The Top Ten Social Media Platforms You Need To Know About
As a marketer, you have so many social media platforms to choose from. Which ones should you be investing your time in? There are so many to choose from and new ones appear regularly.
Where do you start? All of them. Different audiences and different marketing objectives demand different types of social media presence.
Social networks play a big part in people’s lives today, with the top five accounting for almost half of the global population online.
As marketers, we are constantly looking for new ways to reach our target audience. The rise of social media has given us plenty of opportunities to do just that. With so many social media sites available, it can be difficult to know where to begin as an optimally sized company with limited resources.
The granddaddy of social media. Facebook currently boasts 2.32 billion users, with 1.32 billion using the service daily. It’s not surprising that a vast majority of marketers are focusing their attention on Facebook.
When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things. What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Facebook? What’s your target audience?
Do they use Facebook? If your target audience uses Facebook and you have the type of content that performs well there, then Facebook is a great option. You should also consider your time and resources.
Facebook offers the ability to create a lot of different content types. You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
The photo-sharing platform has exploded since it launched in 2010. With 800 million active users, it’s no surprise that marketers are jumping on board. When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things.
What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Instagram? What’s your target audience? Do they use Instagram? If your target audience uses Instagram and you have the type of content that performs well there, then Instagram is a great option.
You should also consider your time and resources. Instagram offers the ability to create a lot of different content types. You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
The microblogging platform that started the 140-character message frenzy boasts 313 million monthly active users. When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things.
What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Twitter? What’s your target audience? Do they use Twitter? If your target audience uses Twitter and you have the type of content that performs well there, then Twitter is a great option.
You should also consider your time and resources. Twitter offers the ability to create a lot of different content types.
You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
Snapchat
The ephemeral messaging app that’s designed to disappear after 24 hours boasts 188 million users. When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things. What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Snapchat?
What’s your target audience? Do they use Snapchat? If your target audience uses Snapchat and you have the type of content that performs well there, then Snapchat is a great option. You should also consider your time and resources.
Snapchat offers the ability to create a lot of different content types. You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
Google+
The social network that was designed to be a Facebook killer (and ultimately failed) has a user base of 90 million. When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things.
What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Google+? What’s your target audience? Do they use Google+? When Google+ first launched it was a promising challenge to Facebook.
But in recent years it has become a ghost town. The active user base is tiny compared to other social media platforms, and few marketers are posting on it.
That being said, if your target audience uses Google+ and you have the type of content that performs well there, then Google+ is a great option.
You should also consider your time and resources. Google+ offers the ability to create a lot of different content types. You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
The business-oriented social media platform boasts 575 million global users. When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things. What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on LinkedIn?
What’s your target audience? Do they use LinkedIn? When LinkedIn launched, it seemed like a natural fit for B2B marketing, but marketers discovered that it works best for B2C marketing as well.
It has become a great platform for posting both long-form and short-form content.
There are different types of groups within the platform that you can engage with and participate in. You should also consider your time and resources. LinkedIn offers the ability to create a lot of different content types.
You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
YouTube
The video-sharing platform that practically invented how to go viral boasts 1 billion users. When choosing a social media platform to focus on,
you should consider a few things. What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on YouTube?
What’s your target audience? Do they use YouTube? When YouTube first launched, no one knew what to do with it. Today, it’s the second most visited website in the world and the third largest search engine.
The video platform has become an excellent way to not only promote your content but also to position yourself as an authority in your industry. You should also consider your time and resources. YouTube offers the ability to create a lot of different content types.
You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
The social news and discussion platform boast 330 million users. When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things. What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Reddit?
What’s your target audience? Do they use Reddit? If your target audience uses Reddit and you have the type of content that performs well there, then Reddit is a great option. You should also consider your time and resources.
Reddit offers the ability to create a lot of different content types. You need to make sure that you’re investing your time wisely and not spreading yourself too thin. Start with what you know, then branch out as you get more comfortable with the platform.
Skype/Video Calls
The video calling platform that has become the de facto standard for communication boasts 701 million users. When choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things.
What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Skype? What’s your target audience? Do they use Skype? When Skype first launched, it was meant to facilitate video calls between two people.
Over time, the platform has evolved and now allows for group video calls, voice calls, and text or file sharing. When you’re choosing a social media platform to focus on, you should consider a few things.
What kind of content do you want to publish and what kind of content is popular on Skype? What’s your target audience? Do they use Skype?
Conclusion
Social media is an essential part of modern marketing, and it makes sense to use as many of the available platforms as possible. However, it’s important to choose the right tools for
