Social media has become a primary way to market to customers. From Instagram to Facebook and beyond, marketers have capitalized on the rapid growth of technology usage across all age groups.
Traditional marketing is a strategy that was used before the introduction of the internet; it uses tactics such as magazine ads, door-to-door fliers, television commercials and radio ads to reach customers. While this type of marketing is still crucial to reaching audiences, with the influx of internet and social media users, reaching consumers on these outlets has become imperative. Both traditional and social media marketing look to increase traction to a product or service, differentiating from the outlet through which they operate.
When picking the right social media app or website, you must understand your audience and whom you want to reach. From there, with a couple of steps outlined in this post, you, as a company or organization, have tools to better market to the category of consumers you are interested in reaching.
Which App is Best for the Audience You are Looking to Market To?
Steps to Consider:
- What type of audience am I trying to reach?
- Does age or gender matter regarding your service and/or product?
- What type of media will you use for marketing? Determine if you are using video ads, photo ads, influencer sponsorship or any other medium related to advertising.
- From the previous steps, consider the ad space price on each app and determine the right fit for your company.
Social Media Usage Facts*:
- The average U.S. adult spends 38 minutes per day on Facebook.
- Sixteen- to 24-year-olds spend a median of three hours a day on social media.
- Internet users spent an average of two hours and 22 minutes daily on social networking in 2019.
- Projections for social media use estimate that the average adult will spend six years and eight months of their life on social media.
Slogan: Connect with friends and the world around you on Facebook
Number of monthly active users: 2.934 billion
Largest age group on the app/website: 25-34
Gender of users: 43% female, 57% male
Average time spent on the app per day: 38 minutes
Cost to run ads on Facebook: $0.97 per click
Slogan: Capture and Share the World’s Moments
Number of monthly active users: 1.44 billion
Largest age group on the app/website: 25-34
Gender of users: 48.4% female, 51.8% male
Average time spent on the app per day: 29 minutes
Cost to run ads on Instagram: $3.56 per click
TikTok
Slogan: Real People, Real Videos
Number of monthly active users: 1 billion
Largest age group on the app/website: 10-19
Gender of users: 61% female, 39% male
Average time spent on the app per day: 95 minutes
Cost to run ads on TikTok: $1.00 per click
Number of monthly active users: 237.8 million
Largest age group on the app/website: 18-29
Gender of users: 38.4% female, 61.6% male
Average time spent on the app per day: 34 minutes
Cost to run ads on Twitter: $0.38 per click
Number of monthly active users: 810 million
Largest age group on the app/website: 25-34
Gender of users: 48% female, 52% male
Average time spent on the app: 17 minutes per month
Cost to run ads on LinkedIn: $5.26 per click
Number of monthly active users: 431 million
Largest age group on the app/website: 50-64
Gender of users: 78% female, 22% male
Average time spent on the app per day: 14.2 minutes
Cost to run ads on Pinterest: $1.50 per click
Snapchat
Number of monthly active users: 319 million
Largest age group on the app/website: 15-25
Gender of users: 54.4% female, 44.6% male
Average time spent on the app per day: 31 minutes
Cost to run ads on Snapchat: $1-$3 per swipe up
Youtube
Number of monthly active users: 2.6 billion
Largest age group on the app/website: 15-35
Gender of users: 46% female, 54% male
Average time spent on the app per day: 44 minutes
Cost to run ads on Youtube: $3.21 per click
Mandy Moore for Hello Fresh
Influencers
Regarding marketing through social media, using influencers has become more common, especially to reach a younger audience. Influencer-based marketing has many benefits beyond basic social media ads. Influencers have audiences that they have created through their content creation. They build up their own business through their knowledge or personal experience on a specific topic. Influencers also tend to share aspects of their personal life and connect with their viewers that companies and other marketing tactics do not.
Benefits of using Influencers:
- Bypass the use of ad blockers
- Provide context for your service to a new audience
- Provide extra or new ideas, content, strategy and brainstorming with the influencer
- Appeal to a younger audience
- Create a halo effect for your service or product
- Increase SEO ranking and website visitation
- Reach niche audiences
These are just a few benefits of using influencers when it comes to marketing on social media. However, there can also be downsides to working with influencers. When choosing who you are influencing, you must understand the audience your said influencer attracts. Selecting the wrong influencer can do more harm than good. If an influencer has a bad reputation, it can harm your brand. It is much harder to measure results and how your marketing is succeeding.
Choosing the right person is crucial when using influencer-based social media marketing. If done right, it can be very profitable. For example, nearly 40% of Gen Z say they’ve been directly influenced by products they see on TikTok. Brands should consider the impact of parasocial relationships on the influence of customers and significantly younger audiences.
Conclusion
As technology improves, the way we market to customers has to adapt. Social media marketing is not new, but as new apps are generating and gaining traction, the way we reach our specific audience changes. When choosing your audience as a company, it is essential to be aware of what impacts you want to make, which marketing medium you will use, and which social media app you will use for marketing your product.
Considering each app and the benefits of all social media services is essential to your company’s brand to use the right path. When making these decisions, do your research.
With the rapid change of products, many opportunities exist for things to change. Influencers are also a part of this research. Choosing the wrong influencer can tank your brand. Understand the person you are dealing with before handing over your services to someone else.
*A variety of sources were used to collect the data and information in this blog post. All stats are accurate as of September 2022.
Contributor bio:
Mackenzie Skogland is an MBA student at Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She received her BFA in film and television with a concentration in directing from DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media. She currently works as a graduate assistant in the Kellstadt Career Management Center. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends exploring Chicago, writing music and making short films.