Finding Your Target Audience on Social Media Platforms

Finding and engaging with your target audience on different social media platforms can feel sort of like playing Where’s Waldo. Unless you’re keeping up on the latest social media news and trends, it’s possible your brand isn’t utilizing the appropriate platforms to reach your desired audiences. From Facebook to LinkedIn, brands can reach nearly any demographic by understanding correctly utilizing social media outlets. Here’s a look at four of the top social media platforms and which audiences and brands are using them:

Facebook

Facebook is the biggest player among social media platforms with over 1 billion people using the site daily. Chances are, if your primary audience is on the internet, they’re on Facebook. Even though the newness and excitement of Facebook has worn off, 79 percent of online Americans still using the platform and 44 percent of users checking the platform several times a day. With the exception of target audiences under the age of 24, each age demographic still has a strong presence on Facebook. Income and education demographics are also fairly evenly split amongst Facebook users.

So what brands should have a strong presence on Facebook?

Or perhaps a better question is: should any brands not have a strong presence on Facebook? (That answer is probably not.) Facebook lets brands drive to their websites, generate leads, manage customer service, increase sales, boost brand awareness and more. The platform is increasingly making it easier for consumers to contact and purchase products from brands without leaving the site. There is no reason your brand should not have a business page on Facebook. Brand’s Facebook content should not only be text-based but should also include photos and videos as these types of posts are 40 times more likely to be shared. Facebook content should be valuable to consumers, not just fluff. Share tips and ideas related to your brand or product. Ask questions your ideal consumer would be likely to have a strong opinion about or interested in answering. Finally, be sure to check your inbox and post comments daily to respond to users who are communicating with your brand via Facebook.

Instagram

Instagram presence is an absolute necessity for any brand wanting to reach younger consumers. About 60% of millennials use Instagram, double the number of individuals between 30 to 49-year-olds and seven times the number of individuals 65 and older. The platform is fairly evenly split among gender and income. Instagram also has the highest engagement rate on posts compared to all other social media platforms, which might prove the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words.

So what brands should have a strong presence on Instagram?

Brands of all sizes have a unique opportunity to get in front of potential consumers with Instagram. 53 percent of users follow brands and 60 percent of users say they have learned about a brand’s product or service through Instagram. This shows that consumers are happy to see and engage with branded images from those companies. Product based B2C companies can excel on Instagram by posting creative and unique images of their products that reach consumers on a more emotional level. Brands should view Instagram as an opportunity to express their personality and even give a behind-the-scenes glimpses with not only their posts but their Instagram Stories. Remember, Instagram is the best platform to communicate with your audience visually, not through links and text.

Twitter

Twitter may limit brands to 140 character messages (or 240 in some cases), but it is still an excellent platform for engaging with consumers and managing your brand’s reputation. This platform is all about communication, meaning that people come to this platform to have a conversation. About 24 percent of internet users are on Twitter, and 36 percent of those Twitter users are millennials. Twitter is big on mobile, with 82 percent of users accessing the platform from their smartphone devices.

So what brands should have a strong presence on Twitter?

Twitter is an excellent tool for small to medium size businesses (SMB) wanting to communicate with consumers and boost their brand's reputation. In fact, data shows that 75 percent of Twitter users have more positive feelings about a SMB after reading their tweets and 69 percent have purchased something at least once from a SMB because of Twitter. Make tweets conversational and always be on the lookout for mentions and opportunities to have a one on one discussion with a consumer. Also, keep in mind that Twitter is largely used as a customer service tool. Users are more likely to discuss a positive or negative experience with your brand on this platform, and they’ll expect you to respond.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a platform less segmented by age and more by income. This social media platform caters to business professionals and is fairly evenly split by gender. Millennials make up approximately 25 percent of users on Linkedin are surprisingly active on this platform as they search for their first jobs after college and begin to make professional connections. Older consumers are also active on LinkedIn, with 61 percent of users falling between the ages of 30 to 64 and 21 percent of users over the age of 65. With this wide array of ages active on LinkedIn, the best way to decide if the platform is right for your business is to determine the income and profession of your ideal consumer. Most LinkedIn users make over $75,000 a year and over 50 percent have a college degree.

So what brands should have a strong presence on LinkedIn?

B2B brands benefit from a strong LinkedIn presence as the platform easily allows brands to set marketing goals that bring in leads. For B2C brands, LinkedIn can still be useful for reaching and engaging niche consumers, especially those segmented by profession. However, B2C brands shouldn’t expect a bump in sales from LinkedIn marketing.

Still not sure if your brand is reaching the right audiences on social media? We specialize in creating and promoting content on each social media site. Get in touch with us and see how we can take your brand’s social media presence to the next level.