In 2017, social media and your business’s online presence is more important than ever. Social media marketing helps to validate your brand and expose it to the public. When done correctly, your business is able to appeal directly to your intended target market, and ultimately increase your customer loyalty. Besides targeting your niche, social media also exposes you to a greater market, making it easy to expand your audience. What’s more, if Google ranking for your website is important for you then a good social media presence is vital for Perth focused SEO success. If you’re a business in 2017 you can’t afford not to have an online presence. There are various platforms to use online, depending on what is suitable for your business. Let’s explore some big platforms; who they appeal to, and if it’s suitable for your business.
- Who does it appeal to?
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- Facebook is the market leader for social networking sites.
- Almost 7 in 10 Australians use Facebook.
- Who uses it?
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- 29.7% of facebook users are from the ages of 25 to 34, making them the most common age demographic of facebook users.
- 50% of 18-24 year-olds go on Facebook when they wake up
- Activity and Traffic
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- Five new profiles are created every second.
- Highest traffic occurs mid-week between 1 to 3 pm
- On Thursdays and Fridays, engagement is 18% higher.
- Why facebook?
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- Facebook is the largest of the social media platforms. For many customers, it’s the ‘go-to’ to find informtation on the business, besides an official website.
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- Facebook appeals to the most amount of people, with the greatest range in demographic. For you, this means exposure to more people, and targeted demographics of people.
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- Engagement with public through posting statuses and photos.
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- Customers can also provide feedback on the facebook page.
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- Can track statisticts and online traffic (how many people have visited your facebook page, level of engagement with public etc)
- Who does it appeal to?
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- 1 in 5 Australians use Instagram
- generally a younger audience than facebook users.
- Who uses it?
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- 5,000,000 Monthly Active Australian Users
- 60% of all users are female
- People between the ages of 18 and 34 make up around 70 per cent of total users
- Smartphone users! Instagram is an app even though there’s a ‘limited feature’ instagram page accessable online.
- Why instagram?
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- Instagram is a visual platform, all posts are photos. Instagram provides editing tools and filters to enhance photos before you publish them.
- Many accounts are personal accounts, with users publishing photos of their life; however many businesses have discovered the benefit of having an instagram account to connect with others and gain brand exposure.
- Instagram accounts for business are especially useful if your business has a visual element. Most instagram users follow an average of six different interests which include:
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- Friends 61%
- Photography 40%
- Travel 40%
- Food 36%
- Fashion 32%
- Music 32%
- Fitness 28%
- Health 25%
- Sport 23%
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(All data via Instagram by Hoop Group Audience Research.)
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- The most powerful marketing comes from friends, family or someone you follow–we call these people influencers. Instagram gives you access to reach out to these influencers to market your product or brand, to connect with your ideal audience and give your brand the exposure it deserves!
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- A recent study by Forrester Research found that Instagram users were 58 times more likely to like, comment, or share a brand’s post than Facebook users and 120 times more likely than Twitter users.
SNAPCHAT
- Who does it appeal to?
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- 1 in 6 Australians are daily users of Snapchat
- A younger audience.
- Who uses it?
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- 71% of Snapchat users are under 34 years old.
- Roughly 70% of Snapchat users are female.
- 45% of Snapchat users are aged between 18-24.
- Why Snapchat?
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- Snapchat is an app many people deemed a fad. But with 100 million daily active users, it’s clear Snapchat provides something people enjoy. The app allows you to post public or send private 1-10 second photos or videos, add effects and filters.
- Lots of celebrities and ‘social influencers’ use public snapchat accounts which are followed by many.
- Snapchat is a low budget marketing tool with a wide reach once you’ve built a following. How do you build a following? By sharing and promoting your snapchat username through your other social media platforms.
- Snapchat users are big spenders- 76% of snapchat users purchased a product online in the past month.
TO SUM UP…
Here’s a few points to sum up the importance of your brand being on social media:
Increased Brand Recognition
This one’s pretty straight forward…the more people you can expose yourself online, the easier your brand is to recognise. Over time this increases familiarality to your brand, as well as building credibility. A business covering all necessary online platforms (depending on their audience) tells customers they are up to date, active and appealing to their customers needs and ways of communicating.
Improved Customer Service
Social media platforms make it very easy to get feedback from your customers; as well as giving you the tools to respond. For example; on facebook alone, customers can rate your business out of 5 stars and provide a written comment of feedback on your business’s site. This kind of feedback is so convenient for your customers because it is so direct. Because of this, direct social media platforms have easily taken over public feedback sites.
Lower Marketing Costs
Traditional marketing such as digital and print ads start to add up. Social Media marketing may take a bit of time, effort and maintenance; but in the end will give you the same, if not more of a direct engagement with your audience. Social Media marketing is the way of the future.
Stats and research produced by the Vivid Social – Social Media Agency. Figures correct as of 31/01/17.
