Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Organisation.
It goes without saying that it is really tricky to promote any organisation without using social media these days, especially if your audience is not super niche and comprises of the general public. In today's digital age, social media has become an essential tool for businesses, organisations, and individuals to connect with their audience. With countless platforms available, selecting the right ones for your organisation can be overwhelming for people to choose which ones are right for them. This blog post will guide you through the process of choosing the best social media platforms based on your organisation's goals, audience demographics, and desired outcomes.
Understanding Your Goals
Before diving into specific platforms, it's crucial to define your organisation's objectives. What do you hope to achieve through social media? Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive website traffic, or foster community engagement? Your goals will significantly influence the platforms you choose. If like many of my clients you are unsure of where to start with this particular aspect, I can absolutely help you with your strategy and target audiences, persona’s and everything you need to set yourself on the best foot for marketing success. I do offer a separate digital service which you can look at on my services page.
“Focus on the core problem your business solves and put out lots of content and enthusiasm and ideas about how to solve that problem.”
Analysing Your Audience
Understanding your target audience is equally important though. Consider their demographics (age, gender, location), interests, and behaviours. This information will help you identify the platforms where your audience is most active as each platform is different. We could work together to build out your persona’s too!
Key Demographics and Preferred Platforms
Gen Z (18-24 years old): TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat
Millennials (25-40 years old): Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok
Gen X (41-56 years old): Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn
Baby Boomers (57-75 years old): Facebook, YouTube, X
Platform Overview
Taking a look at some of the most popular social media platforms and their key features to consider when making your choice:
Facebook: A versatile platform with a wide range of features, including groups, pages, and advertising. It's suitable for most organisations, regardless of industry or audience and with over 3 billion monthly active users as of 2024, it’s almost a no brainer for most.
Instagram: Primarily visual, Instagram is ideal for showcasing products, services, or behind-the-scenes content. It's particularly popular among younger demographics and with it’s exponential growth in user base to around 2.4 billion as of 2024, it could be a great opportunity for your business.
X: There are around 500 million active users on X. It’s great for real-time conversations, news, and updates. Twitter is suitable for organisations that want to engage in discussions and share timely information, particularly around politics and press or media.
LinkedIn: A professional networking platform, LinkedIn is ideal for B2B businesses and organisations looking to connect with industry professionals. LinkedIn has over 130 million active users and around 14% are active daily so it’s one to consider (but definitely needs a bespoke strategy due to the nature of this platform).
TikTok: A short-form video platform that has gained immense popularity, especially among younger generations. TikTok is excellent for creative content and viral challenges. TikTok is a controversial platform though and I appreciate it can be considered with caution for some. However, you don’t necessarily need a TikTok account to advertise on the platform and with users expected to get close to 1.8 billion by the end of 2024, it is becoming a huge contender to the biggies of Facebook and Instagram.
YouTube: YouTube could be argued as the OG of social media really. It's just not the usual social media we would think of like Facebook or Bebo or MySpace (remember them?!). We all know it’s a video-sharing platform that can be used for tutorials, product demonstrations, and longer-form content. YouTube is suitable for organisations that want to share informative and engaging videos. It is super handy and a fantastic platform with really strong performing ad potential and multiple video lengths to capitalise too.
Choosing the Right Platforms
Based on your goals and audience analysis, you can select the most suitable platforms for your organisation. Here are some additional factors to consider:
Platform features: Evaluate if the platform offers the features you need, such as video uploading, live streaming, or e-commerce integration. Are these formats your audiences engage with or are they better for your audience - perhaps accessibility is a key focus for you.
Time commitment: Assess how much time and resources you can dedicate to managing your social media presence. The more social platforms the more time you need to dedicate to copy, content and community management. I can help you figure all that out though.
Budget: Consider the costs associated with each platform, including advertising and paid tools. You can make gains with meta but it’s important to consider all platforms and what’s going to be best for your business or charity.
Creating a Social Media Strategy
Once you've chosen your platforms, it's essential to develop a comprehensive social media strategy. This should include:
Content calendar: Plan your content topics, themes, and posting schedule.
Engagement strategy: Develop tactics to encourage interaction and build a community.
Analytics: Track your performance and make data-driven decisions.
Paid advertising: Consider using paid advertising to reach a wider audience and achieve specific goals.
Conclusion
Selecting the right social media platforms for your organisation is crucial for achieving your marketing objectives. By understanding your goals, analysing your audience, and carefully evaluating platform features, you can create a successful social media strategy that drives results. Remember, consistency, engagement, and adapting to platform trends are key to maximising your social media efforts.
Feel like you need some help?
No worries! Marketing is a specialism and I am here if you would like some support. Fill in my contact form and I will be in touch quicksmart to help you out.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
Cheerybye for now,
The Cheery Marketeery.
I’m here to help!
I support so many small businesses, start-ups and charities with their marketing and I love it!
I can help you too…
