You know it, we know it, everyone in business knows it – marketing is a critical contributor to the success of any brand. There are, however, so many ways to market that it makes it difficult to know where to spend your time and energy. Hopefully this blog can clear up some of that confusion, and the title is pretty direct: every single business needs to take advantage of the wealth of opportunity presented by social media.
It might sound like an exaggeration, but we promise you it’s not. Let’s look at it via cold, hard statistics:
- 7 in 10 Americans use social media
- More than 230 million Americans
- Average daily use is just over 2 hours
- More than 70 percent of users recommend brands with whom they’ve had good interactions
These are just a few of the stats that build up the case for social media, but not the one that’s most convincing. Social media is cost effective and can generate one of the best returns on your marketing budget’s investment. Creating and managing a page is completely free on nearly every major platform, and the biggest investment you’ll have to make is creating quality content. It also offers opportunities to run advertisements with quality targeting and flexible budgeting.
The Big 5
The world of social media can be broken down into different platforms; generally speaking, there are only a few you need to worry about. We call these “The Big 5,” because they’re the platforms with the most engaged users – at any given point, these 5 platforms make up the vast majority of social media usage. Here’s a synopsis of each platform:
Facebook: Facebook is the giant of the social media world, with nearly two times the interaction as most other platforms. A majority of brands have accounts on Facebook, and advertising through the platform is customizable.
Instagram: Owned by Meta, (Facebook’s parent company) Instagram is a photo-centric social media platform. Users share images with text to promote their company, and advertising through Facebook also overlaps into Instagram.
Twitter: This platform is geared toward short blurbs, predominantly of text, that are designed to share ideas and thoughts to a wide audience. Twitter is often used to spark discussion.
LinkedIn: The most job-focused social media platform, LinkedIn focuses on businesses, trades, work histories, and other professional themes. This platform is most receptive to talking shop and discussing topics that fit into a more professional, jargon-filled environment.
TikTok: The newcomer to the social media industry, TikTok is one of the fastest growing platforms. TikTok’s content is made up of short, lively videos set to audio clips, and content generally follows what’s trending as far as dances, challenges, or video themes go.
Each of these platforms is free and presents an easy way to engage with your audience. Similarly, they all offer ways to boost your posts or to run advertisements, further extending your brand’s reach. Social media is a sea of opportunity your brand can’t afford to miss out on – so don’t be afraid to get off the porch and run with the big dogs.
Joining social media can be intimidating; after all, your brand’s reputation is on the line, and everything you do needs to reflect why consumers should choose you over your competitors. The experts at BPM are certified on all the major platforms, and we’d love to help you craft social media campaigns that deliver results. Get in touch with us today for a consultation!
