Social Media 2020
So, what exactly are Social Media? Simply put, social media enable us to keep in touch – with family, friends and, more so now than ever before, customers and clients. Sites such as Facebook and Instagram are designed to let you share content in real time and it is this ability to share images, views and events which is transforming the way many small, online companies do business in 2020.
With approximately 40% of the world’s population using social media networks, businesses now realise the importance of their social media marketing, understanding that the use of these platforms will heighten brand awareness, increase website traffic and lead to customer acquisition and retention. But which platforms to use? And how do you use them? Do you need a social media strategy?
There are so many social media platforms available that it can be hard to decide which will suit your business best. There are no right or wrong answers – different channels will yield results for different businesses and the content you publish will depend on the platform you use.
By number of users, Facebook is the largest of the social media platforms with a user base of over 2 billion and counting. The introduction of Facebook business pages transformed it from a purely social network to a legitimate marketing platform.
Short videos work well on Facebook but they need to be engaging and relevant – live videos are really popular, as are posts that feature pictures and not just text.
A Facebook business page will help drive traffic to your website and is invaluable for increasing your organic reach.
Giving Facebook a run for its money with more than 1 billion active users, Instagram is one of the most current social media platforms. As a visual platform, Instagram needs high quality, stunning pictures and videos to really work well and attract immediate attention for your business.
Hugely popular on Instagram are live videos which can be adapted for question and answer sessions, as well as interviews and how-to tutorials.
Business friendly shoppable posts and stories make Instagram a relevant platform for today’s businesses and offer a versatile approach for your marketing. It is also the most popular channel for influencer marketing as over 65% of marketers choose it.
As a professional networking platform, LinkedIn wins hands down for B2B marketing. Industry experts and field leaders come together on LinkedIn to share their expertise, knowledge and opinions and it is THE place for current, informative, industry content.
Opinion pieces are popular on LinkedIn, as are information articles and industry headlining news. For any B2B business, Instagram is second to none for key lead generation.
Originally a text-only platform, Twitter’s strength lies in short, frequent and relevant tweets. Twitter’s dynamics rely on regular tweets and for it to be used successfully as a marketing tool, you will need a timetable for scheduled posts. Without this consistency, you will lose the interest of your audience. SproutSocial cites the highest global engagement on Twitter to be from 08.00 to 10.00 on a Friday morning.
Successful content on Twitter includes updates on the latest from your brand, witty jokes and memes, and crisp one-liners. It is also a great platform to link through to content on your website.
Social media 2020 can be a minefield for the uninitiated so put the legwork in before you launch yourself and your business out there. Look at your competitors (their audience is your audience!) – which platforms are they using? What are they posting? What’s their engagement like? Are they using hashtags? Which ones? What tone are they using with their audience? What calls to action are they using?
Taking the time to conduct your research will help to inform your social media marketing strategy by helping you to choose the platforms which will work best for you.
Have fun!