It is crucial to take into considerations factors such as age, location, and interests when choosing the best platforms to build an audience . Your choice of platform would depend on the product or service being offered, as well as the target market.
For example, Instagram is often considered the best platform for fashion brands, while LinkedIn is better suited for B2B businesses. It's important to consider where your target market is most active and engaged before deciding which platforms to use.
So what are the best social media platforms to build an audience? In this article, we will show you some of the best platforms where you can build an audience. But before that, let's take a look at some factors to consider when selecting the best platforms to build an audience.
Key Tips for Selecting the Best Social Media Platform for your Audience
Here are some factors that can guide you when selecting the best social media platform for your audience.
Define your Goals
Defining your goals enable you to select the most appropriate social media platform to use, the type of content you create, your target audience, and more. What do you hope to achieve by building an audience? Are you looking to grow your business, generate leads, promote a cause, or simply connect with like-minded people? Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can start considering which platforms will be most effective.For interacting with other businesses and professionals, LinkedIn is often a good choice. It's a professional networking site that can help you reach a wider audience of potential customers in the B2B industry.
If you're promoting a cause, Twitter may be a better option. It's a great platform for sharing news and information, and connecting with other activists and supporters.
And if you're just looking to connect with others who share your interests, Facebook is usually a good bet.
No matter what your goals are, there are plenty of options when it comes to choosing the best platforms to build an audience. Just be sure to take some time to consider what you want to achieve before getting started.
Determine the Channels Your Audience Use
The essence of carrying out a social media strategy is to connect with your potential customers. Therefore, you mustn't choose a platform where you may not find a large audience base.Although there isn't a perfect social media platform where you can find your all audience at once, you can research where they hang out.
To start with this, you can carry out your audience research by defining your buyer persona. This enables you to narrow down your choices through some factors such as gender, interest, or demographics.
You can discover your audience through various means. A prominent method of doing this is to carry out a customer survey. Ask your audience some questions to figure out where they are. These questions can be the social platforms they use, the influencers they follow, or where they get information.
Another way to determine the channels used by your audience is by using the tools provided by the social media platforms. For instance, sites such as Facebook through its paid advertising features enable you to identify your ideal customer and will give you an estimate of what your audience looks like.
Consider the Type of Social Media to Use
Another factor to consider when selecting the best social media platforms is to understand the preference of each social media platform.When you determine the preference of the social media platform you want to use, it makes your job easier and exposes your business to the right audience.
For instance, TikTok and Instagram algorithms favours brands that share visual content.
Meanwhile, if your business focuses on real-time events, you would quickly gain traction on Twitter.
If you want a platform that supports a diverse audience, you could use a platform such as YouTube or LinkedIn. And Facebook is a great option for you to build a community.
Narrow Down your Choices
As you already know, various social media channels exist for different reasons. Unfortunately, you can't be active on all of them. While it is good to maintain all of them if you have a social media team, you need to prioritize the platform that generates the best results for your business.Besides, focusing on the social media platforms that resonates with your audience enables you to spend your time well and achieve your goals. Of all social media platforms to use, you can go for the most populated ones with lots of active users. In this sense, you should consider Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
Determine the Type of Content to Create
Once you've identified your target platforms, it's time to start thinking about the type of content that will resonate with your target audience.Again, this will vary depending on factors such as age, location, and interests. However, some general tips include creating audio or video content for 20-somethings, text-based content for busy professionals, and interactive content for Gen Zs.
The best platforms to build an audience are those that allow you to share your content in a variety of ways. Facebook, for example, is a great platform for sharing text-based content. Twitter is perfect for sharing short updates, while Pinterest is ideal for sharing visual content.
When determining the type of content to create for your social media platform, it’s important to consider the strengths of each platform and how your content can be best utilized. Text-based content, such as blog posts or articles, can be easily shared on all social media platforms.
However, if you’re looking to share more visual content, such as infographics, images, or videos then Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok may be the best platform for you. Ultimately, the best way to determine the type of content to create is to experiment and see what works best for you and your audience.
Best Social Media Platforms to Build an Audience
In the United States alone, it has over 179 million uses and is a great platform for connecting with your target audience and groups of similar interests. If your target audience is active on Facebook, then there is no reason why you shouldn't be there as well. You can post videos, stories, pictures, or even share blogs to engage your audience.
The user demographics of Facebook are diverse. The largest age group is 25 to 34 years old and the average user spends about 30 minutes on the platform. You can appeal to various users of diverse interests and get them to follow your page. This enables them to stay updated on any new content coming from your brand.
Besides, you can also participate actively in a community rather than just promote your content. This gives you a wider reach and improves your online presence. Facebook offers several benefits for businesses. For any brand that seeks to grow, Facebook is the best shot.
With sophisticated targeting options, you can make sure that your message is seen by the people who are most likely to be interested in it. Best of all, unlike some other social media platforms, Facebook is relatively inexpensive to use, making it a great option for businesses on a tight budget. In short, if you're looking to build an audience and reach out to potential customers or fans, Facebook is one of the best platforms to do it.
It is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms that work well for an audience. It is a highly visual platform that allows you to upload high-quality pictures that showcase your products. Aside from the usual pictures, the platform also consists of various interesting features such as Stories, Reels, and IGTV.
The story feature enables users to upload content daily. For instance, if any of your customers tag your account after giving a review, you can upload such a review as a part of your story.
You can also inform your audience about promotions through this feature. Stories and Reels are effective ways of engaging your customers and portraying the authenticity of your brand. They enable you to publish long-form contents that are impossible to share on the main photo-sharing feature.
If your brand deals with short videos, influencer marketing, or user-generated content, Instagram is your best shot. It is a great platform to collaborate with top influencers or celebrities that attract a younger audience to your brand. Besides, you can provide professional customer service through the app as it allows your audience to question you.
YouTube
YouTube is an ideal platform for any business that seeks to interact with its audience. It has over two billion active global users that can engage with your content. As the second largest search engine in the world, the platform consists of unlimited video content for diverse users. You can't run out of video content on the platform.Video contents are entertaining, informative, educational, and eye-catching to the audience. They share valuable information even more than a long-form blog post. Various elements such as images, graphics, audio, texts, or effects are incorporated to deliver the intended messages. Videos require less attention and are easy to comprehend. You can leave them playing in that background while getting the information you need.
Thanks to YouTube today, many individuals can get instant information without wasting time. You can create short-form videos that catch the attention of the audience and encourage interactions. Lengthy videos also work well for your audience.
Although there is lots of competition on the platform, you can be a dominant force in your industry when you play your strategies right. Ensure you tailor each video to the needs or preferences of your audience.
Upload different forms of videos that are valuable to your audience. Some of these videos include reviews from customers, behind-the-scenes videos, tutorial videos, and more. Ensure that these videos educate or entertain your audience.
TikTok
Similar to YouTube, TikTok is a growing platform that you can use to promote your business. With a billion global monthly active users, it is a video-sharing platform that focuses on sharing short videos.The platform is best for targetting a younger audience with a short attention span and that seeks entertainment. TikTok comprises new trends, music, dance, or challenge filters that users watch, share, like, or comment on.
As you utilize this platform, it optimizes your timeline by aligning it with your interests. As time goes by, your feed becomes filled with tons of videos that keep you entertained.
As a business owner, creating authentic content on TikTok enables your audience to connect deeper with you. It establishes trust that encourages and influences their purchasing decisions.
The trends on the platform also inspire other content creators to understand the prevailing topics. Businesses can hop on to the trends to reach a wider audience.
You can also partner with other TikTok influencers to promote your products or services through videos. What makes this more interesting is that TikTok can credit a viral audio tune to your account. If a video goes viral, other users can use the audio tune on their videos. This enables you to reach more people and derives other benefits the platform offer users.
However, it is more of a platform that discovers visuals rather than a photo-sharing website. The platform helps users discover content, usually a collection of images, relating to their needs or interests. Pinterest collects these collections and sorts them categorically.
Users can discover various content such as getting style inspiration, finding recipes, planning weddings, or getting interior decoration tips on the platform. If you intend to use Pinterest effectively, you need to join a community and post high-quality content to attract people to your page.
You can take a look at the timeline to discover what people often post there. Pinterest works where users save content by pinning them to a board for future purposes. If you want to build an audience successfully on this platform, you have to use strong visual content.
You can use LinkedIn to connect with potential customers, partners, and investors. You can also use it to find jobs, research companies, and stay up-to-date on industry news. Plus, LinkedIn has a number of built-in features that make it easy to network and build relationships.
Just like other social media platforms, LinkedIn allows you to join your desired community, create new connections, and become a reckoned force in your industry.
Furthermore, LinkedIn allows you to send messages directly to other members, join groups, and participate in discussion forums. If you're serious about building an audience and expanding your professional networks, LinkedIn is definitely worth checking out.
Unlike other popular social media platforms, Twitter incorporates a tweet style that enables users to share their opinion with 280 characters. Businesses can send this tweet to gain new followers.
The tweets are similar to Facebook status updates where users can like, retweet, or comment on these posts. In other situations, users take a look at trendy hashtags to discover posts relating to such moments. Besides, you can also upload four photos and videos to captivate moments and engage your audience.
What makes the tweet special is that the minimal characters are easy to read. The right information can persuade your customers to carry out the next action - follow accounts, like posts, retweet or share posts, or visit the brand's website directly.
One of the social media site's features is known as Twitter Space enables the audience to have live conversations with the brand before promoting your product's and service. You can also have a Twitter ads account that promotes tweets or trends through an auction-based system. As a brand, you can also deliver great customer service on this platform.
You can receive direct questions or comments from your audience. Being responsive to such reviews helps to sharpen the brand's image. This enables the website to have. a leading advantage as businesses can obtain insights about how to improve what they offer or their content.
If you want to stay updated on the latest trends or development, communicate with your followers with ease, or build brand awareness, Twitter is a great option.
Snapchat
Another prominent social media site among young audiences is Snapchat. With over 300 million daily active users, Snapchat has become a notable platform for Gen Z.It is a social media site where you can post photos and stories about your brand, thereby connecting deeply with your audience and enabling them to relate to the activities within your company.
Snapchat has also included augmented reality among its features to enable easy AR shopping. Since the younger audience, most especially Gen Z, is interested in augmented reality shopping experiences, Snapchat is a reliable platform you can use to advertise your products or services to the audience. If your market is for a younger audience, Snapchat is the right social media platform to advertise your products or services.
Here, users ask questions, give replies, share stories, and form a community. It comprises various "subreddits' ' which are similar to Twitter threads that are diverse and focus on different topics. The users on this platform greatly value the sense of community. In other words, you have to be mindful when promoting your products or services.
You should not only figure out how the app works but also understand how communities interact. Even when you aren't joining any conversation, you should pay attention to what the Redditors are saying. This is to gain insights that will advance the growth of your business. If you want to advertise your business on this platform, you can make use of the Reddit advertisement features to promote your products or services.
8 Strategies to Build an Audience on Social Media Platforms
You Can't Please Everybody
Building an audience on social media platforms doesn't mean you have to please everybody at all times. Let's face reality. Not everybody will be interested in your industry or niche. In other words, it is not everybody that will take interest in the content you create. Many times, content creators try to be too diverse. In an attempt to engage everyone on the platform, the plan fails.In the world of marketing, you have to accept that it's not everybody that will be your customer no matter how hard you try. What you can only do is focus on those who have the potential to be your customers. Focusing on such customers can help in making your content go viral and expose your brand to more audiences.
Understand your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience implies knowing who your customers are and what they are looking for. Your should audience drives your marketing strategies and enables them to yield results. You can know who they are by identifying their age range, personality, gender, location, and more.If you aren't sure how to identify your audience, you can make use of some tools to help you out. Google Analytics narrows down your audience by recording the demographics that often visit your site. You also identify some metrics that enable you to work on reaching more people.
In addition, you can use Google Trends to understand what your audience wants. Google Trends enables you to identify the clues and specific keywords that are engaging your audience online. Finally, you can use discussions, groups, or forums to observe your audience and identify their needs.
Use Storytelling
A great way to build and engage your audience is by using storytelling. Engaging your audience through a specific plot keeps them entertained and prompts them to engage with your audience. For instance, you can create a story for your products or services by writing an outline.First, address the pain point of your customers. Let them realize you understand what they are going through. Then, pinpoint how you can be of help by showing how your product or service is useful. Finally, you can show the result that can convince them to go for your products. Doing this helps your customers view you as an expert, improves your brand's reputation, and establishes authority.
Incorporate Videos into your Strategy
A picture tells a thousand words. Now, imagine the effect of moving pictures. People love videos and get engrossed when watching engaging content. Even the top social media platforms aren't left behind in developing their sites to enable a smooth user experience. Thanks to the features incorporated by these platforms, you can add your created videos to your websites, and emails, and share them.Creating videos enables you to connect with individuals who are interested in your brand but do not like to engage with texts. With a great production strategy, you can get a good video that will expose your brand. The investment is worth the results you get.
Create a Schedule
Most audiences love timely content that is based on a schedule. Perhaps, here is why televisions and radios allocate time for different content. It is not enough that you develop a marketing strategy. You also need to know when to deliver these contents to your audience. Ask yourself these questions? Are you publishing your content daily, weekly, or twice a week? Identifying this time frame enables you to be more productive and be in touch with your audience.Also, you need to discover when your audience is often active. Although this seems a bit difficult, various analytic software can help you to identify the timeframe and determine when to publish these contents. Doing this establishes reliability between you and your audience, thereby promoting your content to reach more people.
Focus on your Niche
As a brand, you should only create contents that revolve around your industry. If you are into hair styling, you have no business with the shoe industry. If you sell computer parts, you don't have to dive into the world of boating. Stay true to your trade.Since your audience is focused on your niche, you don't want to lose credibility by diving into some other niches. By doing this, you could lose some audience you have had in the past. Avoid overreaching other customers by starting with what you don't deal with.
Also, avoid discussing some controversial issues such as political matters on your platforms. If you plan to seize the moments, it could backfire and grant you negative results.
Utilize Various Content Strategies
As a marketer, you should try various content strategies to build your audience. Do not streamline your content through one method. Explore various strategies that can reach more consumers and harness other positive results.If you are already using blogs, you can try creating video content to establish more authority. Such a method captivates your audience's attention, enables them to engage with your content, and increases brand awareness. You can then promote your content on the top social media platforms and get the results you desire.
Utilize Subscription
Utilizing subscriptions enables you to stay connected with your target audience. Structures such as push notifications or newsletters enable your audience to stay updated with your brand and get relevant messages.You can also make use of some email marketing tools to stay in touch with your audience. Using these tools can enable you to personalize their messages, inform them about incentives, and stay relevant to your audience. Engaging your loyal customers is all part of the process and enables you to build an audience on the best platforms.
Conclusion
So, what are the best platforms to build an audience? The answer is not so simple. It depends on your niche, your target market, and your goals. However, we can give you a few general tips to get started.If you’re just starting out, it might be a good idea to try several different platforms until you find one that works well for you. Once you find that platform, focus on creating quality content and building relationships with your followers. Remember, it takes time and effort to build an audience, but it’s worth it in the end!
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