Social Media Strategy: Choose Your Audience First

Written By: Shannon Briggs

When talking social media strategy with new clients, many questions come up during our initial conversations. I usually get at least one of the following:

• What social media sites should we be on?

• What should we be posting on social media?

• How should we interact with the people who follow us?

The response to all of these questions is the same: Who is your audience? 

The people you target on social media will determine the rest of your strategy. It always starts with the audience. Once you define your target audience for social media, the rest of the questions will fall into place.

What social media sites should you choose?

For the most effective marketing, spend your time on the platforms that your target market already utilizes. For example, if your target audience is Gen Z, then you’ll want to focus more attention on Instagram and Tik Tok and less on Twitter, since that is where that particular group spends more time. 

What should you post?

Think about content that will appeal to your target. If your audience is a network of business professionals, perhaps creating blog pieces would demonstrate your thought leadership in certain arenas, or linking to existing articles would spark conversation in your sector.

How should you interact with your followers?

Your brand voice should reflect your target audience. You want to be relatable to the people whose attention you want. Does your target audience shun emojis? Then your brand shouldn’t use them either. Does your target audience use specific slang? You should incorporate that as well. Is your target audience a more casual group of people? Let that show in how you communicate with them.

In the end, if you want to accomplish your goals on social media, you need to appeal to your audience. Defining who that demographic is will help answer the rest of your strategy questions.