Marketing Best Practices for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

Marketing Best Practices for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

Over the past month, we discussed key marketing strategies for new e-commerce entrepreneurs. Once you have established email marketing and paid advertising, the next step to build a well-rounded marketing strategy is social media

Social media marketing has become one of the most popular ways for businesses to build brand awareness and increase their customer base. As its name suggests, social media is all about being social - the goal is to create and share content that makes your target audience want to engage with you. This way, you can build a relationship with them in return. 

We truly believe that you don’t have to post everyday to see results. You don’t even need to be on every social media platform or have a huge following! The best way to be successful on social media is to be strategic. Today, we provide an overview of the key demographics who use three of the biggest platforms out there - Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Know Thy Customer 

You need to develop a crystal clear sense of your ideal customer in order to be strategic on social media. We like to think about this person as the client you want to replicate. This might mean the person that spends the most money at your business. More likely, we’re looking at the person whose values align with your ultimate “why.” 

As Oberlo notes, 

Understanding social media demographics will help you determine which platforms make the most sense for your brand to utilize. This way you’ll be sure that you’re not spending time creating content for a platform where your audience doesn’t have a presence.

Paint a picture of your ideal customer. What is their name? How old are they? Where do they live? What gender are they? What are their hobbies and interests? What do they do for work? It is much easier to attract your dream client if you have a clear picture of who they are. The more specific you are, the more likely you will reach them with your social media.

Facebook 

Since launching in 2004, Facebook platform has grown to over 2.45 billion monthly active users with 1.73 billion people logging in daily. That’s right, nearly 20% of the world’s population logs into Facebook every single day

On average, users spend approximately 58.5 minutes on Facebook per day and log in multiple times. Whether riding public transit, picking up groceries, or waiting for takeout to arrive, it’s hard to deny the huge influence that Facebook has on our lives.

Facebook Pages are a great way to get started with the platform. You can connect your Facebook profile to your page so your connections can see your business. People can review your business, ask questions using Messenger, and even shop from your Facebook page. Having a Facebook Page also lets you access the Ads Manager for paid advertising, so it’s key for your marketing efforts.  

The question is, who exactly is using Facebook? Literally everyone. This makes Facebook a must-have platform for most business owners. The fastest growing age group to use Facebook is those 65 and up, also known as the “silent” generation. There is also strong usage from baby boomers, or those in the 50-64 age category. If your product or service appeals to older adults, you’ll want to focus your time and effort on Facebook. 

That said, young adults, or those between ages 24 and 35, still use Facebook more than any other social media platform. They primarily use it for social interaction with others their age. 

When it comes to country of origin, the North American market only makes up 10% of total users. This is compared with the Asian-Pacific market which boasts 41% of users. That said, almost half of Facebook’s ad revenue for the entire world comes from the North American market. What does this mean for businesses? Those that serve international audiences will have less competition than those competing for ad space in North America. 

Instagram 

The original photo-sharing app turns 10 this year. Instagram has also evolved into the second-most logged into social media platform on a daily basis behind Facebook. Users spend an average of 53 minutes per day on the app and it’s an integral part of daily life for many users. 

Instagram provides income for millions of businesses, creators, and influencers. It’s reported that 71% of U.S. businesses use Instagram. Even more, 72% of Instagram users have reported that they make buying decisions based on what they see in the app. This means that every time you post about your business, you’re encouraging people to buy from you.

Setting up an Instagram Business profile has numerous benefits. You can add your business contact information, such as your phone number and address. A Business profile also gives you access to analytics which provide more detail about post performance and whether or not you’re reaching your target audience.  

If your target demographic is anyone between the ages of 18 and 34, Instagram is the place for you. This is because 71% of Instagram users are under the age of 35. The gender split is pretty even too, with just slightly more women using Instagram than men. The gender split is also even for the next largest demographic, which is adults between the ages of 35-44 years old. They make up about 17% of Instagram’s user base. 

People above the age of 45 tend to be harder to reach on Instagram and Facebook is definitely the preferred option for this demographic. The app is also less popular for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 who favour platforms like Snapchat and Tik Tok. 

The highest concentration of Instagram users is in the U.S. at 110 million users. This means that approximately 89% of Instagram’s global users live outside of the U.S. It’s expected that the international user market will surpass the U.S. user base in the next few years. So, similar to Facebook, this means there’s plenty of opportunities for international brands to market to their consumers. 

YouTube 

YouTube is a bit of an anomaly. Does it count as social media? Is it a video platform? Is it a search engine? Technically it’s all of these things. We discuss it today because of the growing number of businesses marketing on YouTube.

Founded in 2005, YouTube became widely popular as an easy way to create, upload, and share video content. It boasts 2 billion monthly active users, coming in right behind Facebook. Even though users spend an average of only 11.5 minutes per day on the platform, 90% of U.S. adults between 18-44 years old have accessed it at least once in their lives. Further, 79% of internet users in the U.S. have an account. No wonder it’s the second most popular website behind Google!

YouTube has slowly morphed into a business marketplace. It's reported that 62% of U.S. businesses post videos on YouTube to communicate with existing customers, reach potential customers, and receive audience feedback. 

It turns out that U.S. adults use YouTube more than Facebook and Instagram; 81% of users are between the ages of 15-25 years old. However, it’s not just a platform for the younger generation. 51% of those over 75 use YouTube as well. 

In the U.S., YouTube is the second most popular digital video platform for those between the ages of 18-24. It’s more popular than all of the cable TV networks combined. Though users mostly access YouTube through mobile phones, there’s a growing number of people who are connecting it to TV screens. In fact, users in India far prefer YouTube over Netflix when watching on larger screens. 

15% of YouTube’s traffic comes from the U.S., making it YouTube’s largest market. That said, only 33% of YouTube’s most popular videos are in English. The platform operates in 91 different countries and 80 different languages, making it clear that appealing to international audiences is an important part of marketing on the platform. 

In Conclusion 

Knowing your audience will help you make strategic decisions about which social media platforms you should start using. The more demographic information you gather, the better! Once you know which platform(s) your audience spends their time on, you can begin creating content that targets them. 

If you have any questions about how to build a social media marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We're here to help. 
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