As mentioned in our previous article (Tips To Creating A Digital Content Strategy), sharing content is critical in any organization that is trying to expand their brand presence. No matter the industry, social media platforms have become a key factor in exposing your values and message to target audiences. In order to share your content effectively, some research will need to be conducted to ensure you have the necessary background information about your target audience’s habits.
Here Are The Types Of Things You’ll Want To Find Out About Your Target Customer:
- What social media platforms are they active on?
- What are their interests?
- What peaks their attention?
- What are the problems they face that your product/service can solve?
In Addition, Your Competitor’s Outreach Efforts Should Be Analyzed:
- Which social media networks are they active on? (you will want to have a presence wherever they have a presence)
- What are they doing right/what’s working for them?
- Where can they improve? This may be an area that you excel in!
- What does your organization have that your competition isn’t capitalizing on?
After you’ve done research on your target audience and competition, you probably have a good understanding of the social media platforms you should have a presence on. Before you dive right in, it’s important to have some knowledge on each platform. You’ll learn that some social media platforms are more beneficial for certain industries – let’s find out which ones are right for you and your business style.
Here Are Some General Rules Of Thumb For Common Platforms:
- Generally a very active social media platform – this may require frequent posts
- Platform often used for friends/family to stay connected
- A lot of referrals and Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) happen here
- Easiest network to target demographics and geographics through ad campaigns and various groups
- You can share everything from photos, text, to videos
- Provides insight into the analytics of your business Facebook page
- Pictures and videos galore allowing for organizations to show their brand in creative way
- Platform almost entirely used through mobile devices
- Common to utilize hashtags, locations, and tagging others for expanded reach
- You don’t have the capability to hyperlink any individual post which can make a viewers path to your website somewhat difficult
- Ads are commonly placed here that target specific demographics
- This network is Image-based and idea-driven with ability to browse, post and discover about new interests
- People use this platform for inspiration for experiences, products & tutorials
- Platform known for main industries of fashion, exercise, food, and travel posts
- Limited in volume of users, but user engagement rates are high
Youtube
- Serves the opportunity to create engaging videos
- Tells quick, memorable stories that put aside the noise to both reach and persuade your audience
- Great platform for many types of videos (How-to’s, company overviews, product or service overviews, testimonials, etc.)
- Platform is generally news-oriented
- Hashtags, tagging others, and sharing links are are very common here to spread reach throughout industries
- Limited characters per post, constraining accounts to short bursts of information
- Easy to connect with others through retweets, favorites, and direct messaging
- Business-oriented social media network focusing on expanding influence in industry
- Platform is primarily focused on B2B outreach
- Professional place to network for yourself of your business
- Serves as an effective place to search for jobs
These platforms have taken over the business world. Luckily, MAYO Designs is proficient in creating social media accounts and managing content strategies to fit the needs of any business. Check out what we have done with the New England Patriots Alumni Club’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.
