What Social Media Networks Are Right for Your Brand?

Nov 9, 2022

If you're brand new to the world of eCommerce there's a good chance good that you've at least considered creating one or more social media profiles to promote your brand. Social media evolves like winds, so if you believe that a Facebook page will suffice to reach your customers... then you could be in for some surprises.

There's always more possibilities. Each network has their own advantages and pitfalls and the rules to be followed.

This week, we'll talk about the best way to determine what social media platform is the right fit for marketing your eCommerce company. We'll cover why it's so crucial to select carefully and then look closely at important platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more so you can evaluate whether or not they're a good fit for you.

It is crucial to select the right networks

As a store owner you have a lot of time. There are many other things you have to do with social media, without adding it to the mix. However, since it's now essential to any well-rounded marketing plan, and the presence of your company is valued by customers and prospects, it's an essential part of your company.

There's no rule that requires you to have a presence on each and every social media site but. In fact, for some stores, it could be seen as unimportant having a Pinterest page or a LinkedIn profile, because people who visit their sites don't use the apps or social platforms. It's a waste of time is something you should beware of, as it prevents your attention from the actions that bring you the greatest amount of money.

It's important to select the best social media channels for your organization. Selecting the right networks so that you have the best possibility of connecting with your target audience, or even your existing customers which means that you'll spend less time , and also earn more money. There's no need to battle for the same amount of time to achieve the results you want. Imagine it as choosing the "path of least resistance" -- which path can you go that you'll have to perform most work in order to reap the highest profit?

When you take the time to evaluate each platform carefully in order to select the most suitable ones for you-- based on where you have your current customers, and where your business will be successful in being able to maximize your time and ensure the results of your efforts will be an ROI. To help you decide there are a few things to consider for each important social media platform starting with who is using each to what kinds of content succeed on them.

Facebook is a great platform for targeted advertisement of your business

Facebook demographics. (Image credit: Pew Research Center)
Facebook demographics. (Image source: Pew Research Center)

Since the beginning of the year, Facebook has slowly reduced the organic reach of Pages. It has severely reduced the amount of exposure their posts are getting in the News Feed and is which has caused so much anger that the company needed to release an FAQ on the subject. There are reports that suggest that most organic brand content is now able to reach just 2percent of their followers. It means that there are fewer visits, clicks, and far less revenue from the items or posts that you share on your Page.

However, this doesn't mean that you should give up on Facebook, however. If you've built up a Page with a lot of likes or you're finding that your existing page is continuing to gain new followers in a constant rate You can definitely take advantage of this audience. But the best way to do it is through .

Now that Facebook has become unreliable for sending even your most engaging information and content to its users, the best usage of this platform is to provide your most important news through pay-per-click. This might mean increasing the visibility of posts on your page -- that is the process of paying for it to be pushed into News Feeds. It could also mean advertising to website users with an ad urging users to visit your site so they won't miss out on an opportunity to earn money.

An example of a Facebook ad.
An example of an Facebook advertisement.

The great thing about this kind of Facebook utilization is that every brand is able to do it and have a similar chance of achievement. Additionally, posts that are boosted and remarketing adverts are shown to fans who are already fans or who have visited your website therefore it's highly targeted, relevant content -- much better than an ad shown to someone who has not heard of your company prior to now.

However, the downside, is that you have to cover the cost of advertising. But with the right content, these ads can perform very well which could generate lots of money.

Twitter is the ideal platform for clever conversation, content, or social support

19% of the entire adult population is currently using Twitter, according to Pew studies, and the majority are under 50. This network, which limits your updates to 140 characters, has long been used by businesses, not just because so many of their customers utilize the platform. Does every business need to join Twitter? Or do certain companies find more success here more than others?

Rather than specific types of brands finding success on Twitter, it appears that the type of content determine how successful your brand is on the social network. One study found that video outperformed pictures hyperlinks to instructional and blog entries beat all other types in terms of the number of retweets they received. Another study found those who shared quotes had 43% more followers than the ones who didn't.

You'll get more RTs if your links lead to interesting content. (Image source: Quick Sprout)
It is possible to get more RTs If your links direct users to relevant content. (Image Source: Quick Sprout)

Therefore, if your eCommerce business -- regardless of what it is that you are actually selling tweets links to fascinating content, tweets images, and occasionally offers motivational quotes (provided they have something that is related to your company that is) You appear to stand a greater chance of receiving clicks, retweets and people to follow than companies that don't do any of these.

In all honesty, Twitter is really the ideal platform for companies to start a conversation with its customers. Because the platform is so well-known and easy to use, and it takes far less time to compose tweets than emails You're bound to get questions, comments, and complaints on this page. If you can respond swiftly and correctly, research shows that this good experience may increase sales. Prepare yourself to monitor the comments and then respond accordingly!

Pinterest: perfect for beauty, food and fashion brands

Pinterest The social network, which lets you search for images, find, and save "creative ideas" via pins, continues to grow every year. The latest statistics show that around 28% of adult Internet users use this site.

It's not impressive in its own right However, the most important thing about Pinterest is the demographic that uses it. According to the eMarketer, 85% of the users of Pinterest is made up of women.

Pinterest has a mostly female audience. (Image credit: eMarketer)
Pinterest has a mostly female user base. (Image credit: eMarketer)

Also, take a look at this Millward Brown research which revealed how Pinterest customers -- with 87 percent of whom have bought products they came across on the site! -- say they use the site to find products to buy from five main categories: food, home decor, clothing/accessories, hair/beauty, and health/fitness.

Caption. (Image credit: Millward Brown)
Pinterest seems to be the one that drives most research-related pins and purchase later in the categories mentioned above. (Image credit: Millward Brown)

What is this implying for your brand? It's a good question, if your online shop sells products from any of these categories, you're probably going to discover that Pinterest is the perfect match for your brand. Users are mostly likely to discover and repin the content of these categories with the intent of later making purchases, so if the pins you're providing are unique and attractive there is a chance to see higher purchases from Pinterest more than any other social network.

Instagram: best for brands with appealing physical items

About fifty percent of Instagram's 300 million monthly active users are active on the platform every day as per the new research that has been conducted on this growth image-centric social media platform. Its widespread use by users and its simple platform for posting images, as well as its the fact that it is a great platform for businesses and brands -- all content is ever blocked, hidden, or shown out of order in the feed, making Instagram an excellent choice for many online retailers.

Instagram works best for those with a wide variety of products that lend themselves to photographs.
Instagram is best suited to those that have many things that are suited to photographs.

LinkedIn: suitable for business news, culture as well as for advancing your career

LinkedIn is used currently by 28% of all online adults. It's the only social network that has users who are more likely to be age 30-64 over those who are people in the age range of 18-29, and it's mostly populated by university graduates.

The LinkedIn network can be a challenge for businesses. Since the majority of users use LinkedIn for career-related items such as connecting with coworkers, finding jobs, and sometimes reading articles -- information that's not connected to your brand may fall flat. LinkedIn's Corporate Pages are intended to attract job seekers and people who want to know more about your company's image, and it's the only time that it can be beneficial to promote your personal brand frequently.

Our LinkedIn page.
This is our LinkedIn Page.

This is why LinkedIn is best used for the purpose of attracting people to your company from a business standpoint. It's not likely that users would follow you on LinkedIn as they are looking to purchase from you. Instead, they are much more likely to follow you because they want to be employed by your business, or do business with you in some other method. Posting company news, information on your environment, or even sharing open positions will help build a positive image on this site.

These are the niche networks such as Vine, Snapchat, and Meerkat: proceed with caution

It's simple to get caught up with the latest trends in social media. With every new and promising platform, you're likely to be looking forward to trying each hot new app for your own use. Before you begin sending snaps to customers or streaming live videos on your website for users, think carefully about the potential long-term advantages of each one of these newly-created or small-scale networks.

An important aspect is worth being aware of is that the newest social media platforms are often created without any kind of standardization, guidelines or even options. Because they're created with users in mind, and not businesses brands, features that are brand-related tend to be introduced much later, which could limit of your business, or stop abruptly a new source of revenue you've come to depend on.

As we've said before it is important to take your time. Do not make a decision to spend money on a social media network simply because it's cool or is trending. Invest in one that you know your audience will be drawn to, which has established the standard for brands and offers clear benefits over the long term for your company, like an increase in revenue or a better way to communicate with your customers.

How do you choose the best networks

Choosing the right social media channels you can promote your eCommerce business could be a challenge. When you start there, you may be apprehensive that you'll be investing lots of time with little or zero return, or investing marketing dollars that do not produce sales. However, by doing your research beforehand and knowing what each platform has to offer and your business, you have a much better chances of being successful with social media than a business that signs up for all the options available.

The tips we have provided in this article have provided you with the best starting point to choosing how to launch your online presence.

If you have additional queries about selecting the appropriate networks for your business, hit us up in the comments.