In the current digital era, businesses that need to pay more attention to the potential of social media marketing are ignoring a vital channel for engaging with customers. According to Hootsuite's 2022 Social Trends Report, 80 percent of marketers recognize the significance of social media and are confident in its ability to generate a Return on Investment (ROI), as it can provide valuable insights into customers and boost other marketing endeavors.

Social media can enhance lead generation benefits for marketers, while a well-executed social media strategy can also improve search rankings, increase website traffic, and boost conversion rates.

However, with many social media channels available, it can take time to determine which ones are best for your business. Should you create an online presence on Snapchat, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok?
In the following paragraphs, we'll present a straightforward step-by-step process to help you select the appropriate social media channels and make an informed decision based on the most critical factors.

What Are the Objectives of Your Social Media Strategy?

It is crucial to connect your social media channels with the overall objectives of your strategy. If you cannot justify how or why a specific channel would aid in accomplishing your goals, it is probable that you should not integrate it.

Increasing Brand Awareness Through Social Media

In the initial phase, choosing established social media platforms with a large user base is essential to target a broad range of potential customers. Additionally, if you clearly understand your target audience and personas, it is beneficial to consider both popular and specialized platforms. For instance, advertising on a platform like TikTok could help you connect with a younger and visually-oriented demographic.

Paid promotion is one of the most effective ways to increase brand awareness and expand your reach, regardless of your budget.

Thus, it is advisable to investigate the different social media advertising possibilities at your disposal. Facebook's advertising platform, for instance, has a reputation for generating substantial ROI. Dedicate sufficient time to analyze and evaluate which options align best with your business objectives.

Enhancing Lead Generation through Social Media

Social media is a vital tool for marketers seeking to generate top-quality leads. By implementing targeted campaigns, you can attract pertinent prospects that can be nurtured within your funnel, leading to conversions. eMarketer research indicates that 59 percent of marketers have cited social media marketing as their most powerful lead-generation strategy.

LinkedIn's Social Media Lead Generation Capabilities for B2B: Joining Groups, Targeted Ads, Discussions, and Advanced Filters Compared to Facebook and Twitter Ads with Lower CPCs than AdWords Campaigns!

Which Channels Does Your Target Audience Use?

Once you've aligned your social media channel selection with your goals, it's crucial to determine where your target audience is active online. For instance, having an Instagram account for your brand may not yield results if your largest customer segment comprises 70-year-old women. Similarly, promoting your business on Pinterest may only be persuasive if you target men.

The most effective social media strategies rely on social media demographics. These data-driven insights will ensure that your strategy and channel selection facilitate a relevant, targeted approach, enhancing the likelihood of conversions.

To analyze your current followers and gain access to gender, age, and location data for your existing social audiences, consider using a social listening tool such as Sprout Social. This information can help you determine which channels are worth maintaining and which are not.
Suppose you don't select any channels or consider expanding into previously unexplored platforms. In that case, the Pew Research Center has conducted a thorough analysis outlining the critical demographics for various social media platforms.

For instance, did you know that women are more likely to use Instagram than men (44 percent vs. 36 percent)? Or that over 50 percent of LinkedIn users earn over $75,000?
In summary, when choosing social media channels, it's best to rely on demographic data rather than current trends to inform your decision-making process.

What channels do your competitors utilize?

It is just as important to consider which social media platforms your competitors utilize as it is to analyze the channels your target audience uses. Doing so will allow you to establish a baseline of industry activity and make informed decisions.

Make sure to observe the type of content your competitors share, including whether they create content specifically for each social media platform and how frequently they post. Moreover, assess the level of engagement their posts generate in terms of likes and shares. Analyzing your competitors' social media activity and approach can offer valuable insights that can be adopted to guarantee success for your strategy. To evaluate your competitors' effectiveness in reaching their target audience, you can take advantage of our Competitor Analysis Tracker.

You can also utilize social listening tools to determine which brands in your industry have the most expansive reach and the most significant impact on social media. For instance, Buzzsumo allows you to evaluate your competitors' top-performing content in terms of social shares and the content formats and lengths that best engage users. Moreover, you can see the social channels from which they obtain the most shares.

Employing an audience listening tool can assist you in determining the brands with the most significant reach and impact on social media within your industry.

With Brandwatch Analytics, you can keep tabs on your competitor's social media activity on Facebook and Twitter and track any mentions of them on the internet. There are various listening tools that you can utilize to conduct a competitor analysis, so it's essential to research the available options and be familiar with your choices.

What Type of Content Do You Wish to Generate?

This question carries significant importance since various types of content are available, some of which may align with your business objectives and brand image, while others may not. Moreover, certain content formats may be more suitable for specific social media platforms than others.

Sharing Industry Updates, Company News, and Whitepapers:

Typically, these types of content are best suited for B2B audiences who frequent professional platforms like LinkedIn. However, if you have a company or individual Twitter account used for professional purposes, these platforms can also be ideal for engaging with fellow professionals using industry-specific content. If you're seeking inspiration, look at some remarkable B2B content marketing examples.

Tips for Sharing Video Content

When deciding on a platform to share your video content, it's essential to consider your target audience and the length and appeal of your content. Short-form videos aimed at younger viewers can do well on Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat, while longer and more broadly appealing content may succeed on Facebook and Twitter. Another option is to create a YouTube channel, which is the world's second-largest search engine and receives over 3 billion monthly searches.

Tips for Sharing Image-Based Content

If your business caters to individual consumers and has a captivating product, consider advertising your content on Pinterest. According to Shopify, almost all users (98%) use the platform to explore new products based on the images they come across. On the other hand, Instagram is an excellent choice for creating a visually appealing brand narrative.

Sharing Editorial Content: Tips and Strategies

Businesses can use LinkedIn's publishing platform to publish articles and reach a vast audience of nearly 800 million members, making it an excellent option for establishing credibility as an industry authority. Additionally, Neil Patel notes that Medium is another popular publishing platform with 153 million users, over half of whom earn more than $100,000 per year.

Identifying the critical content formats to prioritize in your social media strategy can simplify decision-making while selecting the appropriate channels.

What is the Optimal Number of Channels to Manage?

Numerous brands use multiple social media channels to showcase their brand, and more than one track may be required. However, finding the perfect balance can be a challenge, as managing too many platforms can dilute the impact of your efforts while using just one platform can limit your brand's visibility and reach.

To maximize your resources and save time, you can use a social media calendar and scheduling tool like Buffer to schedule posts in advance. Additionally, you can cross-post content or customize posts for specific platforms. Buffer's feature of adding relevant images is also crucial, as posts with visuals tend to generate more views.

While automation can help incorporate more channels into your strategy, starting small and experimenting with a new platform is essential once you've identified a few social media that work for you. Gradually adding new channels to your strategy will save you time and money.

Tips to Attain Social Media Success for Your Business

Enrolling in DMI's Social Media Marketing course can equip you with a comprehensive understanding of the core principles and nuances of social media marketing. The course covers various aspects, including conducting social research, crafting compelling social content, formulating a robust social media strategy, and engaging, nurturing, and converting customers on key social platforms. Take the first step in your social media journey by enrolling today.

Readers Disclosure: Our content is supported by our reader, that means some of the link from this article and within this website are affiliate links. If you click any of these links, then we may earn a commission with no extra cost to you.