Social networks reign supreme in the world of web marketing. So much so that it has become essential for a new company to create an account on at least one network to gain visibility and notoriety. But if you're not a community manager, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle of all the social media outlets, their settings and features. To make your decision clearer, we provide you with all the information you need to know about how to choose a social network to develop your business.
Why be on social networks?
Although social networks have an image associated with leisure and hobbies, they are in fact a real marketing force for any company. Yes, it's a very effective way to reach your audience and get known without spending money! As well as gaining awareness, social media allows you to bring your brand closer to your customers and potential customers. This will bring you two very positive things.
Firstly, you will be able to interact directly with your audience, which will humanise your brand and build loyalty in your community much more easily. But it also allows you to have live feedback on all your communications! Have you changed the decoration of your shop? What do your users think? Are you launching a new product range? Are your subscribers eager to test it? Go to the comments to see all the reactions! You can even ask them questions directly about your products, but also about them: what colour do you prefer, would you be interested in this service, are you more seaside or countryside, etc.
Your targeting cannot be more precise than by analysing the actions and comments of your subscribers, it is a gold mine of information at your fingertips! But above all, who says notoriety and engaged community means sales! Social networks have a direct impact on your web popularity, what we call e-reputation. The bigger and more successful it is, the more people will want to buy your products or use your services!
How many networks do you need to be present on?
The most common mistake is to want to be present everywhere to reach as many people as possible on as many platforms as possible. But is this really relevant and, above all, do you have the means to be present everywhere? Take into account that managing a social network is a real job that requires time. Between the content strategy, the creation of publications with a visual part and even video, a daily animation by posting stories and answering messages and comments... The missions of the community manager are vast! Multiply all this work by the number of networks on which you are present and your time will increase very quickly.
Always remember that it is better to focus on one well-run social network than on several that are all over the place. Instead of reaching more people, you will only spread yourself thin instead of growing an audience on one network. Conversely, as they say, you should never put all your eggs in one basket. Imagine that you have a strong presence on a network, but that the network changes its conditions or worse, experiences a bug. To be on the safe side, it can be interesting tobe present on at least two social networks, but only if it is relevant to your business and your organisation.
In any case, you should not focus your digital communication solely on social networks. The networks should be an additional communication channel that complements your other web marketing strategies such as your SEO, SEA, newsletter, shop window or e-commerce website, etc. Finally, it can also be useless to be present on all the networks if your target is not there. So don't waste your time developing a TikTok account if you provide services to B2B professionals.
Which social network to choose?
With nearly 3 billion active users worldwide, including 40 million monthly active users in France, Facebook is the most popular and most used network. This is obviously its main advantage. On Facebook, you can reach a large panel of people over 25 years old. Yes, it is no longer a secret that the Facebook community is aging and it is no longer the young people who use this social network. You should also know that Facebook will be most interesting if you use advertising. There is a good chance that you will have to pay some money to appear on this network.
Fortunately, prices are often affordable even when you are just starting your business. In addition, Facebook advertising is a powerful tool for reaching your target audience based on location, interests, age, gender and more. With Facebook advertising, you can get results much faster!
The social network of images, a large number of young people between the ages of 12 and 35 are present there every day. Very popular and owned by the same company as Facebook, Meta, it also has the advantage of bringing together several distinct types of communities. You can even tag a location on your posts to reach a local target. If you start on Instagram, you will have to work on your images and especially your videos. Indeed, the video format is constantly developing and being promoted on the platform. So don't skimp on the creation of Reel and IGTV. If you sell beautiful products, then Instagram will be a great ally for your business!
This professional network has been growing steadily for several years. Originally dedicated solely to recruiters and job seekers, its basic purpose has greatly evolved. Today, although it is still possible to recruit and find a job via this network, it has become a platform for exchanges between professionals, LinkedIn has become a platform for exchanges between professionals from different sectors. There is sharing of experience, tips and information, invitations to events and, of course, the provision of services. This is the only network where long texts are preferred to visuals and videos. It is even very common to see posts without an associated image (which is totally impossible with Instagram). If you have an activity dedicated to B2B professionals, LinkedIn will certainly be a very efficient tool to get contacts!
Twitter is different from its competitors in the way it works. Here, you don't try to create a few posts per week, but rather to be present as often as possible every day. You can even tweet several times an hour if you want (and if you have something to say)! Twitter will be the perfect network if you have a lot of news to pass on, new information to offer your community on a regular basis. It is also an excellent monitoring tool to find out about your competition. Finally, Twitter is also known to be used as a service channel. Your customers will be able to contact you on this network. It's a great way to strengthen your customer experience!
Pinterest is a discreet network because, at first glance, it does not seem social. There are far fewer exchanges with members than elsewhere. The system is simple: you publish an image called a "tag" and people can save it to their boards. The great strength of this network is that you can gain a lot of visibility very quickly. A user can see a lot of tags in record time by scrolling. But above all, you can add a link to your tags, such as your website or your blog. A person making a list of gift, clothing or decorating ideas may come across your image if it matches their search and therefore visit your website. Pinterest can be a great way to gain visits and conversions, especially if you have a blog.
Tiktok
There is no way you haven't heard of the Tiktok phenomenon, the latest addition to the social media family! Its popularity has literally exploded since its creation, making it one of the most popular networks, especially among young people. Almost half of its users are between 16 and 24 years old. On this social network, you will only find short video content. Whether it's funny, informative, beautiful or amazing, the videos offered are adapted to the user's latest views. Your videos will therefore be seen by people who are interested in your field of activity. Finally, it is also possible to create a link with your community by launching challenges!
To sum up, to make the right choice of which networks to position yourself on, take three criteria into account: your target, your field of activity and the time you spend on it. And you, which social networks are you present on? Do they correspond to these three criteria?
