What Social Media Networks Are Right for Your Brand?

Nov 10, 2022

If you're just beginning to explore the realm of eCommerce it's likely good that you've at least contemplated creating one or more social media accounts for your business. Social media evolves like wind, and if you consider that a Facebook page will suffice for reaching your potential customers... you're wrong, it could be a bit of a surprise.

There are ever increasing possibilities. Every network comes with their own advantages and pitfalls and specific guidelines that must be adhered to.

This week, we'll talk about how to decide which social media platforms are appropriate for the promotion of your eCommerce business. This article will explain why it's important to choose carefully, and will then take a closer look at the most popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest along with other platforms so you can evaluate whether or not they're a good fit for you.

Important to choose the most appropriate networks

For a shop owner, your time is precious. There are plenty of tasks you need to complete with social media, without adding it to the mix. However, since it's now a crucial part of any well-rounded marketing plan, and the presence of your company is valued from your clients and prospects, it's an essential part of your company.

It's not the case that says you have to be on every and every social media site However. In fact, in some cases, it would be considered unnecessary to have an account on Pinterest page or a LinkedIn account, since people who visit their sites do not utilize those apps or networks. And wasting time is something you absolutely need to avoid, because it keeps your attention from the actions that bring you the most amount of money.

That's why it's so important to pick the most appropriate social media channels to promote your company. Picking the platforms where you have the best possibility of connecting with your target audience, or perhaps your customers already which means that you'll spend less time and make more profit. There's no need to battle so hard to get results, either. Consider it like choosing the "path that has the least resistance" which is where you take a route that requires you to put in most work in order to reap the highest benefit?

If you carefully evaluate every network in order to select the most suitable ones to suit youdepending on where you have your current customers and in which area your company will be successful in being able to optimize the time you spend and make sure your efforts result in an ROI. In this regard the following are some points to take into consideration for each significant social media site, including who utilizes each to what types of content are successful on each.

Facebook is a great platform for targeted advertising of your products

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

In the past two years, Facebook has slowly reduced the organic reach of Pages. It has severely reduced the amount of exposure their posts are getting through the News Feed, a change so ire-inducing that the company had to publish a FAQ about it. Some reports estimate that the majority of organic brand posts are now able to be seen by only 2percent of their followers. That means less visits, clicks, and far less revenue from the items or posts you post about in your Page.

However, this doesn't mean that you should give up on Facebook, however. If you've created your Page full of Likes, or you're noticing that your page growing in a constant rate, you can certainly take advantage of this audience. The best method to achieve this is via .

Now that Facebook is no longer reliable in providing even the most intriguing products and news content to customers, the best usage of the platform is to share your most crucial news using pay-per-click. It could mean boosting a post on your site -- that is pushing it into News Feeds. Or it might mean specifically advertising to website users via an ad that urges them to return to your website so they don't miss a good deal.

An example of a Facebook ad.
Example of a Facebook ad.

The great thing about this kind of Facebook use is that virtually any company can use it and have a similar possibility of success. Furthermore, promoted posts as well as remarketing advertisements are displayed to existing fans and those who have been to your site, or visited it therefore they're targeted and relevant material -- and much better than an ad shown to someone who has not heard of your company prior to now.

The downside, of course, is that you have to spend money on advertising. If you have the proper information, the ads could perform very well and potentially make you lots of money.

Twitter: best for clever posts, discussions or even social support

19 percent of the adult people use Twitter, according to Pew studies, and the majority are under 50. Twitter, which restricts the length of your tweets to 140 characters, is used for a long time by businesses, not just because so many of their customers are on it. But does every brand need to have a presence on Twitter? Or do certain companies find better results here more than others?

Instead of specific kinds of brands finding success with Twitter however, it seems that specific types of brand content will determine the success you will be on the social network. A study showed that video outperformed pictures as well as links to tutorials and blog entries beat all other types in terms of the number of retweets they received. Another study found those who shared quotes had 43percent 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 additional RTs when your links point to interesting content. (Image source: Quick Sprout)

So if your eCommerce brand isn't based on what you sell tweets links to interesting content, posts photos, and even offers motivational quotes (provided they have something that is related to your company, that is), you seem to stand a greater chance of getting clicks, retweets and new followers than those who aren't doing any of that.

In all honesty, Twitter is really the ideal platform for brands to engage in an open dialogue with their customers. Since the platform is well-known and easy to use, and it takes far less time to compose tweets than emails You're bound to get queries, remarks, or complaints here. If you can respond swiftly and in a timely manner, research shows that this kind of experience could encourage more sales. Prepare yourself to monitor these comments and be prepared to respond in a timely manner!

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

Pinterest The social network, which lets users search images, find, and save "creative ideas" in the form of pictures that you pin, continues to grow each year. The latest statistics reveal that about 28% of all adult Internet users utilize this website.

The numbers may not be impressive in its own right, but what's really significant concerning Pinterest is who makes use of it. According to eMarketer, 85% of the total users on Pinterest are comprised of females.

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

Finally, take a look at this Millward Brown research, which shows how Pinterest customers -- with 87 percent of whom have bought products they came across through 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 is believed to drive the more research-related pins as well as purchase later in the categories mentioned above. (Image source: Millward Brown)

What is this implying to your business? The answer is, if your online shop sells products from any of these five categories, you're probably going to discover that Pinterest is a natural fit for you. The majority of users discover and repin content from these areas with the intent of later buying, therefore If the content you're providing 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 with attractive physical goods

Almost half of Instagram's 300 million active monthly users are active on the platform each day, according to the latest research on this growing photo-based social media network. Its widespread use by users and its simple platform for posting photos, and its relative ease of use for businesses and brands -- all posts are ever filtered, hidden, or shown unintentionally in the feed. This makes it an ideal pick 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 with a wide variety of products that lend themselves to photos.

LinkedIn is suitable for culture, company news, and careers

LinkedIn is currently utilized by roughly 28% of online adults. It's the sole social network that has users who are significantly more likely to be aged between 30 and 64 than people in the age range of 18-29 The majority of users are by students at college.

LinkedIn is a tricky network for businesses. Because most users rely on LinkedIn for professional-related things like connecting with their colleagues as well as finding work, and sometimes reading articles -- information that's not related to your company could be a failure. LinkedIn's Company Pages are actually created to attract potential employers as well as those who are interested in your brand, so this is one of the times that it can be beneficial to talk about your personal brand frequently.

Our LinkedIn page.
The LinkedIn profile of our company.

Because of this, LinkedIn can be used to serve its purpose of attracting users to your organization from a business standpoint. There is a good chance that people are following you because they want to buy from you. Instead, they will more likely follow you because they want to join your organization, or do business with you in another way. Sharing company news, details about your company's environment, or even sharing jobs will allow you to build a positive image on this site.

Niche networks like Vine, Snapchat, and Meerkat Take care when using these networks

It's easy to get immersed on the latest social media trends. Each time you discover a new or emerging social media platform, you're likely curious and eager to try each hot new app for yourself. But before you start sending pictures to customers or streaming live video for your website customers, think carefully about the long-term benefits from each of these new or small-scale networks.

A crucial fact is worth being aware of is that new social media sites are usually created without any brand standards, guidelines or even options. Because they're created with users in mind, and not businesses, brand features are often implemented later in the process, and they might restrict the your activities, or even put an abrupt end to a new source of revenue you've come to depend on.

Again, as we said earlier, your time is precious. Don't make a decision to invest in a social media network simply because it's cool or has a trending status. Invest in one which your intended audience is drawn to, which has established standards for brands, and offers clear benefits over the long term for your business such as more revenue, or better communication with your customers.

The best way to pick the most appropriate networks

The right social media channels you can promote your eCommerce business could be a challenge. Going into it, you might be fearful that you'll be investing lots of time and seeing little to zero return, or investing money on advertising that doesn't result in purchases. But by conducting your research prior to the start and knowing the features each platform can do for you and your business, you have an increased likelihood of achieving success on social than a brand which is signed up to every option under the sun.

The tips we have provided in this post have given you the best starting point to choosing how to launch your social media profile.

If you have any additional questions about picking the right networks for your business contact us in the comments.