{"id":34735,"date":"2023-07-26T12:46:21","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T00:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nzie.ac.nz\/?p=34735"},"modified":"2023-07-26T12:46:22","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T00:46:22","slug":"blog-how-to-choose-social-media-platforms-to-be-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nzie.ac.nz\/blog-how-to-choose-social-media-platforms-to-be-on\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose which social media platforms to be on"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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It<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s tempting to think that your brand needs to be on all of the social media platforms all of the time. But do you really? Probably not.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

\u00a0<\/span>If you are working as a professional digital marketer, then you do at least need to know how all the different platforms work. That way you can recommend the best one for each of your clients. But for individual brands or businesses, quality should trump quantity. It<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s better to pick one (or two) social media channels and do them well rather than trying to be everywhere all at once.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

Before we look at how to choose which social media platforms to be on, here<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s a super quick primer on the main ones out there.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Facebook<\/span><\/b> – One of the originals, Facebook, now owned by Meta has been around since 2004 and has around three billion users worldwide. Its popularity has waned a bit, but it<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s still one of the most popular platforms in New Zealand with <\/span>around 73% of men and 82% of women using it<\/a><\/span><\/span>. Algorithm changes have made it more difficult for businesses to reach the right people.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

Instagram<\/span><\/b> – Founded in 2010, Instagram, also owned by Meta, is a visual platform focusing mainly on image and video sharing. You can easily share posts or stories but it has limitations such as not being able to add clickable links to captions or comments.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

TikTok<\/span><\/b> – TikTok launched in 2016 and took the world by storm with its video content. Videos can be up to 10 minutes long depending on how you film and upload them, but short and sweet (up to a minute) seems to do best. The platform has spawned a number of trends.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

LinkedIn<\/span><\/b> – LinkedIn has been around since 2003 and was once considered only helpful for listing your profile and CV. But in recent years, it<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s grown in popularity and has <\/span>around 2million users in New Zealand<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

Twitter<\/span><\/b> – Twitter was founded in 2006 and become immensely popular as a micro-blogging platform with users sharing updates in short tweets. More recently Twitter has made changes under new owner Elon Musk and has lost some of its appeal.<\/span><\/p><\/div>

Threads<\/span><\/b> – <\/span>Also owned by Meta and linked to Instagram accounts but for text updates rather than photo sharing, Threads is the new kid on the block and has become known as Meta<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s attempt to kill Twitter.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to choose the right social media platform for your brand - five questions to ask<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Who are your customers?<\/strong><\/h4>

There\u2019s no point being on a platform if your customers aren\u2019t there to see you. Look at the demographics of your target audience – age and gender –\u00a0 or survey your current customers to see where they hang out. Then you can match your social media choices to your audience\u2019s preferences.<\/p>

If you are working as a freelance digital marketer, this research into target markets should be part of your brief with each new client so that you can tailor your social media advice accordingly.<\/p>

What are your products or services?<\/strong><\/h4>

Think about whether your products create good visual images or whether you are trying to get across detailed information about a service or want to create a brand via thought pieces.<\/p>

Which social media channels are your peers or competitors using?<\/strong><\/h4>

We aren\u2019t suggesting that you just copy exactly what your competitors are doing. But seeing where they are and what sort of posts get traction, can help you see what works and what doesn\u2019t. Then you can incorporate this into your own strategy.<\/p>

Do you want to do paid ads alongside organic social media?<\/strong><\/h4>

If you want to supplement your organic posting with boosted posts or paid advertising, then look for a channel that allows you to create a combined marketing strategy.<\/p>

Do you already use social media platforms for personal use?<\/strong><\/h4>

While it is important to make sure you are hanging out in the same places as your customers, if you are doing your own branding, it\u2019s still worth thinking about which platforms you personally prefer. If you can market using a social media platform that you like and find easy to use, then you might be more likely to post regularly.<\/p>

Once you have answered these questions you can start matching them to the right social media platform. For example:<\/p>