How to Pick the Right Social Channel for Your Startup

 

 

It’s 6’o clock in the morning and your smartphone alarm just screamed at you!

 

Before you even start to move, you somehow manage to grab it, shut the alarm and get to your social feeds. After all, you must see what’s been happening while you were sleeping. I’m not judging you. 65% of adults do the same thing these days, stats say.

 

When you’re checking your social media feeds, you’re not really looking at pictures of dancing kittens or babies bathing for the first time. You’re responding to comments, following new people and sharing and retweeting and repinning some important stuff. Basically, you are communicating with other people.

 

Before you even get out of bed, you’ve made new connections, new interactions and expanded your brand a little bit more.

 

Like every other startup, you must have thought about having a presence in every social network out there when you launched your business. But the problem is, social media for startups doesn’t work like that. You need to be where your audience is, as in on the social networks that your target customers use the most.

 

Now, here’s some tactical startup marketing advice that many entrepreneurs learn the hard way.

 

Consider these key points:

 

• Who is your target audience?

• Which social networks do they most actively use?

• How can you foster relationships with your audience on those social networks?

• What kind of content do they like and share the most?

• Is there some kind of tool available to help you manage your social campaigns better?

 

Formulate your social media marketing strategy with data-backed facts. Weigh your options and take a look at these stats from Global Web Index Summary.

 

Facebook Is Still the King

 

 

 

With over 1.65 billion active monthly users, Facebook still dominates the game. It’s essentially the watercooler network where people go to hang out.

 

 

It’s for you if:

 

You intend to initiate easy-to-follow discussions, and build and nurture new relationships.

 

YouTube Is the 2nd Largest Search Engine In the World

 

 

 

With 1 billion active users, YouTube has an adult audience aged 18 to 34 that’s greater than any cable TV network, according to Business Insider. And according to Smart Insights, it’s the 2nd largest social media network after Facebook.

 

Is it a social media for startups? Of course. It’s THE platform for bringing your brand out in the open, broadcasting it to the whole word through video.

 

It’s for you if:

 

This social media as a marketing tool can be effective if you want to share knowledge, build brand awareness, and show how to use your product through how-to videos.

 

Pinterest gets 44% of the women who are on social media. And those women are under 50

 

 

Over 40% of ecommerce traffic from social media comes from Pinterest, says Jeff Bullas. It’s mainly used by designers, bloggers, teachers, students, artists and moms. 90% of all pins on Pinterest are created and/or shared by women, according to a report by Marketing Land. And according to Hello Society, 88% of all Pinterest users have purchased a product that they have pinned on Pinterest.

 

Pinterest is like a gigantic showroom. It can be a startup marketing network where you could display all your products in a visually appealing manner.

 

It’s for you if:

 

You have a retail business, an art-related business, or an ecommerce store.

 

Instagram – The Platform That’s Giving Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter And Pinterest A Tough Competition

 

 

 

Photos with faces get 38% more likes on Instagram, says Georgia Tech. And like Pinterest, Instagram also has more female users than male users, says Pew Data Research. A report from Hootsuite shows that 32% of American teens think Instagram is the most important social network.

 

It’s for you if:

 

Already an integral part of the marketing strategy for startups, Instagram is for you if you want a digital storefront where you can display your products and services in a visually attractive way. Most people on Instagram use it to “window shop”.

 

Twitter Is Used By 30% Of Online Adults Under 50

 

 

Are they your target customers? Then you’d better get on Twitter fast because a study from eMarketer suggests that people in the 25-34 years age range use Twitter the most. The social network has 11% of online adults who are 50 and older. According to Market Probe International, 61% of users on Twitter use it to interact with small businesses – sharing ideas, offering suggestions and giving feedback to one another.

 

It’s for you if:

 

Your goal is to share useful information, collaborate with other entrepreneurs and connect with influencers.

 

Google Plus – You Thought It Was Dead, But It Isn’t

 

Although it has over 300 million users, only 21% of them actively use Google Plus. It’s a platform to find and collaborate with business pros and entrepreneurs.

 

It’s for you if:

 

You are interested to showcase your expertise, share information with like-minded thinkers, and network with businesses.

 

Linkedin – Everyone’s Professional Network

 

 

LinkedIn the platform where professionals get together. The most active users on LinkedIn are between 30-49 years of age. It’s a rapidly growing social channel with more than two professionals signing up every second. It generates more leads than any other social network for startups.

 

It’s for you if:

 

You want to establish yourself as a subject matter expert or a thought leader or have a product/service that’s for business professionals.

 

To Conclude..

 

Before you choose any social media as a marketing tool, make sure you have your startup marketing strategy ready and set your goals. Plan on what type of content you’ll be creating and invest time to learn the pros and cons of each social network for startups. Make sure you get the whole picture of each before even creating your profiles.

 

Your Thoughts Now

 

What do you think? Which of these social channels seem the best option for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment or drop an email here: business@theappchicks.com  

 

Need a helping hand promoting your startup? An app can be a great addition to your product promotion and customer retention strategy. Discuss this with us over Skype or drop by our Sacramento office for a face-to-face conversation.