Sending the Right Message to your Audience using Social Media

Unless you’re 100% confident you know what you’re doing with Social Media then you need a helping hand. Keep in mind that not every platform is right for every business, and you need to use your resources wisely. By focusing your marketing efforts on the platforms your primary audience use, and making sure that your messages resonate with your audience, then your social media campaigns will be a winner.

Understand your platform

This point is two-fold. The first is from a practical standpoint - you need to understand how posts appear on the platform.

Each social media network presents and distributes content differently, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach. A post created for LinkedIn may need a different format, message or call to action when adapted for Instagram, Facebook or another platform. Consider the features available on each platform:

• Hashtags can help categorise content, although their value and use vary between platforms.

• Tagging relevant people or organisations can increase visibility and encourage interaction.

• Links may generate a preview containing an image, title and description, depending on the platform and how the webpage has been configured.

• Formats such as Stories, short-form videos, carousels and polls provide different ways to engage an audience.

The second point is to understand how your audience uses each platform. The same person may use LinkedIn professionally, Instagram for inspiration and Facebook to interact with local groups. Consider not only where your target audience is present, but also what they expect from the platform and which content formats are most likely to interest them.

Know your audience

You need to both know and understand your target audience. Sounds like a given, I know, but it’s surprising how many businesses don’t give it enough thought. If you’re a local business, then your audience should be from the local area. Make your posts resonate with these users by calling out local areas in the content of your posts.

Look closely at the characteristics that genuinely influence someone’s interest in your product or service. These might include their location, age, interests, job role or previous interactions with your business. Social media advertising platforms provide targeting options that can help you reach selected groups rather than presenting every message to the same broad audience.

For businesses working on audience targeting in Doncaster, location can provide a useful starting point, but geography alone will not make a campaign relevant. The message, offer and creative content should also reflect the needs and interests of the people you want to reach.

Post at the right time

Use each platform’s analytics and insight tools to understand when your own audience is most active. General recommendations can provide a starting point, but the most effective posting times will depend on the platform, audience and type of content being shared.

Test different days and times, then compare reach, engagement, clicks and other relevant results. This will help you develop a posting schedule based on the behaviour of your audience rather than relying solely on general assumptions.

Reach the right people with the right message

Effective audience targeting brings together the right platform, audience, message and timing. Reviewing performance regularly can help you understand which combinations attract attention and encourage meaningful action.

If you need support with audience targeting in Doncaster, Moirae can help you identify your priority audiences and develop social media campaigns shaped around their interests and behaviour.