Author: Lenka Koubkova
Date of Publication: 12/10/2022
Social media platforms have become a new business communication tool for marketers in
promoting a brand, products and building a
relationship with customers. Through platforms
such as Instagram and Facebook it is possible to
gain insight into customer needs and identify the
latest trends or demands.
However, the most crucial step is to target the right
audience on the right social media platform. In fact, it effectively promotes the product bringing attention to it. Lastly, it helps with setting the right price. So, let me introduce you to the most effective steps on how to extend your sales via social media platforms.
Social Media:
Audience
Facebook could be a magic tool to grow your business. Every day the platform attracts more than 1.62 billion users. This makes it the biggest social media advertising platform so far. In recent years, it is clear that most of the active users are Millennials. These are people born between 1981 to 1996, even though generation X (1965-1980) isn’t far
behind them.
How to target audience
First of all, it is important to target the audience precisely by location, demographic, interest and behavior categories. Those factors should be a base for your upcoming specific targeting which could be the following:
1) Custom audiences
● Firstly, you can upload information about the audience you already have such as email, phone number, age, and gender. Afterwards, Facebook will connect
that information to already existing accounts.
2) Lookalike audiences
● Secondly, you can grow your fanbase with a lookalike audience. This feature serves your ads to users who show the same interest as people that already follow you.
3) Website Visitors
● Lastly, you can focus your ads on the basis of Facebook Pixel. Actually, this is a piece of code that you can put onto your website and see who visits your page.
How and What to post
Facebook allows you to post your ads in picture or video format. Recent studies have shown that video content posts boast an engagement rate on Facebook compared to photo content. Besides, video content disposes of a higher rate of sharing by the community. Your video marketing content should be long at least 3 seconds but not longer than 10 seconds. That is when the user loses his attention and skips the video.
What to post
If you want to nail on Instagram, you should set a purpose and goals that you would like to chase. That is how you will know where to concentrate your energy and monetary investment.
In the beginning, it is crucial to identify what you would like to post: ● to share portfolio content - followers can see your product (or service) in action
● to post and sell your products
● to build brand awareness - posting motivational quotes and fun visuals ● to share user-generated content - followers can see real people using your product or service.
Fundamental factors
1) Recognisable username
● You should make sure that your
username matches the real name
of the company or brand. People won’t be able to follow you if they can't even find you. Also, fill out the Instagram bio with catching and basic information about the company, as this decides if people will follow you or not.
2) Optimized profile
● If you are new to Instagram before actually reaching out to customers, post at least 15 posts on your profile. Nothing could be worse than a customer coming to your Instagram and seeing anything about your brand. He won't probably start following you.
3) Follow accounts that relate to you
● Instagram is a community. By connecting to businesses that are similar to yours, you can find what people find interesting and what works most. Lastly, Instagram will suggest your profile when someone follows them.
Besides, it is important to choose colors and aesthetics for your brand as it would become something that customers connect with you. It is going to make your posts easily recognisable, and it will build the brand's consistent aesthetic.
Audience
The average age for the biggest group on Instagram stands between 18-44. Those people are most active on the platform, like and comment on the posts or share their own.
How to target the audience
First of all, you should do your research on the demographic statistics of the audience. In the app, you are able to see the three most crucial statistics about your followers: age, location and gender. From that, you are able to make a picture of who your audience is and what to concentrate on in your campaigns.
1. Use hashtags
The most effective way to target your audience is through hashtags. They label and categorize your posts and show them to relevant users that might become your fans. It is not necessary to have 10 hashtags in every single post but you should:
● check the hashtags your followers already follow and interact with ● mix well-known hashtags
● create your ones that would be easily searchable for your fans
2. Post at the right time
You should consider what audience you post to. Make sure to post your content at a time that your audience is awake. This would differ if you target people in Europe or the USA.
To sum it up, social media marketing involves the customer in the organization. Throughout that, you can gain a clear idea of their needs. Also, you can enhance your business performance in a number of ways such as sales, brand awareness and creating a community.
Reference List:
Decker, A. (2022) Instagram Marketing (Accessed: 28 September 2022).
Dixon, S. (2022) Distribution of Instagram users in the United States as of June 2022, by age group,(Accessed: 29 September 2022).
Huang, G. (2019) “Variation matters: How to curb ad intrusiveness for native advertising on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram”, Internet research, 29(6), pp. 1469-1484.
Job, M. (2017) “Facebook advertising: Targeting the right audience”, Franchising World, 49(8), p. 46.
Later (2022) Instagram Marketing: The Definitive Guide (2022 Update), (Accessed: 29 September 2022).
Rabo, O. (2018) How To Reach an Instagram Target Audience,(Accessed: 28 September 2022).
Shepherd, J. (2022) 30 Essential Facebook Statistics You Need To Know In 2022, (Accessed: 30 September 2022).
Wang, X. et al. (2021) “The dual concept of consumer value in social media brand community: A trust transfer perspective”, International journal of information management, 59, p. 102319.
Wang, W.Y.C., Pauleen, D.J. and Zhang, T. (2016) “How social media applications affect B2B communication and improve business performance in SMEs”, Industrial marketing management, 54, pp. 4–14.
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