Location, location, location. Whether referencing real estate values or retail positioning, this over-used mantra does depict the importance of being in the right place at the right time. In the past, retailers who positioned their stores where more potential buyers would pass usually stood a better chance of ringing up sales than those hidden in the back alley around the corner.
But, in our world of exploding online sales, does “location” even have relevance?
Location in the Context of Online Marketing
Being present and available whenever your prospective customers shop online should always be the primary objective. How well you position and execute your social media marketing strategy will determine how successful you will be in attracting enough prospects and followers to succeed and grow.
Define Your Audience
With data gained through your recent sales experiences, a social media manager can develop a set of “marketing persona” or sketches of the segments of your target audience that are likely to be most receptive. While these sketches should not be fixed in stone, they should be influenced by qualitative and quantitative analyses of data gathered through ongoing experiences.
With the set of prospective persona in hand, a social media marketer begins to identify which social media marketing segments are likely to garner the most attention based on current data.
Social Media Channels
To clarify, here is a summary of a recent compilation of user statistics of the leading social media platforms and their approximate percentage of most active users of each age group according to Statista, a market research provider:
- Facebook: 7 billion users, 25% are users between 25 and 34 years, mostly male (56%)
- YouTube: 2 billion, largest group between 15 and 25 years, split about evenly between genders
- Instagram: 1 billion users, 33% are users between 25 and 34 years, mostly female (57%)
- LinkedIn: 738 million, largest group are users between 46 and 55 years, almost an even split between genders
- Pinterest: 400+ million, largest group are users between 30 and 49 years, mostly female (78%)
- Snapchat: 265 million, largest group between 13 and 34 years, mostly female (58%)
- Twitter: 187 million, 44% are users between 30 and 49 years, mostly male (68%)
- TikTok: 100 million, largest group are users between 18 and 24 years, mostly female (59%)
While these statistics can help guide your social media strategy, they will assuredly change in time. For example, the latest trends suggest that younger people are losing interest in Facebook while becoming more interested in YouTube and Snapchat content.
Discovering Social Media Demographics
As the number and scope of social media platforms grow, the challenge for a social media manager is to learn as much as possible about the preferences and habits of the demographics of their most promising audience.
Keep in mind that these numbers are continually changing. Therefore, monitoring the demographic trends of these platforms and the inevitable introduction of new ones is critical to sustaining traction.
But, without data, getting to the heart of where your likely customers are spending their social media time becomes guesswork. Your intuition could miss the mark by a wide margin.
Partnering with a Successful Social Media Marketing Company
The social media world is constantly changing!
With social media marketing, trends can develop almost overnight or evolve gradually. As a result, new platforms and innovations can grab the attention of the user universe and erode the effectiveness of older ones.
To be effective and sustain momentum in social media marketing, every business must be flexible and able to change course to keep its message in front of the greatest number of prospects.
Monitoring data, keeping the message fresh, attracting new prospects is a full-time job. But, without factual and actionable information, a company’s brand can flounder as competitors respond more quickly to change.
A professional social marketing company with a focus on brand building in the digital marketing arena will have the experienced staff to oversee trends, even to the smallest detail, to ensure your message reaches the greatest number of prospective buyers.
Located in Napa Valley, California, and guiding the social marketing strategies for several highly respected and recognizable firms, WSI Next Gen Marketing specializes in brand development and promotion through all social and digital media channels.
To learn more about WSI Next Gen Marketing and schedule a free consultation to discuss your needs and goals, visit the WSI Next Gen Marketing website’s Contact Us page.
You may also phone our Napa CA office at +1-707-927-5139, and we will arrange a convenient time for our discussion. If you prefer, you may also email us with a brief description of what you may be looking for, and we will respond promptly.