Social Media is an everyday part of our lives
For some it’s an addiction, a distraction, a useful tool or the biggest time waster we have ever invented.
Some interesting facts about Social Media
- Facebook has over 40 million users in the UK
- Twitter has over 15 million users in the UK
- 47 Police forces in the UK use Twitter Alerts
- 80% of Twitter users are active on mobile devices
Whichever form it takes, (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, TikTok) it is part of the mainstream and here to stay.
The players may drop off, fail, go bust, be acquired by bigger players or simply drop out of fashion, but the concepts, vernacular, buzzwords and colloquialisms are part of the fabric of the internet and our lives.
Social Media – The Challenge for business
The rush to Social Media has probably reached it?s peak.
Most individuals and companies have a Facebook , Twitter or LinkedIn
Social Media helps small and medium sized businesses achieve visibility for their products and services.
The challenge for businesses today is to turn ?visitors?, ?followers?, ?likes?, ?fans?, and ?shares? into paying customers.
Which Social Media platforms should my business use?
With the vast array of choices, decisions have to made.
The most popular social media platforms worldwide.
Ranked by number of active users (in millions)
Social Media Platforms
| wdt_ID | Platform | Active Users (millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,603 | |
| 2 | YouTube* | 2,000 |
| 3 | 2,000 | |
| 4 | Facebook Messenger* | 1,300 |
| 5 | Weixin / WeChat | 1,203 |
| 6 | Instagram** | 1,082 |
| 7 | TikTok | 800 |
| 8 | 694 | |
| 9 | Sina Weibo | 550 |
| 10 | QZone | 517 |
| 11 | 430 | |
| 12 | Kuaishou | 400 |
| 13 | Snapchat** | 397 |
| 14 | 367 | |
| 15 | Twitter** | 326 |
The most common in 2021 in the UK would be :-
- Snapchat
- TikTok
The picture can be confusing as so many of the platforms have similar features as they each chase each others business and user base
Some Key considerations
- How much time can I dedicate?
- Who will run your Social Media?
- What is my budget?
- In-house or should I contract out?
- What is my target audience, age, location, income?
- How will I measure my success?
Are the lines getting blurred?
With so many different platforms available it can be difficult to decide which route to take.
Facebook is the most popular social media platform.
Here are some great reasons for choosing Facebook as a platform for helping drive business
It is the biggest
With over 2.5 billion active users it is by far the biggest.
This presents an opportunity to reach a massive audience.
Engagement
Over 1.4 billion people login to Facebook every day.
Advertising
Facebook and Google dominate the market for Ad Spend because they have the biggest audiences to market to.
Insights and Targetting
Facebook provides fantastic details on your Facebook activity and which posts are engaging with potential customers and which are not.
Their tools allow you to target and market to very specific audiences and demographics,
Customer Service
Facebook’s Messenger allows you to provide instant customer services and quick responses to customers’ questions about your products and services.
Website Integration
A great option is to integrate your Facebook page (via a feed) to your website.
This allows you to easily and automatically update your content on your website but also encourage visitors to follow you on Facebook increasing your target audience.