Perfecting Your Social Media Strategy: Which Platforms Are Best for Marketing?

Decisions, decisions, decisions. Social media is like a bustling theme park, teeming with endless possibilities. It’s a place where businesses of all shapes and sizes can set up their own attractions, dazzle the crowd, and mingle with visitors from all walks of life. With billions of active users roaming these virtual playgrounds, there is almost boundless potential for organizations wanting to perfect their social media strategy and snag a bigger piece of the pie.

So, how do you find your way through the maze of likes, shares, and hashtags? How do you decide which rides to hop on and which shows to catch? That’s where Ironistic comes in. We’ll act as your trusty tour guide through the winding roller coaster of social media platforms so you can better choose the right marketing strategies for your particular brand and goals.

How to Fine-Tune Your Social Media Content Strategy

Know Your Audience

Although you may want to jump in feet first and begin creating captivating, fun content, you can’t build a thriving social media presence without research, data, and planning. You need to know your audience:

• Who are you engaging?
• Who do you want to engage?
• Where does your audience hang out?
• What are their digital habits?
• How do they prefer to be engaged?

There are so many options in the big, wide world of social media that understanding your audience’s demographics and preferences is absolutely vital to optimizing your resources and unlocking a treasure trove of user engagement. 

The Power of Personalization in Your Social Media Strategy

In a scrolling sea of faces, how do you stand out from the crowd? By being uniquely you, of course! 

In the cutthroat world of social media, businesses must double down on personalization and authenticity, crafting on-brand content that speaks directly to the hearts and minds of their audience. 

From tailored recommendations to heartfelt messages, building meaningful connections is how organizations become memorable and maintain loyalty. Because in the end, it’s not just about generating likes – it’s about forging genuine bonds that last a lifetime.

Social Media Content in Motion

‘Lights, camera, action’ is the mantra of the social media world! In the land where content is king, video reigns supreme. This form of social engagement has captured the hearts and minds of users everywhere, leaving static posts playing backup. 

To connect with audiences, businesses need to roll up their sleeves and embrace the power of video content to attract attention and stand out from the crowd. So, grab your popcorn and start creating mini blockbusters for your platforms.

You can use video content to promote new products, educate consumers, provide instructional how-tos and customer support, or host live events. The possibilities are nearly endless, but you should also note that over 73% of online consumers watch a video before making a purchase, so there is no doubt you must include videos in your social media marketing and overall digital strategy.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow Social Content

Continuing the video discussion, don’t overlook the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it options. Businesses can use tactics like Instagram Stories, which are brief and only last about a day to capture top-of-funnel customers. You can embed links, polls, and other features to make them fun and interactive. Since they live at the top of the social media app, they’re also easy to find for users.

YouTube shorts are another short-but-sweet option that provides more bite-sized clips of long-form content and can easily engage the short attention span of your typical online audience.

While longer-form videos like Reels have their own unique positives, these seconds-long videos can offer quick, entertaining connections with your audience and help you attract new members to your club.

Social Shopping Sprees

Ready to ring up some sales on social media while barely breaking a sweat? With the rise of social commerce, social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest have transformed into virtual shopping malls. 

Businesses get to flaunt their wares and woo customers with tantalizing, interactive shopping features. People don’t even have to leave the comfort of their social platforms. It’s the ultimate convenience. 

This is even true for companies that aren’t traditional e-commerce businesses. You can use social media to attract new leads, add signups to newsletters, offer free trials or demos, and more. Even better, add social media advertising to your arsenal and take a flying leap ahead in the marketing game.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Marketing Plan 

Now that we’ve covered some stage-setting content strategies, let’s dive into the main event – choosing the right social media platforms for your business! From LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and beyond, each platform offers its own unique flavor, flair, and brand-boosting possibilities. So, grab your social media passport, and let’s embark on a whirlwind tour of the hottest spots in town!*

Getting to Know the New Kid on the Block

As one of the freshest faces on the scene, TikTok is all the rage. It has almost two billion users and is the #1 downloaded app in 40 countries.

Here are some more TikTok insights:

• 30% of TikTok users access the app every day.
• A little over 18% of users are young women aged 18-24.
• A little over 18% of users are young men aged 18-24.
• TikTok users are more likely to buy a tech product in the next six months.

TikTok’s appeal is in its storytelling format, and – contrary to what you might think – its most popular content is not dad jokes or viral challenges – it’s tutorials followed by product or service reviews. That can definitely come in handy for businesses longing to increase consumer confidence and visibility.

Facebook – The Community Social Platform

With its sprawling network of users, Facebook is like a bustling town square where everyone gathers to catch up on the latest gossip and news. Most recent data estimates over three billion users – of which a little over two billion use the platform every single day. For businesses, it’s a goldmine of opportunity, offering unparalleled reach and engagement.

You might be interested to know that:

• Almost 80% of Facebook users also use Instagram. 
• A little over 70% also use YouTube and WhatsApp. 
• Facebook is most popular in India with the United States a close second.
• It draws the most visitors from the 25-34 age demographic. 
• It also has a slight edge in popularity with men over women.

With its global reach and features that allow organizations to reach and interact with audiences, Facebook is still a major player in social media marketing – even after all these years.

X (AKA Twitter) – The Newsy Social Platform

With its bite-sized snippets of information and lightning-fast pace, X has long been the go-to platform for breaking news and water cooler chatter. While about ⅓ of posts tend towards politics, for businesses, X is a place to show thought leadership and showcase services and expertise in 280 characters or less. 

In fact, X is actually gaining in popularity among Gen Z users (age 12-34), growing almost 36% among this socially active demographic in the space of two years.

On the slightly disappointing side, X’s average organic engagement rate is only .05%, but this percentage jumps significantly for video posts (33% better performance than text) and even more for video ads (up to 95% boost in views).

Instagram – The Creative Platform

With its visually stunning photos and snappy videos, Instagram is the playground of the creative class. In the popularity contest, users worldwide say it’s their second favorite platform (just behind WhatsApp), and it’s the fourth most visited website). It’s also running neck-and-neck with WhatsApp for the third most users at two billion. 

Here’s a couple more stats to help with your social media strategy decision-making:

• Instagram is the favorite social platform for users aged 16-64.
• The overwhelming majority of Instagram users are age 45 or younger.
• For the biggest ad market reach, India comes in first with the United States coming in second.
• For ads, Instagram Stories is pretty much a home run with 500 million in reach.
• Instagram Reels are shared the most and are only slightly less popular than TikTok videos.

For organizations, the platform is an open opportunity to flex your creative muscles and showcase your products or services in all their glory. So, make your brand a superstar with expertly crafted, engaging, and interactive content on Instagram.

LinkedIn – The Professional Platform

Time to put on your best suit and tie – we’re heading to LinkedIn! It’s risen beyond being a mere resume showcase. With its focus on thought leadership and networking, LinkedIn is the perfect social media platform for forging industry connections and demonstrating expertise. In fact, professionals prefer LinkedIn for fresh ideas rather than salesey gimmicks.

For businesses, beyond highlighting your finer points and recruiting new talent, LinkedIn offers  video content, live video, and ad campaigns for social marketing options. So, optimize your profile, connect with industry leaders, boost your visibility with dynamic ads, and watch as your brand becomes a force to be reckoned with!

YouTube – The Action-Packed Platform

YouTube has grown exponentially in the diversity of its application and reach. While it’s a hub for artists, gamers, and influencers creating their own content channels, it’s a great tool for organizations too.

Like other platforms, it personalizes recommendations based on user preferences, which helps increase social media engagement and watch time. Beyond simply making videos, YouTube offers ways for creators and users to communicate, which can support a better customer experience and build stronger relationships. 

Here are some more important facts about this social media icon:

• YouTube gets about 1.7 billion unique visits a month.
• The usage between males and females is split fairly evenly, but men do edge out women slightly.
• Visitors spend about 20 minutes a day on YouTube – that’s a lot of engagement time opportunities!
• Most people access YouTube via mobile where users spend about 24 hours per month.

If you’re not considering YouTube in your social media strategy, it’s time to add it to the list – especially considering the preeminent power of videos for content marketing,

WhatsApp – The Open Communication Platform

For messaging platforms, WhatsApp beats other social media giants by a long, country mile – 700 million more monthly users than Facebook’s Messenger and WeChat. And for the all-important female demographic, women ages 55-64 love WhatsApp more than other social media platforms.

WhatsApp Business has also become a preferred communication tool for organizations. It makes it easy to offer quick customer support (including automated messaging) and analyze data to better understand the customer experience. Businesses can also use WhatsApp to build on-brand templates and create social marketing campaigns.

The Right Content + The Right Platforms + A Little Ironistic = A Better Social Media Strategy 

When it comes to choosing the perfect social media platform, it all boils down to two things – knowing yourself and knowing your audience. 

Whether you’re an e-commerce company targeting trendsetting millennials, a communications firm agency wooing B2B clients, or a nonprofit focused on volunteer recruitment and donations, there’s a social media stage (or two or three) with your name on it. So, do your research and choose wisely. The social media world is your oyster!

And hey, if you’d rather offload the responsibility to a seasoned pro, look no further than Ironistic. As a longtime digital marketing agency, we offer expert content creation, digital strategies, design, and social media management to complement your brand and marketing goals. 

We can create a social media strategy that aligns with your brand, boosts your visibility, and remains consistent over time.

Give us a like and see what we can do together!

*All social media platform data sourced from Hootsuite.