Social Media Platforms: A Breakdown

Journey Based Advertising: Chapter Six


Having a social presence is a must

Having one on every network? Not always.

Different social networks attract different audiences, so unless your target audience is the entire world population, in which case we suggest you get a new marketing manager, you probably don’t need a to be on every social platform, or at least you don’t need to have a full-fledged marketing plan that includes each platform.

Here’s a breakdown of each social media platform, and what they are best for in terms of advertising and reaching the right audience.


Jump to the Social Platform


Facebook

More than 30% of the world’s population use it

Ideal for most brands, although typically we see more B2C companies. Audience targeting is the best way to target, and Facebook Ad’s Manager gives us plenty of options.

  • Core/Saved audiences: based on criteria like age, interests, and geography
  • Custom: Get in touch with people who are already familiar with your product
  • Lookalike: Reach new people whose interests are similar to those of your best customers
  • Ad types: Photo, video, lead forms, story, and more.

Facebook Messenger – Good for retargeting


Instagram

1 billion monthly users aged 18-34

Ideal for a brand who rely on imagery to sell, again we see mostly B2C business here. There are three ways to advertise on Instagram:

  • Promoted Posts/Stories in the app
  • Create boosted ad’s in Facebook
  • Create Instagram specific ad campaigns in Facebooks Ad Manager – we recommend doing this as you have more control and can optimise for Instagram specifically

LinkedIn

660 million monthly active members

Great for B2B as it is the largest platform for working professionals. LinkedIn offers unique targeting options:

  • Job title
  • Job function
  • Job industry

Twitter

330 million monthly users

Twitter is ideal for B2B and e-commerce as it leans more towards a professional network, as it’s main uses are for news and customer service updates/replies. Twitter adverting platform allows you to target by objectives:

Awareness – If you want the max reach

Tweet Engagement – If you want more retweets, likes, etc

Follows – If you want to grow your twitter following

Website Clicks – To drive traffic to your site

App Downloads – To get more app downloads


Pinterest

300 million monthly users 

This is great for businesses who have a female audience and those who rely on visuals for a sale. Advertising on Pinterest is pretty straight forward:

  1. Pick a pin
  2. Decide who sees it
  3. Pay for results
  4. Track what’s working

YouTube

2 billion users, second largest search engine behind Google

YouTube is a great option for both B2B and B2C, especially if you have video advertising resources. YouTube lets you choose to show ads before, during, or after a video.


Snapchat

218 million users ages 18-24

Ideal for B2C due to the younger age range. There are many ways to advertise on Snapchat: Story ads, sponsored tiles, and augmented reality lens (sponsored by a business)


Tic Tok

500 million monthly users

A fairly new social network, Tic Tok has a younger audience so is ideal for B2C although we have seen B2B make an appearance. Ad’s are still limited on the platform, but they are available and should be:

  • Geared for awareness, not for leads or traffic
  • Appropriate for a younger audience
  • Aimed at laughs; meme’s dance challenges, etc

Still unsure what platform your business should focus on for your paid social strategy? Get in touch with the ExtraDigital team today and we will be happy to give you some advice!


Next Chapter: 07 - Advantages of Search (Pay-Per-Click) Ads

Monday 27th April 2020

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