1. Understand your business goals

The first step to choosing the right marketing platform for your business is knowing what you want to achieve with your marketing.

If you’re looking to raise awareness of your brand, you should look at platforms with a large audience reach, like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, to increase your visibility. 

If lead generation is your aim, you should focus on platforms like LinkedIn, Google Ads or Email Marketing which are great for capturing leads.

Pss, we have full article on Social media for business growth here if you’d like to know more on that

Or if you want sales conversions, Google Shopping, Amazon Ads or Facebook Ads can be very effective for driving sales.

When you’ve decided the main aim of your marketing, it’ll make it much easier to focus your marketing in a particular direction.

2. Know your target audience

Take some time to think about your ideal client: what age are they, what do they spend their time doing, and what are their interests?

When you’ve worked out this target audience, you can find out where your ideal customers spend their time and use this as your basis when choosing the right marketing platform.

What are the average user demographics of various platforms?

• • Instagram tends to attract a younger, visually orientated audience.
  • LinkedIn attracts professionals and B2B decision-makers.
  • Facebook has a broad audience ranging from younger adults to middle-aged and older users.
• TikTok’s users are largely Gen-Z and Millennial-aged.

Some platforms also have a stronger user base in specific regions or countries, or are grouped based upon interests, so you may consider matching your chosen platform with geography and/or interests as well – for example, Pinterest is great for content relating to DIY, whilst X (Twitter) thrives on real-time interactions and is used primarily by those in the UK, America, India and Japan.

3. Consider the type of content you’ll create

When choosing the right marketing platform for your business, it’s important to have a think about the form of content which each platform is suited to – and whether you plan to create that content.

If you plan to focus on images and videos, you’ll want to use a platform focused on visual content, such as Instagram, Pinterest, or YouTube.

Written content such as blogs and articles are better suited to LinkedIn, email marketing or your company’s website.

Or for interactive or short-form content, platforms like TikTok, Instagram reels and YouTube shorts are ideal for creating short, engaging videos.

Once you’ve understood the goals of your business marketing, defined your target audience, and decided the type of content you’re hoping to create, you’re well on the way to choosing the right marketing platform for your business.

But there are few more things to bear in mind too as you make your decisions about where to invest your marketing efforts:

• Assess your budget

Some platforms will involve a higher level of financial investment than others, so consider how much you’re willing to spend based on your business size and revenue. 

Organic social media growth through platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and SEO-led content, are great low budget options – but paid ads, either on these platforms or elsewhere, will offer more precise targeting.

• Consider your team

For many smaller business owners, I know that your ‘team’ may just be yourself!

But whether you work alone or alongside others, it’s a good idea to choose platforms that align with your business’s current technical skills.

Those with more experience of marketing and online analytics will be more comfortable using Facebook Ads manager and Google Ads, whilst Instagram and MailChimp are more user-friendly for those trying things out for the first time.

• Use diverse marketing strategies to drive engagement

Many businesses pour all their efforts into just one marketing strategy, but this can be detrimental, and lead to audience fatigue.

Focusing too much on one platform, especially on social media, can also lead to a dependence on algorithms which may suddenly change and leave your marketing stranded.

Whichever marketing strategy you invest in, being solely dependent on one of them will end up limiting the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

But investing in multiple strategies will widen your reach, improve your SEO, and increase your engagement – all of which can drive traffic to your website and lead to conversions.

So, there you have it: choosing the right marketing platform involves knowing your business goals, your target audience, and the sort of content you want to create.

Once you’ve spent some time working these things out, you’ll be well on the way to deciding where you should invest your marketing energy to make your business thrive.

But you also need to balance these considerations with any limitations posed by your budget and team – and be conscious that it’s best to invest in a few marketing strategies rather than just focusing on one.

Need help choosing the right marketing platform for your business? Ask Zoe!

If you’re excited about the idea of putting my tips into practice but not sure how to do it, or if you’ve read this blog and are now totally confused, don’t worry – help is at hand.

I’m Zoe, and I love working with business owners to help their businesses to grow.

My clients receive tailored support with their strategy and marketing to move their businesses forward and see growth.

Book a 15-minute discovery call today to chat to me about how we could work together, not just to help you with choosing the right marketing platform for your business but with seeing your whole business grow and bring results.