by By Maya Valverde
In a world where there are so many social media platforms, there seem to be four key players: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest. More than likely, your brand is going to exist on one of these platforms, and there are a few things to consider when picking which one(s).
Identify Your Audience
The first step to picking the right platform for your brand is knowing who your audience is and how you plan to reach them. For example, if your audience is Gen Z, then you’re probably looking at TikTok or Instagram. 89% of Gen Z says they’re on Instagram, and 82% are on TikTok. Gen Z is all over Instagram, and it’s one of the easiest ways you can reach them.
What Type of Content Do You Want to Post?
Are you looking to post short-form videos, potentially long-form videos, or are you thinking a mix of image carousels and quick videos? Knowing this is key because each of the four platforms is different.
You have Instagram, where you can post single images, carousels, or short Reel videos. Then you have TikTok, where it’s primarily a mix of short and long-form videos. But both of those differ from platforms like Pinterest and YouTube because Pinterest is ideally for brainstorming and creating vision boards, and YouTube is for long-form video content with the potential of dipping into YouTube Shorts.
We know all of these platforms differ, so knowing what your brand is trying to accomplish and having a clear CTA will help you decide which platform is going to be best for your brand.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8UgU2Q1
What Is Your Brand’s Voice?
Knowing your brand’s voice and impact is key. Each platform is designed differently and can affect your brand in different ways. If you are looking for an informative, marketing, or professional style, then Instagram may be the place for you. If you are looking for something personal, witty, or trendy, then I would encourage you to move closer to TikTok. There is a place for a brand to exist on multiple platforms, but you have to identify those three things first.
Final Thoughts
Overall, knowing your brand’s voice, target audience, and style of content is key to choosing a successful social media platform. There’s a lot that goes into it, such as design and layout, but if you identify a strong answer to these three things, then you’re headed in the right direction.
Connect with me! LinkedIn: Maya Valverde
Hello Maya, this article was great. Content creators and companies struggle sometimes putting their content onto the right platform and it hurts the potential engagement and growth they could potentially be seeing. Understanding those differences is the difference between success and unknowingly stagnating yourself.
Hey Maya this was a very insightful article and I learned a lot about other forms of social media that I am not super familiar with. I never really got the gist of Pinterest and never thought of it as a platform that you were able to build a brand on.
Hey Maya this was a very insightful article and I learned a lot about other forms of social media that I am not super familiar with. I never really got the gist of Pinterest and never thought of it as a platform that you were able to build a brand on.
Hey Maya,
I think this is a very important topic to be thinking of when managing a brand. I love your point of how tones differ across different social media platforms. This reflects how I even use social media as I’m not expecting the same content from Twitter as I am from TikTok.
-Seth Thompson
Hey Maya,
I think this is a very important topic to be thinking of when managing a brand. I love your point of how tones differ across different social media platforms. This reflects how I even use social media as I’m not expecting the same content from Twitter as I am from TikTok.
Hi Maya! I really think knowing your target audience and their social media habits is crucial for a brand when launching social media accounts. Content needs to be tailored to each platform in order for consumers to want to engage with it. Also I agree that brands figuring out and owning their voice is very important!