Social media marketing can feel like a digital adventure for businesses. It’s not just about reaching people – it’s about making friends, telling your story and shining online. According to Statcounter, Facebook has the largest market share of social media usage in Jamaica, followed by Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter)1.
One of the more common questions that social media agencies in Jamaica have to address with clients, is ‘Which social platform is the right one to target’. To answer those questions, let’s start by understanding the options:
The Social Lineup: Social Media Platforms in 2023
Think of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube as different instruments in your online band. How can you use each one to create a fantastic performance?
Facebook: Making Friends in the Digital World
Facebook is where you build friendships i.e., relationships with your customers. Make a cool and engaging business page, share interesting things, and use ads to reach more people.
Remember, you should not only talk about your product or service on social platforms. For example, if you sell running shoes online, talk about the best runners in the world and the shoes they use. This way people come to your page because they enjoy the content and are not constantly being bombarded with sales messaging.
X (formerly known as Twitter): Chatting in Real Time
Twitter is like a real-time chat. Make a short and sweet bio, share updates regularly, and join conversations about your business or topics related to your business.
Continuing with the example above, live tweeting during the athletic events at the Olympics would be an excellent way for a running shoe company to engage with its audience. If you have a restaurant, join conversations around popular food-related shows such as master chef, etc.
Instagram: A picture is worth a thousand words
Instagram is all about pictures. Share cool photos, use hashtags, and talk with your followers. It’s a chance to build a distinct aesthetic and visual language for your brand.
You don’t need to complicate things too much, start by simply picking out a colour template and font family for your brand. Simply using these when you are posting on Instagram will allow your audience to visualize a clear identity for your company.
Today, when we think of Coca-Cola, we immediately think red, happy, friends and family. When we think of the iPhone, we think of white, high-quality images and clean interfaces. This is because these brands have maintained their visual identity in their messaging, including on social platforms. An experienced social media marketing agency can help you create brand guidelines for your business, for a clear and distinct brand positioning and identity creation.
LinkedIn: Making business connections
LinkedIn is for business connections. Make a good profile, share interesting stuff, and connect with potential customers. This is an excellent platform for B2B organizations to generate quality leads and understand their customers’ problems.
LinkedIn is also a powerful tool to support your HR functions of recruitment and retention. You can share stories about your employees as a form of recognition and appreciation. An active LinkedIn page builds credibility with potential candidates. It has become a habit for people to check platforms like LinkedIn and Glassdoor before making the decision to join an organization.
TikTok: Quick, creative, young and fun
TikTok is for short, fun videos. Make creative videos, join challenges, and have fun with your followers. Remember TikTok is not the place for overproduced content. It’s about making relatable connections with your audience and being fun and engaging.
A good way to get started is to pay attention to trending TikToks and audio. Simply using the latest audio will help your business get higher visibility. If you can play this with funny content, you’ll almost certainly find success.
Find out how to use social media and web design to create an effective online presence.
YouTube: Lights, camera, action!
If you like well-produced long-form content, YouTube is the platform for you. This is where you share content like your brand’s movie. Make good videos, use words that people search for and re-share them on other social media platforms.
YouTube live and YouTube shorts are also powerful tools that the YouTube platform provides. Make sure you are sharing content for these services as well.
Selecting the right platforms for your business is closely tied to your online goals. Talk to your social media marketing agency about what you want to accomplish with your social media presence so that they can guide you on choosing the right platform mix.
Toucan is an online marketing agency in Jamaica that specializes in digital marketing. Contact us if you need support with your social media, website or simply need guidance on how to get started.
Sources:
- Sep 23, “Social Media Stats Jamaica”, Statcounter, [available online], available form: https://gs.statcounter.com/social-media-stats/all/jamaica, [accessed Oct 2023]