Which Social Media Networks Are Right for Your Brand?

Nov 10, 2022

If you're brand new to the world of eCommerce it's likely good that you've at least contemplated creating one or more social media profiles for your brand. Social media changes like the breeze, and if think a Facebook Page is all you need for reaching your potential customers... then you might be in for some surprises.

The possibilities are constantly expanding. Each network offers advantages and disadvantages as well as the rules to be followed.

This week, we'll discuss how to decide which social media platforms are the right fit for marketing your eCommerce business. This article will explain why it's crucial to select carefully as well as a close examination of the most popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more so you'll be able to determine whether or not they're a good fit for you.

Important to choose the most appropriate network

If you are a proprietor of a business, your time is precious. There are plenty of other things you have to do and not include social media in the mix. It's becoming an integral part of any well-rounded marketing plan, and you're expected to be there by your customers, it's a necessity for your company.

There's no rule which says that you must have a presence on each and every social media site but. In fact, for some stores, it would be considered a waste of time to create the Pinterest account or LinkedIn profile, because people who visit their sites do not utilize these apps or websites. In addition, wasting time is something that you must keep away from, since it distracts you from focusing on the actions that bring the highest amounts of cash.

This is why it's crucial to select the best social media channels for your organization. Choosing the networks where you have the best chance at connecting with the people you want to reach, and even with your current customers which means that you'll spend much less time and earn more profit. You won't have to fight as hard to see the results you want. Imagine it as choosing the "path that has the lowest resistance" which is where you choose to go so that you'll need to put in the least amount of work to see the most profit?

By evaluating each network carefully, and choosing the right ones to suit you-- where your clients are already as well as where your business is most appropriate -- you'll be able to make the most of your time , and make sure that your efforts result in an ROI. In this regard the following are some points to consider for each significant social media site, including who utilizes each to what types of content can be made successful.

Facebook is a great platform for targeted advertisement of your business

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

Over the last two years, Facebook has slowly reduced the reach of its organic pages. This has drastically limited the amount of exposure their posts get in the News Feed, a change so ire-inducing that the company required an FAQ regarding it. There are reports that suggest that the vast majority of organic brands posts can now reach just 2percent of their followers. It means that there are fewer views, less clicks as well as a decrease in revenue generated from the products or content that you share on your Page.

It doesn't mean you have to give up Facebook However. If you've accumulated an Page that is full of likes or you're noticing that your existing page is still accumulating new fans with a regularity, you can certainly take advantage of this audience. The best method to accomplish this is to use .

Now that Facebook is no longer reliable in providing even the most intriguing products and news content to your customers, the best usage of the platform is to share your most important news through pay-per-click. This might mean boosting a post on your page which is pushing it into News Feeds. Or it might mean specifically advertising to website users by displaying an advertisement that encourages them to return to your website so they don't miss out on a good deal.

An example of a Facebook ad.
A sample of an Facebook advertising.

One of the advantages of this form of Facebook use is it means that any brand can do it and have a similar chances of being successful. Also, boosted posts and remarketing adverts are shown to current fans as well as those who have visited your website which means they're targeted and relevant material -- and much more relevant than an ad displayed to someone who's never heard of your brand previously.

One of the drawbacks it is that you need to pay for ads. However, with the correct content, these ads can be very effective which could generate a lot of revenue.

Twitter is the best choice for creative content, conversations, or social support

19 percent of the adult populace use Twitter According to Pew research, and most are under 50. This network, which limits the length of your tweets to 140 characters, is widely used by brands if only because that so many of their users use Twitter. However, does every company have to join Twitter? Or do certain companies find greater success on Twitter than others?

Rather than specific types of brands that are successful with Twitter however, it seems that the type of content determine how successful you are on the social network. The study also found that videos outperformed images hyperlinks to instructional as well as list blog posts overcame all other posts by the quantity of retweets, and the users who posted quotes gained 43% more followers than people who did not.

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

Therefore, if your eCommerce business isn't based on what you sell tweets links to intriguing content, shares pictures, and sometimes offers motivational quotes (provided they're related that is related to your company, that is), you seem to be more likely to receiving clicks, retweets and people to follow than companies that don't do any of these.

All this aside, Twitter is really the ideal platform for a brand to have an open dialogue with their customers. Since the platform is well-known and easy to use, and it takes far much less time to create tweets than email and you'll likely get questions, comments, and concerns here. If you can respond swiftly and in a timely manner, research shows that this positive experience can encourage more sales. Make sure you are ready to listen to these comments and be prepared to respond in a timely manner!

Pinterest is the perfect place to find beauty, food, and fashion brands

Pinterest Pinterest, the social media platform that allows you to search for the most popular, interesting, and useful "creative concepts" through pinned images and continues to expand year after year. The most recent data show that around 28% of adult Internet users are using this website.

The numbers may not be impressive in its own right however, what's important concerning Pinterest is who is using it. According to eMarketer, 85% of Pinterest's total audience is comprised of females.

Pinterest has a mostly female audience. (Image credit: eMarketer)
Pinterest is a site with a majority women-oriented audience. (Image credit: eMarketer)

Also, take a look at this Millward Brown research and find how Pinterest people -- 87% of which have purchased something they found 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 company? The answer is, if your online store offers products in any of the five categories mentioned above it's likely that you'll realize that Pinterest is a natural choice for your business. The majority of users discover and repin the content of these categories with the intent of later buying, therefore when the images you're sharing look appealing and distinctive, you have the potential to get more sales from Pinterest more than any other social network.

Instagram is a great platform for companies that sell attractive physical products

Almost fifty percent of Instagram's 300 million active monthly users log in every day according to most recent research conducted on the image-centric social media platform. Instagram's frequent usage by consumers, simple system for publishing images, as well as its relative friendliness to brands -- no photos are ever removed, hidden, or shown unintentionally in your feed -- make Instagram an excellent choice for many eCommerce companies.

Instagram works best for those with a wide variety of products that lend themselves to photographs.
Instagram is ideal for users that have many items that can be used to create photographs.

LinkedIn is suitable for business news, culture and careers

LinkedIn is used currently by around 28% of online adults. It's also the only social platform that has users who are significantly more likely to be aged between 30 and 64 than in the 18-29 range The majority of users are by university graduates.

LinkedIn is a tricky network for brands. Because most users rely on LinkedIn for career-related items such as connecting with coworkers or locating jobs often reading news and other content that isn't associated with your business may fall flat. LinkedIn's Business Pages are intended to attract job seekers and those interested in your company's image, and this is the one time when it's beneficial to promote yourself often.

Our LinkedIn page.
This is our LinkedIn Page.

Due to this, LinkedIn is best used for purposes of attracting customers to your business from a business standpoint. It's not likely that users are following you as they are looking to purchase from you. Instead, they are much more likely to be following you because they wish to join your organization, or do business with you in a different manner. posting company news, providing information on your organization's culture, or posting jobs will allow you to create the right image here.

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

It's easy to get caught up with the latest trends in social media. Each time you discover a new or emerging network, you're probably interested and excited to test every new and exciting app yourself. However, before you send pictures to customers or streaming live video for your website visitors, think carefully about the benefits over time from each of these new or specific networks.

An important aspect you should especially be aware of is that the newest social media sites are usually created without any kind of standardization, guidelines or other options. As they're made with users in mind, not companies, brand features are often introduced much later, and they might restrict the of your business, or put an abrupt end to a new source of revenue that you've grown accustomed to.

As we've said earlier that your time is valuable. Don't make a decision to invest in any social media platform simply because it sounds cool or is trending. Invest in one that your target audience is drawn to, which has established expectations for brands, and has clear long-term benefits to your business, such as more revenue, or better communication with clients.

It is the best method to select the right networks for you

Choosing the right social media platform to showcase your eCommerce company could be a challenge. Before you begin with a fear that you'll be investing lots of time with little or any return or advertising dollars that don't produce sales. If you are conducting your research prior to the start and knowing the features each platform can do for you and your business, you have a much better chance of succeeding on social than a brand that signs up for any option.

We hope the tips in this blog post will give you an excellent starting point in choosing how to launch your online presence.

If you have additional concerns about choosing the best network for your company contact us in the comments.