How to choose the best social media channels for your business

 And how to make it work for optimal engagement

There’s no denying the power of social media for your business marketing – every business owner knows that.

But the confusion around social media sets in when business owners try to decide which platform they should be using. And as we all know, social media constantly changes.

Facebook always seems dominant, and Instagram continues to increase steadily. But lately, TikTok has been the fastest growing social media site, and its popularity is booming (but does mean it’s great for business?).

As with any form of marketing, it comes down to knowing your audience. Do you know what platform your audience prefers? You need to keep up to date about social media platforms to understand where to invest your time and money.

And what works for your business may not necessarily work for another. You will need to determine what channels are best for your audience.

A great way to judge engagement is to try all the social media channels!

Yes, I know this sounds crazy and a lot of hard work, but if you don’t try the platform, you won’t know if your audience is hanging out there.

Although you can generalise it a bit (Facebook has older users, Millenials love Instagram etc.), your business may surprisingly perform better on one platform than another.

Now before you totally freak out and think, ‘Sam, you’re crazy, I’m not doing that!’, let me assure you that I don’t want you staying on every platform forever. But try them, and create posts that are suitable for that platform and monitor your responses.

By doing this, you will see if one platform (or two) performs better than others.

You may have a preconceived idea about your audience, but by doing a little bit of research on each platform, you may be surprised with the results.

So, go on – try them out and see what happens!

Here are the top 5 most popular social media platforms in Australia

1.      Facebook

Active Monthly Users: 16.5 million in Australia

Facebook is still Australia’s most popular social media site, with the largest demographic of users being in the 25-34 year old age group, followed closely by 35-44 year olds. Stats from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that two-thirds of Australians use Facebook regularly.

While Facebook is suitable for most businesses, industries such as fashion, auto, eCommerce, food, entertainment, gaming or retail go well with advertising due to the visual nature of their posts.

Although business posts tend to get a tad lost in news feeds, the rise of sponsored ads is helping business owners target their audience with great success.

2.      YouTube

Average Monthly Users: 16 million in Australia

People are lapping up visual content as they’ve got more time to watch and learn things online. After Google, YouTube is Australia’s most visited website, with more than half of us regularly watching YouTube videos.

Gen Z (under 30s) make up 75% of Australians watching YouTube videos, although you’ll find people of all ages using YouTube. You can create videos to show demonstrations of your product, explain what you do, share your knowledge and so on.

Video is one of the best mediums for content marketing, and you’ll find YouTube will cover every industry from beauty and education to home improvements and more.

3.      Instagram

Average Monthly Users: 9 million in Australia

Instagram is used by around 1 in 3 Australians and is popular with younger age groups. More than two-thirds of Gen Z and over half of Millennials use Instagram, so if your audience falls into this bracket, you should be using Insta.

If you’re creating engaging content, you’ll find that you’ll get more followers on this platform. You’ll need to create stunning visuals and punchy captions to engage your audience. You can also use stories and videos for greater engagement.

Product-based businesses, influencers and coaches seem to thrive on this platform as it’s highly visual and a fantastic way to showcase their creations. And if your product gets used (and showcased) by an influencer, you’ll find you gain even more followers.

4.      WhatsApp

Active Monthly Users: 8 million in Australia

Many businesses have overlooked WhatsApp as an effective marketing tool, but you should know that it’s the most popular social messaging app (and beats Facebook Messenger). If you’re trying to reach your audience, an SMS has an open rate of 98% compared to an email of 20%. However, unlike many SMS for business services, WhatsApp is free to use.

WhatsApp Business allows you to remind your customers about promotions, offers and services. You can offer personalised customer support with automated messages and tell your customers about product launches as they happen.

You’ll be able to create audience segments and reach a global audience (if you choose to).

5.      LinkedIn

Active Monthly Users: 6.5 million in Australia

LinkedIn is great if you’re looking for B2B marketing on a platform where you’ll find professionals from varying industries. 1 in 4 Australians regularly uses LinkedIn, with more than 10 million Australians having an account.

Using LinkedIn, you’re able to make connections, generate leads, improve brand awareness and nurture your business relationships. To be successful on LinkedIn, you need to post actionable content and use articles, images and videos and do it regularly.

You will also be able to search for your ideal audience, find those you’d like to work with, and then invite them to connect with you.

How the remaining 15 social media channels perform in Australia (active monthly users)

• Snapchat – 6.4 million

• WordPress.com – 6.1 million

• Twitter – 5.8 million

• Tinder – 4 million

• Tumblr – 3.7 million

• WeChat – 2.9 million

• TripAdvisor – 2.8 million

• Yelp – 1.5 million

• Blogspot – 1.2 million

• TikTok – 1.1 million

• Hinge – 1 million

• Flickr – 450,000

• Pinterest – 290,000

• Reddit – 110,000

• MySpace – 70,000

Have you had huge success with a social media platform?

If you’ve had success from a social media platform, I’d love for you to share your wins with us. Drop your thoughts in the comments below. Or, if you’ve got any other social platforms you love right now, please share.

If you’d like any help determining how to use social media platforms, feel free to get in touch.