It shouldn’t come as a surprise that using social media is pretty much a must these days for businesses of any size. Given the number of people who are on these platforms every day, for hours a day, social media can be a powerful tool for businesses both large and small.
But navigating social media can also pose a number of challenges for businesses. There are so many platforms—and so many different ways to utilize them—that trying to keep active pages can become pretty overwhelming.
Get to know how social media platforms are used so that you can make them work for you. Social media should be fun! When you know what to do with it, you can get back to enjoying your scroll.
How Social Media Is Used
You might already know that most people are on some kind of social media platform at various points during the day, but in order to make the best choices for your business, it is ideal to understand which platforms are most common. Not only is understanding the most common platforms helpful, but it is also helpful to better understand what it is your customers are looking for on social media.
Although smaller platforms have seen growth over the past few years, Facebook and YouTube continue to have the strongest hold on Americans. As of 2023, eight in 10 people report spending time searching YouTube, while 68% say they regularly spend time on Facebook. These two terms are also consistently top searched terms on Google.
Demographically, these two platforms hold a pretty wide range of users when it comes to age, while platforms like Instagram most commonly see use from people of a younger age demographic. The diversity of people who spread across different social media platforms is one of the biggest reasons why businesses should maintain more than one active page.
How It Can Work for You
Understanding who is using what can help you establish the platforms that will be most ideal for your business. If your target audience is a younger crowd, hit the platforms they spend the most time on heavily, while maintaining a simpler presence on the other top networks.
Creating multiple pages is not only worthwhile for getting your message out to your customers, but it can also be a powerful way to connect on a personal level. The majority of shoppers like to search the internet or social media pages for businesses before patronizing them. Most often they are looking for store hours, location or current sales, but they may also be looking to better understand your business and what you offer.
Responding to your customers as much as possible can help relay your brand’s mission and vision while helping your shoppers feel heard. It is important to respond to both positive and negative comments in order to portray yourself as open and honest as possible.
This is also a great opportunity to remind your neighbors that you are one of them. Posting local events and sharing good news going on around you will let anyone who visits your page know how proud you are of your area.
Understanding social media is crucial for making it work for you. Get back to your own scrolling knowing that you have active pages that will encourage your customers to stop their own.
Want to create social media pages that are active, local and targeted? Contact us. We’ve