Being a start-up before the internet age meant that marketing wasn’t as easy as it is currently. Traditionally, the best marketing opportunities were reserved for only prominent or already established businesses – start-ups had to make do with what was left. In today’s world, however, things are a bit different. While a big budget will still get you the best tools money can buy, social media has levelled the playing field by a significant margin.

Just posting content on social media and hoping for the best will not guarantee any success. There needs to be a sound social media marketing strategy involved before you can expect any real ROI. Before any of this can happen, you need to know what social media platforms are best for a start-up.

The short answer to this question is all of them – but there is a catch! We’ll discuss it below so that you make the most informed decision possible.

Questions That Need Answering

Before you start using social media for marketing purposes, you need to ask yourself a series of questions.

• Who is your target audience (age, gender, location, job position, etc.)?
• What are their interests, wants, needs, and, above all, pain points?
• What kind of information and content should you create to attract your target audience better?
• What are your goals (engagement, leads, reach, branding, sales, etc.) and what social platforms are best suited to help you achieve them?
• What are the social media management tools available to make the process easier?

 

You will not be able to answer these questions in a couple of minutes during your lunch break. You will need to make use of some analytics tools, customer feedback, and plenty of research before getting them right.

Below, we’ll present a rundown of some of the most popular social platforms and their specific marketing uses.

Facebook

Facebook is a great social platform regarding views, engagement, reach, and driving traffic. It works pretty well for all start-ups, regardless of industry. Concerning the target audience, Facebook attracts people of all ages and backgrounds. It works particularly well on baby boomers, Generations X and Y, as they are the most engaged on the platform.

Twitter

Twitter is a perfect social platform when it comes to building meaningful connections and keeping up with the latest trends. The platform is a great place to interact with your customers and other industry leaders. Like Facebook, Twitter works well with most industries.

Instagram

As a highly-visual platform, Instagram focuses on high-quality and aesthetically pleasing content such as photos, videos, infographics, etc. This social platform works best for businesses in the entertainment and lifestyle industries. If you think that you can tailor your content to this type of format, then Instagram can help you build brand awareness.

LinkedIn

As the most professional of the group, LinkedIn is perfect for B2Bs. The platform offers the ideal venue to engage with your target market. LinkedIn provides its users with access to the right people, jobs, news, and industry insights. As well, it offers other information that’s useful, educational, and valuable.

Snapchat

Snapchat is similar to Instagram with the big difference being that the content you post disappears in 24 hours. It has the most traction with younger audiences, and the material is highly visual. Since it will expire within a day, there is no need to craft it too carefully, allowing you more room for creativity.

As some of the most commonly-used social media platforms available, these outlets will help you achieve your goals. It is best to determine which of these will work best with the specific nature of your business, target audience, and your product. This way you won’t spread out your budget too much and not experience any ROI.

Until the next time,