- Marketing has always been
about creating demand for something
by cleverly attracting and keeping people's attention.
You are more likely to succeed as a marketer
when you closely monitor where your customers
are focusing their attention, and then adapt your efforts
to reach them on those channels.
A powerful way to earn the attention of your customers
is by communicating on the most popular social networks
with the largest active audiences
and the widest range of business use cases.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube
should be top considerations
when choosing which channels are right for you
because of their high number of monthly active users.
Choosing a social network with a large audience is crucial
because it is more likely that a significant portion
of your customer base is active
on at least a few of these channels.
And these more widely used social networks
tend to offer a broader range of use cases,
as you can often communicate with people in multiple ways
by sharing different types of content.
Let's go down the list and define these channels
by highlighting what makes them distinct for businesses
using them to connect with their customers.
Facebook is a good starting point.
It is the most widely known and largest social network,
with 2.4 billion monthly active users,
and it has a wide variety of features and use cases.
A business can use Facebook to share text,
video, images, live video and stories,
as well as use its range of advertising options
to effectively target any demographic on the platform.
Next is Instagram.
Owned by Facebook, and arguably the most popular
social media app currently available,
it's main user base is a community focused
on sharing visual content like images,
short form and long form videos.
It's considered the online mall of today's generation.
According to Instagram, 60% of people surveyed
say they find new products there.
This is because businesses are able to share
and market their offerings visually.
Let's move on to Twitter.
Referred to as society's megaphone,
Twitter is a social messaging service
where users are limited to 280 characters of text
to be reposted amongst its audience.
As a vital, up-to-the-minute news source
for the world's current events,
the platform is best used by businesses
to join trending conversations
and communicate with customers one-to-one.
Another major social channel is LinkedIn,
which is a professional network
for users looking to connect with industry folks,
showcase their expertise
and improve their professional skills.
Owned by Microsoft, LinkedIn is a business-focused platform
for companies looking to target other businesses
for recruiting qualified talent
and highlighting a company's work culture.
Last but not least is YouTube,
which is the Google-owned platform
for watching videos online from consumers,
businesses and influencers, covering every subject
from makeup to movies.
Businesses can launch a YouTube channel
to share their own programming
and promote their offerings with ads before, during
or after a popular video is played on the platform.
Keep these top-tier social networks in mind
as you organize your mix of channels
aimed at earning your customers' attention
where they're most active.