Many business owners, especially small ones, constantly wonder why they should be on specific social media networks or digital platforms. They question which networks are ideal, if their target market is actually there, how to reach them, and what to do when they have different targets to address. They wonder if there is a network they should pay more attention to than others and what the most effective strategies are to start making an impact with minimal effort.
First, let’s discuss the users of different platforms and social networks. Today, there are platforms for all kinds of audiences. It’s not just the young; grandparents and older adults are increasingly attracted to interactive formats and the valuable or entertaining information they find there. The key is understanding which platform each group is on and what content and formats they prefer.
Key Data on Social Media
TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram are popular among a younger audience, while Facebook and LinkedIn are frequented more by older users and professionals. This variety allows brands to choose the right platforms based on the demographic they want to reach. However, digital content platforms like YouTube should not be overlooked, as they are also widely used, particularly for educational content.
The development of different digital formats on each platform invites diverse user interests. Additionally, because these spaces are borderless by nature, brands can reach audiences from various countries and cultures, especially when considering expansion or reaching other cities that might not be accessible through physical offices.
According to data from various sources like Data Reportal, Facebook and Instagram dominate in Latin America and Europe among users aged 18 to 34, with an average daily usage time of 36 and 37 minutes, respectively, in Latin America and slightly lower in Europe. However, TikTok stands out among young people aged 18 to 24, especially in the United States and Latin America, where daily usage reaches 56 and 60 minutes, respectively. On the other hand, LinkedIn is predominantly used by professionals aged 25 to 44 in Europe and the United States, with an average daily use of 17 minutes. This highlights its role as its role as a professional networking platform.
With this knowledge, we can target each user group based on age and interest. Additionally, we must recognize that these digital spaces tremendously influence users’ purchase decisions and whether they fall in love with a company or product. According to a study by PWC, 57% of consumers say social media influences their purchases, and according to the Global Web Index, 54% use it to research products. With this data, we should seize this tremendous opportunity to start attracting more users to our products.
What Does Target Market Mean?
What do we mean by this term, and how can we know what ours is?
This term refers to a customer group categorized into sets of people with similar characteristics who are more likely to be interested in a company’s products or services. It is also known as a “buyer persona.”
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, based on data and research, defining their characteristics, behaviors, motivations, and needs to guide marketing and sales strategies.
Understanding this is crucial to allowing companies to determine how to reach and connect with potential customers based on their motivation, pain points, location, occupation, income, education, and communication preferences.
With all this information, companies can determine communication and marketing strategies. With this clear, we should start discovering where our target is. Here are some strategies to identify your target market in the digital world:
Strategies to Discover Your Target Market
If you are starting on the path to discovering your target market, there are many strategies you can apply from a professional or empirical perspective if you don’t have professional tools. Here are a few we recommend:
Google Search
Use the search engine strategically to discover keywords and questions that users search on Google related to your services or products. Enter general terms associated with your business and observe the automatic suggestions that appear; these reflect common searches and can give you ideas for relevant keywords. Then, review the “Related Questions” or “People Also Ask” section, which shows frequent questions on the topic. These questions are valuable for understanding your audience’s needs and curiosities and can help you create content that directly answers those queries, improving your visibility and relevance in search results.
Facebook or LinkedIn Groups
Having defined your target’s concerns, you can identify the topics they are interested in. Therefore, we first recommend searching for groups or posts on Facebook or LinkedIn by typing search terms or occupation groups they might be in. You’ll be surprised by the number of professional groups or related topics you’ll find. Join the groups and read the types of posts, questions, and comments. These will give you an idea of what they are discussing and help you determine if this network is enjoyable for your business.
Search by Hashtags
When you enter each social network, whether Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter), typing a word into the search bar will start revealing proper hashtags that might be used to mention your company’s services, interests, or concerns. On X, for example, chains are created around hashtags. TikTok, in turn, shows trends related to these topics and might show competitors discussing them or even potential users. TikTok has a powerful search feature that provides related topics and more ideas on what users discuss.
Google Keyword Planner
This is a well-known tool for identifying trends and structuring advertising campaigns. In this case, use it to input words you think interest your audience or to enter your website or a competitor’s. The platform will then provide ideas on how people are searching for you. It can also offer ideas for questions people search for. You can also look up related videos on YouTube to understand users’ concerns and interests. These ideas will help you address your audience’s questions in your digital strategy.
Semrush
Although its free version limits the number of searches, Semrush offers valuable tools in its paid version to help you better understand your target audience’s interests. Keywords Overview provides data on keyword search volume and difficulty, allowing you to identify the most interesting topics for your audience. The Keyword Magic Tool helps you discover variations and related terms, revealing additional areas of interest that might attract your users. Additionally, Domain Overview lets you analyze the traffic and keywords of your competitors, giving you a clear view of the topics and strategies that resonate in the market. These combined tools will give you a deeper understanding of what truly interests your audience.
How to Impact Your Target Step-by-Step
- Knowing the ages of users of each network, decide which networks to be on to impact them.
- Consider your ability to develop different digital formats; this will determine whether you should be on one network or another. Networks like TikTok and YouTube are 100% video, requiring more creativity and investment in development time. LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and Instagram attract users through varied formats, from images to videos.
- With knowledge of your potential users’ doubts and concerns, determine which categories of topics you want to address in your communication on digital platforms. Topic categories are sets of approaches and types of posts used to connect with the audience effectively, keeping the content varied and engaging. You should identify educational categories related to your services and your brand’s personality, targeting all different marketing funnels (upper funnel, mid-funnel, and lower funnel). Some categories might include offers, testimonials, behind-the-scenes, tips, or frequently asked questions.
- Based on this, organize your content plan to address each category and determine the formats for each digital platform.
Different Types of Content That Attract Users
Determining formats for each social network and user directly relates to your target. Generation Z and Millennials are more likely to consume and share short, visually appealing content, such as videos, memes, and stories, which provide quick and immersive experiences (Global Web Index). In contrast, older individuals prefer interacting with informative and long-form content, such as articles and practical guides that offer more in-depth analysis (Pew Research Center).
According to the latest HubSpot study for 2024, short-form video is currently the most engaging and impactful format on social media, and marketers are prioritizing investment in this area. 33% of marketers indicated plans to invest primarily in short-form videos, such as Instagram Reels and TikTok, three times more than the next most popular format, long-form video.
It is also important to note that images remain an attractive and easy-to-produce format. According to the same study, 47% of marketers confirm that this format works very well across all media, making it one of the most straightforward approaches to achieve, especially when using templates designed to simplify the process.
However, remember that authenticity is also attractive. You can develop closer and quicker formats, such as live videos, which gained significant reach, especially after the pandemic. Stories that last only 24 hours create a sense of urgency for followers to view.
What’s Your Next Step?
Consider hiring an agency to develop your social media strategy. This can offer several advantages to business owners starting in the digital world. One of the main advantages is access to experts with experience in creating compelling content, managing platforms, and executing digital marketing strategies. Agency professionals are up-to-date with the latest trends, algorithms, and best practices, which can save the business owner time and effort by avoiding common mistakes. Additionally, agencies can provide objective, data-driven insights to optimize campaigns and improve return on investment.
Hiring a digital marketing agency can be a valuable investment for businesses that want to build a strong social media presence and maximize their impact on their target market.
Developing your digital strategy without hiring an agency can also offer some advantages. By building and training an in-house team, you ensure that your staff gains valuable skills for the future, which can be an investment in your company’s long-term growth. Additionally, having your team directly involved in content creation means you can produce authentic and engaging material, such as live videos and behind-the-scenes content from your office. This closer connection with your team can help present a more humanized and relatable image of your services.
Moreover, the availability of tools like Canva and various AI-powered resources makes creating high-quality, realistic images easier without incurring high costs. These tools empower you to generate creative assets efficiently and affordably. With a wealth of accessible technology at your disposal, you can manage and enhance your digital presence effectively while keeping expenses low, especially in the early stages of your business.
Other AI-powered tools include Adobe Spark, allowing you to intuitively design graphics, videos, and web pages with professional results. Crello is another tool similar to Canva, offering a wide range of templates and graphic elements to customize your content. Lumen5 automatically converts articles and text into engaging videos, making it ideal for quickly generating visual content. Runway provides advanced video editing tools with AI, streamlining video creation and editing. Jasper (formerly Jarvis) is an AI-assisted writing tool that helps generate creative and persuasive texts swiftly. Utilizing these tools will enable you to produce high-quality content economically and effectively while maintaining the authenticity and relevance of your brand.
In Summary
- Get to Know Each Buyer Persona: To effectively guide your strategy, define your buyer persona in detail.
- Consider Hiring Agencies: Obtain a detailed description of your buyer personas and the digital channels they use.
- Analyze Your Competitors: Observe what type of content they publish and which posts generate the most interaction.
- Stay Informed: Keep up with attractive topics and leverage breaking news to generate interactions.
- Evaluate Your Strategy Periodically: Review and adjust your approach at least every 3 months to ensure continuous improvement.
