Category: social media

IN 2024, there are so many social media platforms where you can advertise your business it can be overwhelming.

What do you focus on? Do you create a video or, post or upload a blog? This is a massive problem for the average business owner as the market shifts its focus from one platform to another. In truth, you have to be everywhere, but you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. The following will highlight the most popular social media platforms and help you decide where to focus your marketing efforts.

Our Top 10 list below highlights each social media platform’s demographics and best uses.

BEFORE YOU START

The first step to knowing where to focus your social media efforts is understanding your customer base or audience and which social media platform they mostly use. There may be some platforms you are unfamiliar with, but that’s OK; it means you get to learn a new platform and get a whole new customer base. Then, you will need to establish your marketing goals for social media. What are they? Do you want to increase brand awareness, get new customers, or perhaps generate leads or promote a sale or launch of a new product? There are really so many options on the table available to you.

HERE ARE THE TOP SOCIAL PLATFORMS FOR BUSINESSES IN 2024

1. Facebook
2. YouTube
3. Instagram
4. WhatsApp
5. TikTok
6. Snapchat
7. Pinterest
8. Reddit
9. Twitter
10. LinkedIn

Let’s look at these 10 social platforms closely to get a better idea of what suits your business and marketing strategy. Obviously, there are more platforms, but these are household names everyone knows and where most people are active.

Facebook

OVERVIEW

• Monthly Active Users: according to Social Media News, 18.5 million active Aussie users are on Facebook.
• Ideal for B2C Companies – in other words, it’s suitable for businesses who want to sell a product or service to the public.
• Most Active Demographic: Ages 25-39
• 6 in 10 Australians use Facebook
• Facebook is the most popular social media platform across all age groups and was one of the first mega social media platforms.

With such a massive uptake and broad user base, Facebook gives Australian businesses a golden opportunity to reach out to consumers looking for their products or services. You can publish articles, write posts, upload videos and advertise to a specific demographic and segment of the market. Facebook is great for building your brand online, communicating with followers and generating leads/sales inquiries via their advertising platforms. The only downside is that Facebook is super-popular, which means so many businesses are on there, so the content you create has to be unique and informative to get some cut-through.

Learn more about Facebook for business.

YouTube

OVERVIEW

• 17,500,000 Unique Australian Visitors per month
• Ideal for B2C and B2B Companies – it’s a popular way to get your message out there online via video
• Most Active Demographic: Ages 15-35
• 1 in 2 Australians use YouTube – think about that as a powerful marketing tool
• YouTube is the world’s second-most-visited website

People can spend hours online researching a product or service on YouTube. It doesn’t matter if you are a travel agency, a plumber or a physio; you can easily create a video and publish it online. And the reach is far! I know I’ve looked up everything from how to help a sore lower back to surfboards. It’s all there on YouTube to watch, learn, and sometimes buy or get in contact with the business. Because it’s in video format, the message comes loud and clear, and consumers don’t have to read pages of information. Obviously, you have to create video content worth watching that provides value for users. Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

• Do you have customers who want to know how to use your product more effectively or ask for instructions? Then, create an explainer video detailing the product and how to use it.
• Do you have a great new innovative product you want to launch? YouTube is a great platform to create a buzz around a new product. You can also embed the YouTube video on your website product page to make it more engaging.
• Do you want to give your client’s information to showcase your business as a leader in its field? Create a YouTube Channel, create great content, and become the voice of your niche.

These are just a few examples of how all businesses could use YouTube. Be creative, think about what your target audience wants to know and create content for them. Take a look at what your competition does and do it better and more often.

Instagram

OVERVIEW

• Monthly Active Users in Australia per month: 13.5 million
• Great for B2C. Selling products or services via Instagram is very easy with photos, reels and videos.
• Most Active Demographic: Ages 15-39
• 500 million+ users are active on Instagram daily worldwide, which is a mind-boggling stat.

Instagram is the birthplace of the social media influencer and has made people an absolute fortune by endorsing products. Now, if you don’t have the budget to get Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton to sell your product, you can easily snap a pic and post it online for the world to see. Getting followers is easy as well, as long as you consistently post. Creating an account is simple; the premise is to get as many likes and followers as possible. Once you have a big audience, you can start marketing to them daily. Again, like many social media platforms, it really doesn’t matter what industry you are in as long as anyone and any business can sell or promote their business on Instagram.

Here’s how to get started with Instagram for business is easy, and here’s the link to their home page.

WhatsApp

OVERVIEW

• The ACCC says that there are roughly 8 million monthly users on WhatsApp
• Ideal for B2C Companies
• Most Active Demographic: Ages 18-45
• Facebook owns WhatsApp
• WhatsApp is the third most popular social network worldwide

Who doesn’t have WhatsApp? I Bet no one, as everyone, uses this platform, and it’s really replaced regular phone calling. Everyone now says WhatsApp me. Businesses can reach out to users for marketing purposes, and users can contact businesses directly through the app. You can read from WhatsApp directly in their FAQs. With WhatsApp for business, you can also list important information, such as a company’s address, email and website. It’s super simple to set up, and once you are on it, you’ll never leave; it’s that convenient.

TikTok

OVERVIEW

• Monthly Active Users in Australia: 8.5 million
• Ideal for B2C Companies
• Most Active Demographic: Females Ages 10-29
• Among them are 350,000 businesses that use TikTok as a marketing tool to reach new and existing audiences, according to Nine news
• Users spend an average of 90 minutes per day on the platform.

In a word, TikTok is addictive. You have been warned, and once you start scrolling, you’ll do it wherever you go. Its short video format makes it ideal for quick digestion of information, and a link to your business bio is a great way to get social and promote your business, especially if you’re trying to target a younger audience who live on TikTok. I have used TikTok for a business with excellent results. In fact, one video went viral in a week and has had almost 25,000 views for a 30-second clip – its reach is wide and very fast. Let’s say you’re a tradie and want to do a quick video on changing a leaking tap; this is a great way to get your profile online. Or, if you are an eCommerce business and want to promote your product, you can show the product in use or how great it is. Use your imagination, be creative, have fun, and you’ll soon see why TikTok is such a powerful marketing platform for your business.

Snapchat

OVERVIEW

• Monthly Active Users in Australia: 8 million
• Ideal for B2C Companies
• Most Active Demographic: Females Ages 15-29
• Snapchat users spend more than 30 minutes per day on the platform, which is similar to the likes of TikTok.

If you have a business that wants to target a younger and social media-savvy audience, then Snapchat is the way to go. On this platform, you post a photo or video and share it, but the thing here is that it disappears after viewing. Great if you want someone only to view it once. It’s kind of gimmicky, but it works for this generation. If you’re having an event or want to promote something, expect the younger generation to soak it up. But, be careful as you have to market to them in a way they’ll uptake it. Being cool and hip and almost not wanting them to engage motivates them even more.

Pinterest

OVERVIEW

• Monthly Active Users in Australia: 7 million 
• Ideal for B2C Companies who want to highlight products – great for designers, architects and anyone in the creative area
• Most Active Demographic: Females Ages 16-52
• Most Active Countries: The United States and Brazil
• 73% of Pinterest users have purchased from content they’ve seen, which should give you an insight into how popular this platform can be.

The social media platform Pinterest is all about creating beautiful posts that are image-rich. If you are an architect, you could post about a new building or house, or a creative design agency could post a pic of a new logo. Perhaps you are a florist who can take a picture of a new bouquet of flowers, or you are a hotel manager, villa or Airbnb host who wants to promote your wonderful place, and the list goes on; you have to be imaginative and creative – not challenging if you are in that space.

Reddit

OVERVIEW

• As of January 2022, Reddit is the 6th most downloaded social media app in Australia.
• Ideal for B2B Companies
• Most Active Demographic: Males Ages 18-29
• The average Reddit user from Australia spends 31 minutes a day on the platform.

Reddit is an excellent platform for males to create searchable content and gain popularity through votes from other members. 

One of the great things about Reddit is that it provides entrepreneurs a platform to build an engaging community interested in what they have to say. By creating a subreddit specifically for your business, you can invite customers and other interested people to participate in discussions about your products or services if they like what you do or have to say. Being actively engaged on Reddit is great for businesses that want to engage a broad male audience.

Twitter

OVERVIEW

• Twitter has 330 million monthly active users globally, and 5.8 million are from Australia.
• Ideal for B2B Companies.
• Most Active Demographic: Males Ages 21-59
• The controversial Elon Musk owns Twitter and has the second most popular account.

Twitter is one of the most popular and original social media platforms where businesses and professionals can interact with each other and post content. Popular content on Twitter includes real-time news, entertainment, job opportunities, sports, and social commentary. The idea behind Twitter is to get as many relevant followers as possible and share information or updates with them. It’s an excellent way for small businesses to contact owners of prominent companies, marketing, HR, and even the CEO without cold calling. 

LinkedIn

OVERVIEW

• 12.7 million LinkedIn users in Australia in 2023
• Great for business marketing
• Easy to sign up

Ideal for B2B Companies. So, if Hopping Mad Designs, for example, a graphic design studio in Sydney, wants to reach out and make a connection with heads of marketing departments in large companies, LinkedIn is the best platform. No other professional platform has this kind of database of strictly professional people, business owners, CEOs, etc. It allows small businesses to have a chance to meet more prominent players they are trying to market to. All you need to do is create a profile and publish amazing content, videos and information.

Next Steps

There is a lot to digest here, and for most time-poor business owners, the thought of creating posts and videos and being active online is simply out of the equation. So, this is where Hopping Mad Designs can step in as a creative graphic design agency in Sydney with a strong focus on social media strategies. We can do all the necessary design work and develop a logical social media strategy that effectively targets your audience. Please don’t waste time stressing about this and do something about it now by calling us on 02 9360 8514. We’ll handle everything for you.

Well, times have changed and the digital landscape has evolved to a point where social media now plays just as an important role in building your business as Google. Yes, it’s really vital to do SEO, but this should be in conjunction with your social media. They should both be a part of your marketing mix and focusing on one and not the other, is a recipe for disaster.
The emergence of social media and the popularity it now plays in the business environment is really the by product of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. These platforms have become so intertwined in everyday life and so part of the fabric that connects us, that to think of life without these social connections is almost unfathomable. I mean, how could you let a day go by without somehow getting on your Facebook page and seeing what’s happening. It simply doesn’t happen any more. People, and your customers live their lives through these social media channels and this trend is only going to increase.

As generations of kids grow up with an iPhone in their hands 24/7, surfing the net, checking out Instagram, the rise of social media will get to a point that if you are not on it, and actively engaging with people or businesses on this, you are going to be an out cast. Essentially, you are going to be off the grid and out of the business mix.

This is why all businesses no matter where they are or what they are selling or offering MUST be actively promoting themselves on all social media platforms. Without doing this they simply might as well shut their doors. Social media marketing is now as important in generating a buzz about your brand than ever before.

Working at Hopping Mad Designs, I have personally witnessed the rise in the demand and huge need for businesses to start a social media campaign. Previously, let’s say around 2 years ago, everyone I met just wanted us to handle their SEO and be as high up on page 1 of Google as we could get them. How times have changed! Now everyone wants us to manage their social media as well. This is great news as it opens up so many new opportunities for businesses who are finally seeing the light and realising the potential of social media marketing.

 

Social media strategies that seriously work!

I wanted to, in this blog article, to highlight how effective social media has been for a client of ours World Surf Adventures. The owners of this company approached us about 12 months ago to handle all their digital marketing. This included; web design (incl responsive), SEO, copywriting, content marketing as well as their social media marketing.

Breaking into the Australian  surf travel market was never going to be an easy task. I mean the place is saturated with existing tour operators that have been dominant in the surfing space for years. Getting into this digital space required a very aggressive search engine campaign (currently the rankings are doing really will with over 20 main core ‘high traffic’ keywords on page 1) as well as a targeted social media campaign.

We knew our target audience well. Men aged between 25-55 who were Australian that had a high disposable income. The type of guy that was looking for a surf adventure and could afford to pay for it. These guys would either travel in groups or as singles and wanted to go for about 10 days. They would either go on a surf charter or stay in a surf camp of resort. 
We knew our customer base very well so in a way it made it easy to target them via regular posts on Facebook and Instagram. These posts showcase what World Surf Adventures was offering and the pictures were all of the fantastic surf breaks and luxurious resorts. Getting followers was the easy part. I mean all surfers wanted to be part of this and see awesome surfing pics from all over the world.

They also wanted to see the latest last minute specials and offers and this was all easily done through quick posts on Facebook.

The results through our social media efforts have been unbelievable. We have in the last 12 months managed to propel WSA to the second largest surf travel agency in Australia, with an average of over 3000 unique visitors per month. These results have all been achieved through our really hard efforts in SEO as well as social media. I know our social media team work incredibly hard on posting quality content, keeping the followers entertained and informed – the perfect social media mix.

So if you would like to see the same kind of success that our surfing friends have achieved for their business, why not get in touch with us here on 02 9360 8514. We will clearly define a social media strategy for you, all at business friendly prices. You will find that the world of social media is a great place to take your company and you will start to see the results fairly quickly. This is not a sales pitch to try and get you to call us, this is the reality of how it is now. So it’s really up to you. Either you step up and be proactive or you let your competitors take the initiative and get all those new business leads, begging to be had.

Strategising and executing a social media campaign that is in line with your brand is not as easy as it would seem.

Many people think it’s just a matter of posting a few articles on Facebook or putting a few tweets out there.

Updated 4 February 2022

Well, if you think that’s going to work, think again, cause it won’t. Executing a successful social media campaign that delivers a return on your time and investment requires planning, creativity and preferably a team that knows what it’s doing. If it’s handled properly the rewards are huge.

If it’s implemented in an ad hoc, random manner, then the results will be poor. All that will happen is a lot of wasted time, effort and unfortunately potential business.

The downside of trying to find a decent social media marketing agency is that there are just so many of them; especially in Sydney. So many web and SEO agencies feel that just because they happen to play around on Facebook with their mates, they know what they are doing. WRONG! Using social media for personal use is entirely different for B2B or B2C. This is why so many social media campaigns turn sour. Businesses choose the wrong company to begin with and they end up stuffing things up completely.

My advice once you have found a few social media companies is to first visit their office so you get a better idea of their setup and how they operate. After all, this is your business and you really want to get a feel for the people to who you are entrusting your social media too. There are so many different agencies out there online that you need to find the right fit. A face to face is the very best solution. If you are a small business looking for a small social media presence then you probably won’t want to hook up with a big agency. Finding the right fit and personality is vital. At Hopping Mad Designs we have used a freelancer in the past called Social Salad Co and the results were remarkable. The owner of this agency was extremely hands-on and was able to give us advice on both Instagram and Facebook marketing.

Also read: Great Ways to Promote Your Business on Facebook

When you are meeting with them, you should be posing questions like who have they worked with in the past, what are the results you have been able to achieve and what are your processes in terms of delivering content, what reporting systems do you use and most importantly who will be doing the actual work? If you like what you hear then go for it. If any of their answers raise warning flags, it would be a good idea to bail at this stage. Essentially, they need to sound legitimate and know what they are talking about.

A reputable social media agency must be able to give you on the spot answers to your questions. A great one to give them is ‘what platforms would suit our business and demographic’. They should be able to answer this ASAP. They should be able to pick the right platform immediately. For example, if your brand demographic is under 18, then Instagram is the ideal platform. If your business is B2B then LinkedIn is ideal. Picking platforms are super easy and they should be able to do this at your initial meeting.

Social media is all about tweaking interest in your brand or business and for this to happen content needs to be published regularly. This can come in various forms, blogs, competitions, news items, specials, gift offers, basically anything to get people to sit up and take notice. A lot of businesses nowadays will try to find social media influencers with a huge following to promote your brand. People can pay a lot of money for this but in many cases, the dividends are huge especially if the influencer has a wide reach and can speak to your audience. The Sydney Morning Herald tells us that Influencers and social media stars have fast become some of the most sought-after names in fitness, lifestyle, fashion, travel and creative industries, and the biggest platform for influencer marketing is undoubtedly Instagram, with brands lining up to be associated with popular social media personas.

Obviously, influencers are OK if you have deep pockets but many SME’s need the help of a social media agency that can offer more budget-friendly solutions.

You need to ask your potential agency how they intend to deliver this content and the frequency of this. You also need to ask them if they have an in house graphic design team that can manage the artwork associated with the campaign. If they have good answers to these questions and they seem to be very organised in their reporting system and scheduling of social media posts then this is a good sign.

If they seem flakey, inattentive, non-committal about when they will implement content, unable to give you case studies, or worse simply hand you over to some account manager with little experience ( that keeps saying they will get back to you with an answer to that question) then this is a sign of things to come.

Be a dominant player on social media

Most businesses really don’t know what they are looking for when it comes to social media and this may affect their decision-making process. Nearly everyone I speak to tells me that they want more followers on Instagram and more likes on Facebook. This is not really how social media works. What we need to do is define the type of results you are looking for; whether they are more traffic to your website, more consumer engagement or higher conversion rates? All of these variables need to be considered before starting any type of social media campaign and these are the types of questions that they should be asking you.

If all they promise is 1000’s of extra ‘likes’ then this is again a bad sign. You can have all the ‘likes’ in the world but does it translate into extra sales or revenue?

In summation, here is a snapshot of traits you should be looking for with your social media agency:

• Be able to come up with platforms in the initial meeting with some great ideas
• Clear articulate strategy. No fluffing around or getting back to you later with answers. An experienced team and not someone operating from home or a serviced office. Reliability is key here. Freelancers are dangerous as they can decide to drop your account or go missing in action leaving you exposed – unless they can show you past work and prove their ability. They may be worth a try but never sign lengthy contracts.
• Precise scheduling of content, even over holiday periods like Xmas. This is critical as you need to seem to be active during these times.
• Know your market and what they are looking for and what they want
• Great reporting system with structured reporting on a monthly basis
• Longevity in the industry with a really good record of previous successes
• An accountable team that treats your business with respect and not just as a number.

Following are some great tips on how to get the most out of Facebook and the best part of it it’s free.

Facebook currently has 2.9 billion monthly active users according to Backlinko, so if your business is not taking advantage of this then it is losing out. Let’s break that down even further to a mind-blowing statistic that nearly 40% of the world’s total population uses Facebook every month. Its take-up is so vast and so saturated that it dwarfs all over social media platforms.

Love Your Product

Make sure that every product you have is on you when you are taking a photo. This may be hard but it’s a great way to promote yourself. People will see this and if they like the product they will start to engage with you more and more. Even better, they will start recommending this to their friends. This is the viral effect of Facebook and the associated social media marketing effect as if it takes off it can be very rewarding. So if you are passionate about your brand and are seriously promoting it, then others will follow.

Highlight your portfolio of work

This is great for tradies. Imagine you are a builder r architect and want to show off the latest home build or design Just snap away and upload it to Facebook. Even service-related industries can showcase what they offer: accountants, lawyers etc. All you need to do is take a photo add some content and press publish. It’s as simple as that. You just need a bit of imagination and some creativity and once you get the hang of it you will be relying on Facebook for new business.

Show you love your product with your customer base

You love surfing and you sell surf and ski related products. Make sure that on your next surf trip to you take your GoPro and get some really good pics to promote your products and brand whilst you are on holiday. It shows your product in action and your customers will absolutely love this. If you have Villas in Bali and are promoting these, make sure you take many snaps of yourself, your friends having a great time and then pop them immediately on Facebook. It works wonders and will have an immediate effect. People are visual, so the more creative you can be the better the results. The surfing community is huge with this type of promotion. For that matter, so is the ski, car racing, football, basically, any type of sport and recreation business is huge on Facebook.

Invest in a decent digital camera

Facebook requires that you publish good quality images and for this reason, I recommend getting a good quality phone with an inbuilt camera ( let’s face it, most people have one). To take it to the next level and really blow people out of the water, get a Go-Pro and start publishing videos. You will see the difference very quickly.

Don’t oversell

Facebook really wants you to post interesting stories. It’s a platform to engage your customer base with stories that are interesting. Try not to be too pushy or sell too hard in your posts all the time. They have space for this in the ads section.

Take your time, don’t rush

A lot of people think that if they post something every 5 minutes it will help their business. WRONG! It will just dilute your brand. The idea is to post an interesting article or story that’s worthwhile reading. Let people digest this information and then once you see the number of likes, you can then publish another. If you drown them with too much information they will just turn away. Keep them wanting more. That’s the best way to tackle Facebook.

Be bold

If you are the type of personality that is somewhat larger than life, then takes heaps of pics with you and your brand and post them. Make people a little envious of your extravagant lifestyle. Make them wish they were you and subtly promote your brand or product simultaneously. It’s a very clever way to get your business noticed. Make the posts more about you rather than the product. Sell the dream and the sales will follow. Think of the high flyers out there. It’s their personality that sells the product. Why do you think so many people want the Kardashians to represent their product? Of course, you don’t have that kind of profile, but if you are a personality push it on Facebook.

Is your business sponsoring anything?

Sponsoring a local football team is a great way to get your brand out there. It’s cheap promotion and the photos you take over the weekend will all be liked by the parents who in turn will be endorsing your business.

Pay to boost your posts

Simply put, there are far too many stories on Facebook and it is becoming really cluttered online. Braking through can be too hard as Facebook will not show every post to your followers. They discriminate what they want to show based on a number of variables. Needless to say, only a percentage of what you put out there gets seen.

So, if you have a seriously good post or article you may like to spend some money to boost it. It can be as cheap as $5 and go up from there. And, the advantage of paid advertising on Facebook is that it’s immediate. That’s right! Got something to sell then you can be up there online in a matter of minutes once it gets approved. Plus, you can also filter the ads to make sure they don’t show up on URL’s you don’t want, saving you wasted clicks and unwanted eyes on your site. The Queensland Government has released an article titled benefits of Facebook for business which is worth a read.

Make sure you monitor how your free posts are going before you decide to spend. If you can see that 1 post is getting more likes than others, test the waters and boost it. See the results and go from there.

Overall, Facebook is just one marketing platform. For businesses looking to get customers online, there needs to be a wider net cast and this includes a complete digital marketing campaign. For this, I suggest getting in touch with us to see how we are able to get you more business from the online world.