook is least popular with women aged 16-24, with only 7.3% of women surveyed listing the social media platform as their favourite. Don’t be fooled, Facebook is still the most popular social media network for men and women aged 35-44 and with 2.82 billion daily active users, Facebook is still very much a platform that can be utilised for any business.
Instagram (Also part of the ‘Meta’ family)
In my eyes, Instagram changed the game. With the rise of social media, came the rise of influencers and this worked hugely in Instagram’s favour. Instagram is Gen Z’s favourite social platform. Internet users aged 16 to 24 prefer Instagram to all other social platforms – even ranking it above TikTok. If that’s an age cohort you’re looking to reach, Instagram is the place to be. Instagram has really stepped up since competition continued to rise and they had to introduce more features to ensure that no one was leaving their platform for another. Introducing carousels, reels, subscriptions for fans, audio for static posts, and they just keep on coming!
A tip for creating content in 2023, stay consistent over all of the types of content as the CEO of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, said that the platform focused too much on video in 2022 and they’ve already made changes to balance out content again. Meaning static posts are just as important!
TikTok
Well, they caused a huge disruption in the social media world in recent years. Started from humble beginnings of being well known as the platform for ‘silly’ dances and mostly targeted at children – now the platform that everyone and every business is trying to get right. Personally, I love Tiktok and it is my favourite platform. This is simply because it’s still fresh and the people are deciding what they want to see. And it seems, what the people want is FUN branding. TikTok is the new trendsetter, and brands have had to quickly catch up to this new way of marketing. The reason everyone is rushing to create on TikTok now rather than later is that it will simply be easier now. Don’t get me wrong, there is no such thing as ‘too late’ however the earlier you join, the more reach you will see. Take Charli D’Amelio, with 141M followers, who now has her own TV show and became a multi-millionaire in under a year, all thanks to TikTok – and hard work of course!
If you’re a product based business – TikTok Shop is where you need to be. It’s reported that 2-3 users buy something whilst on the platform. Additionally, if you go live on Tiktok or partner with an influencer within your niche for TikTok Live, then it’s more than likely to dramatically increase your sales, after all, 50% of TikTok users have bought something after watching TikTok LIVE.
LinkedIn, as you may know, differs slightly from the other platforms as it is a professional networking platform. However, it is far from corporate and dull. LinkedIn is still the same as the others, it still has an algorithm. LinkedIn will show you what content you want to see, so if you like the corporate and dull and that’s what you have been searching for, then that’s what it will give you. But not all of LinkedIn is like this. That means, regardless of your industry, there’s a place for you there. Whether it’s promoting your business for sales, sharing company news & events or building your personal brand to support your business. LinkedIn is a great place to get recognised and build brand awareness.
Twitter has been a whirlwind in the past year. But let’s stick to how it can help your business. Twitter can help build your brand personality and awareness, similarly to TikTok, brands who play it safe with generic marketing, tend to fade into the background. To ensure you stand out, you have to be confident in knowing your brand, and its voice & tone. Make sure you use a tone that aligns with your brand voice and personality. The types of conversations and topics you show an interest in and the tone of your Tweets will help you attract your audience, so make sure this aligns with your ideal customer.
Twitter sees 6,000 Tweets every second. This puts into perspective how actively people are using it as a conversation platform. And for businesses, these conversations can prove to be a valuable source of customer insights. Using Twitter can help you research trends and topics that your audience cares about so you know how to reach them more effectively.
In summary, whatever industry you are in, there is a place for your business on any platform. But, especially if you’re new to social media, I would recommend really honing in on who your audience is and where they are spending their time. It’s better to focus on one platform, where your audience spends their free time and really gets to know them and what kind of content they are looking for. Once you understand your audience, it will be an easier transition to move onto another platform.
Looking to grow your social media or better communicate with your customers? Then the team at Use Brandable are on hand to help, click here to get an insight into how we can implement a social media strategy to help you achieve your business goals, or if you’ve got a question or query then feel free to get in touch and one of our team will be more than happy to assist you!
