Best Digital Marketing Channels That Work
Small business owners face numerous problems when growing their businesses. Entrepreneurs who are only starting often find themselves asking the following questions:
How do I reach my target audience?
How do I convert mere observers to loyal customers?
How do I stand out among my competitors?
This is where digital marketing comes into play. But how does it work exactly?
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is a cost-effective means of reaching your target audience and is an excellent alternative to traditional marketing approaches like broadcasting, print, or telemarketing. Digital marketing allows entrepreneurs to connect their small businesses with their target audience through building unique and hands-on relationships with the consumers. This can be achieved with the right strategies, platforms, and practices.
Although going digital has numerous perks for your business, it does take a lot of time, research, and skill to successfully build a good digital presence. There's also the fact that businesses that pursue digital marketing have to deal with much competition with brands who already have experience reaching their consumers through digital marketing.
But don't you worry, I'm here to help you navigate the digital landscape! In this blog, we'll be looking into the best digital marketing channels you need to use to grow your business.
Top Platforms for Small Business Growth
A common misconception when it comes to digital marketing is that you have to be uploading content everywhere. But I'm here to confirm that that is not the case. The trust is, it's the complete opposite.
When utilizing the digital space, you have to focus on growing your business on specific platforms or even one particular platform before branching out to different digital marketing channels.
Before entering the digital marketing scene, you first have to determine what type of audience you want to reach, what message you want to spread, and by what means you're willing to spread that message.
With that being said, let me help you determine what digital platform best suits your business goals and needs. In the next portion of this blog, I will be discussing top platforms that connect small businesses with their target audience.
Facebook is a platform that could triumph and replace the social media platforms that came before its time. It is now a social media networking site that is being used by billions of people all over the world.
It has approximately 2 billion active users monthly, making it a suitable platform for digital marketing efforts. There is a high tendency for your niche to be active on Facebook.
Users often browse through Facebook to socialize with friends and family. The platform's algorithm relies heavily on the user's existing network and the likes and interests they make public.
Facebook also offers numerous tools that assist small and big businesses in reaching their target audiences, such as paid post promotions, professional pages and tools, and native advertising.
Instagram is a photo-sharing platform that allows all kinds of businesses to grow and prosper. The platform relies majorly on visual imagery with multiple avenues for sharing, such as posts, stories, and IGTV reels.
It has 1 billion monthly active users, which is a generally broad reach. However, in comparison to Facebook, it has a much younger demographic. This is why brands often conduct influencer marketing through Instagram.
An advantage of using Instagram is that the platform is under the Facebook company, streamlining processes such as advertisement and professional page setup as the changes reflect the two platforms.
Individuals browsing on Instagram will often utilize the platform to share quick updates about their lives and keep an eye on what's going on in other people's lives, including their personal network of friends and family members. However, unlike Facebook, Instagram is often used to view celebrities, influencers, and even brand updates. It is a platform that thrives off of lifestyle-related content.
TikTok
TikTok is the newest addition to the list of fast-advancing social media platforms globally that focuses on relationship building and niche targeting.
It has over 600 million monthly active users. Besides this, there are 2 billion TikTok downloads every day and over 1 billion video views per day. This is another social media platform, like Instagram, that appeals mainly to younger generations.
While YouTube is still one of the most popular video platforms, TikTok has proven to be a unique platform that small businesses utilize to reach and extend their niche. TikTok happens to have a mix of popularly favored features from both Instagram and Youtube, which are the minimal profile feed (from Instagram) and the video timeline (from Facebook).
What makes TikTok so popular is its large variety of creators. Because the app's features are so simple, users have gotten creative and turned the platform into something that has provided a unique experience for everyone. Many people visit the platform to pass time and find themselves watching content they enjoy, whether it be about basic facts, simple hacks, life updates, personal testimonies, unbelievable experiences, or even about politics. TikTok has it all.
Pinterest is a great platform that allows businesses to showcase their products and provide inspirational photos and blogs. However, it does not have as big of a reach as compared to the platforms mentioned above. Specifically, it has a reach of over 400 million active users. This should not come as a disadvantage, considering that Pinterest is still a top-performing social media and image-sharing platform.
The primary users of the platform consist of females and individuals from 18 to 64 years old. The statistics show that this platform is a hit for older generations, with 38% of its users or its highest percentage of users are those under the 50-64 age bracket.
The primary purpose of Pinterest for its users can be found in its name, "Pin." Users pin projects they aspire to work on or purchases they want to make. It is a platform where people share and compile inspiring projects.
Now that you know which social media platforms are best for specific age groups and topics of interest, we hope you feel more confident in beginning your digital marketing strategy. With this newfound knowledge in mind, ask yourself the following questions:
Who is my target audience?
Asking yourself this question will allow you to eliminate the platforms that do not exclusively or effectively target your ideal customers. It will also allow you to choose the best platform to reach them.
What types of content will I upload?
This question will help you determine what platform your content is most likely to perform well in. If you're planning to post many blogs to help promote your product, Facebook and Pinterest may be your best picks considering that older generations find value in text-heavy documents, while younger generations are fond of visual media.
Digital marketing has its ups and downs. As we see it, there are more pros than there are cons. You need to choose the best platform that will best spread your brand's message (and to the right people), then stay consistent with your digital marketing efforts.
Here at BC Creatives, we have a team of experts with years of experience in the world of digital marketing. So if you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the list of things you need to do to maximize your digital marketing platforms, know we're going to be here to lend you a helping hand.
