If you want to get in direct contact with your target group, strengthen your brand and increase your sales, you will find many exciting opportunities to do so in social networks. Information and entertaining content stand side by side here, allowing providers to create an offer with real added value for their users. Many customers now even expect a company to be represented on social networks. The communities created here create a sense of identification, which promotes business success enormously.
However, when it comes to social media marketing, it is better to use one or two platforms in a strategically well thought-out way instead of setting up profiles on as many sites as possible, which then gradually fall asleep. It is therefore important for the advertising company to choose exactly which social networks it invests its human, financial and time resources in.
Alongside top dogs like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, new portals like Snapchat and Vero are constantly emerging, sometimes with more and sometimes with less success. Some, on the other hand, disappear again: Google recently announced its intention to discontinue its social network Google+. It is therefore important to keep an eye on the offerings and the development of the individual platforms.
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Facebook: The US giant is still the No. 1 social network
With 32 million active users (as of November 2018), Facebook is the most-used social network in Germany. Whether pure text posts, photos, infographics, links or videos: Private users and page operators can publish and share a huge range of content here, which is undoubtedly one reason for its popularity. According to the ARD/ZDF online study, the age group of 20 to 29 year olds is most represented on Facebook, closely followed by 14 to 19 year olds. However, 30- to 49-year-olds can also still be easily reached here. Men and women are equally represented.
Skillfully showcase photos and videos on Instagram
While Facebook's user numbers are now rising only slowly, Instagram has become increasingly popular in recent years. According to the company, 17 million Germans are active here. If you can present your brand in a visually striking and memorable way, Instagram is the place to be. The social network is most popular with users aged 14 to 29. Women use it slightly more often than men.
Keep well informed with Twitter
Those who shine with a pointed style and are good at getting to the heart of information benefit the most from Twitter. Although the microblogging service has only four million active users in Germany, it includes an above-average number of opinion leaders and people in influential positions. Many current events spread particularly quickly on the platform, which is why journalists also like to use Twitter for research. Companies can therefore place and spread their message effectively with a little skill. Here, mass rather than class counts: It is less important to attract the largest possible following than to inspire the most influential people in one's own industry. The core of the users, who tend to be mainly male, is between 14 and 49 years old.
Is YouTube a social network?
Far too many users still perceive YouTube as a pure platform for publishing videos. Of course, that is the main benefit of the site, but at the same time, the social functions also play a crucial role. Users can create a personal profile, even if they don't upload their own videos, and use it to comment on other films and rate them with thumbs up or down. Like all other platforms of this kind, YouTube also allows users to send private messages and share published content. With six million active German users and countless other non-registered visitors, the video platform is therefore one of the most influential social networks. Publishers who upload moving images here must therefore treat the channel just like any other social media profile: Publishing content alone is not enough. Interaction with users, such as responding to comments and messages, is at least as important for success.
Conclusion: Which social network is right for my company?
To answer this question, you first have to define your own target group precisely. If you know which people you want to reach with which content, you'll be most successful on Facebook, Twitter and the like.
Target-group-specific content and a communication strategy tailored to it are indispensable. If you are unsure about your own positioning, you should seek professional support. We will be happy to develop a concept and strategy for your social media marketing with you. If you approach the topic professionally, you will gain a great advantage in digital communication with your target group.
Image source: Pixabay
