SOCIAL NETWORKS

Accelerate your business with these expert tips on "Social Media". Analyse and discover this TIP!

Social networks are one of the communication channels that provide us with access to our customer segment.. They allow us to transfer our value proposal to seduce them and get them to pay for our product. Used well, they can help us to accelerate our new company. If we are not clear about our customer, there is no point in getting into social networks, you have to go back to the first sprint of the acceleration programme. 

Social networks are social structures on the internet formed by communities of individuals with common interests or activities, which allow contact between them in order to communicate and exchange information.

It is very likely that your potential client is a user of one or more social networks that you should know and use to achieve presence and notoriety. It is a mistake to want to be on all existing social networks.. There are many different social networks, each one with its own peculiarities that we should be aware of before selecting it, the difficult thing is not to disperse our efforts and focus on the one that allows us to accelerate faster.

In every social network there are a free and a paid version (ADS), i.e., we can publish a series of content for free (with limitations) and if we want to advertise we have to pay a fee. Normally, we can pay for results achieved, LEDS, clicks, visualisations... whatever we are most interested in. Resulting in a CAC (customer acquisition cost) much lower and controllable than traditional media.

Social networks can be grouped into two user groups

Horizontal:

They have users of all types, social classes, objectives and profiles. These social networks include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube…

Vertical:

More specialised in a specific theme or purpose around which the whole social network revolves: LinkedIn, TripAdvisor, Moviehaku, Wattpad, etc.

Horizontal social networks are more attractive for all types of business, as they concentrate a higher volume of users and, for example, on Facebook, more and more people are joining the platform. However, although they belong to the same type of social network, they do not all pursue the same goals.

Twitter concentrates its efforts on immediacy, Facebook can have a long exposure post, while YouTube does not generate posts, only audiovisual content. On the other hand, vertical social networks cannot be underestimated because they have a smaller volume of users, because if your company is dedicated to the recruitment of company managers, B2B model, LinkedIn suits you much better.

Just as if you are marketing a hotel or tourism product, TripAdvisor offers you much better results.

Social networks according to the type of content you can create in your business:

• If you can generate good videos in your new venture, use Youtube. 
• If you can generate short interesting content, use Twitter.
• If you can generate good images use Instagram.
• If you can record voice, podcast use Spotify.
• If your business lends itself to taking a lot of photos and is very visual, as is the case with food businesses, Facebook o Instagram will be of great use to you.
• If, on the other hand, your company is directly dedicated to getting customers who are businesses, perhaps the forums on LinkedIn will help you to empower yourself in the marketplace.
• Or, if on the other hand, your business is dedicated to the profusion of news, Twitter is the ultimate for the immediate nature of this type of business.

SOCIAL NETWORK ACCORDING TO YOUR CUSTOMER PROFILE:

To decide on one social network or another, you first have to know who your customers are and, depending on their profile, then look for the most appropriate platform. Keep in mind that just because a social network has more users does not mean that it will be more profitable for your business, because each social network is more popular with different types of audiences.

For example:

• Snapchat is characterised by the fact that it is for an audience young.
• LinkedIn for a wider audience professional.
• Facebook for one more family.
• Instagramfor example, is ideal if you are selling products aimed at women.
• Twitter works more for news or blogs.

If you choose the right social network for your business, the reach of your publications will be very high, the engagement with your audience will be much higher and, of course, your number of followers will go through the roof.

BE CAREFUL WHAT CONTENT YOU PUBLISH

A common mistake many entrepreneurs make is to use social media only to sell their products and talk about the benefits of their services. Today's audiences are not very tolerant of intrusive advertising, so we recommend that you make a prioritisation of the content you generate on your networks and do so valuable interesting for your audiences.

Think carefully about what types of content you want to publish: tips, tutorials on how to use your products or services, funny videos, inspirational phrases, important information, curious things about your sector... Write down all the ideas that come to mind, and then rank them according to the type of content you think your audience will be most interested in.

If you have a clothing shop, for example, your shoppers will most likely be interested in seeing real photos of people wearing those clothes, then articles with information on how to combine different types of clothes, and finally, fashion tips.

By organising your publications in this way, you are sure to achieve reaching a wider audienceand increase your sales like you never imagined.

Which social networks do your competitors use?

Spying on them may not be all right, but what you should be doing is analyse your competitionnot to copy them, but to be inspired by them and the strategies they use to promote themselves.

This is how you will know which social network your target audience is on and what works. However, the best thing about doing this, too, is of course, see the mistakes your competitors have made so that you can do much better. You can implement techniques that really work and are liked by the community in your niche market.

PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CUSTOMERS' SHOES

Putting yourself in your customers' shoes, what they do, what they read, where they chat .... is the best way to make the final decision.

Imagine that you are one of your buyers:

• On which social network would you like to see your publications?
• Which platform would you use the most on a daily basis?
• What time of day would you log in most to see what's new?

It is essential that you ask yourself these kinds of questions so that you can make the best decision.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH SOCIAL NETWORK:

To make it even easier for you to choose the best social network for your business, I am going to explain each platform one by one so that you know which one is the best for you.

• Facebook:

It is the social network of the masses, although its numbers have dropped slightly, it is still the most popular social network in the world. the most used social network (an 82%) and one of the most popular in terms of personal relationships.

You will find all audiences there and you can post images as well as videos and blog posts to boost them. It's almost the social network of choice for customer-facing businesses, and its statistics and targeting possibilities in advertising are very useful and intelligent. This is a social network used equally by men and women of all ages.

• Facebook Messenger:

Facebook's instant messaging social network Facebook seems to be is starting to catch on among Spaniardsalready in use by a 43%.

• WhatsApp:

Undisputed leader of social networks and king par excellence of the networks at the communication level. In spite of the many competitors that are emerging every few years, it is one of the strongest. In our country, 87% claim to use it on a daily basis.

• Instagram:

Instagram always appears in the top positions in such rankings. Its simplicity, usability and visual aesthetics make it one of the favourites of users, specifically 54%. In Spain it has 20 million users. If your business offers products that attract attention visually, Instagram is the social network for you.

The growth possibilities for businesses on this platform are increasing with each passing day as more and more users join the platform. In addition, the use of hashtags, geolocation and "follow-back". with a little bit of dedication, your business grows exponentially in the interactive community. Although this social network is used by all kinds of people, The majority of its audience is undoubtedly women.

• Twitter:

Although its popularity has declined in recent years, its potential can still be exploited. It's great if your business is very much about customer service and generating conversation, as well as to count on a day-to-day basis, the progress of a project or details of an event.

Make the most of it if your business is characterised by the immediacy of the messages you will convey. Hashtag use should be paramount as long as you do it strategically!

• YouTube:

This entertainment social network continues to grow year after year. The multiple possibilities it offers at the audiovisual level endorse it. It is the most used by Spaniards (an 89%).

Although its direct competitors are Dailymotion or Vimeo, this social network is more popular because of its user volume and because it is a project of the Google giant. Use it, if your business needs to deliver messages or content in video format, such as, tourism businesses or artist casting. Also, this social network is ideal for sharing product tutorials!!!

• Pinterest:

Pinterest is a a personalised virtual board that allows you to compile images, links and all kinds of content that interest you, organising them into categories. What's more, you can share these boards with other users! It already has 200 million users worldwide and in our country it is growing rapidly, reaching 28% of users.

If your business is in fashion or tourism, Pinterest is the place to be. will make the boards with images on your profile explode. The best way to attract attention is with images that are attractive and of interest to your target audience.

LATEST TIPS FOR THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS:

The secret to choosing a good social network for your business is to analyse whether you customer segment, your target is on a social network, which, although not massive, is useful for conversing with potential customers. For example, lovers of images and photographs, not only on Instagram, but also on other lesser-known social networks such as Flickr where you could create more affinity with your consumers.

It's all about searching to find your perfect social network, because if you deal with animals there are even platforms like FacePet or MyCatSpace that can help you, in a faster way, to reach your target audience.

Don't stay in a social network!!!:

Try to be on at least two that really suit your type of business. Take into account the time you can dedicate to your profile on the social network and whether it is better to have a specialised team.