With social media marketing on the rise, there’s little time to slack off. The competition is getting more aggressive as the markets become saturated. That’s when companies feel the urgent need to go for effective marketing strategies.

Research has proven that social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than any outbound marketing. And its effectiveness has been proven too. 24% of the companies who rated using social media experienced a direct increase in their business revenue. Just keeping this fact in mind, we can gauge the impact that social media marketing can have for your business. So if you are looking to hit the roof with your revenue figures, social media marketing is one of the best ways to go about it.

The dynamic capabilities of social media marketing can easily be harnessed and when businesses accomplish this they will be able to take their business to new heights of success. By spending just 6 hours a week for social media marketing, 66% of marketers enjoy enhanced lead generation benefits. Now that you know the difference that social media marketing can make for your business, the next step is to recognise which social media channel is the right fix for your business.

The fact of the matter is that even though social media marketing can prove to be the best marketing strategy, you need the right mix to make it work for you. If you want to reap the benefits, then it’s important that you have information about various social media marketing platforms. Each platform has its own relevance and your choice of the channel may differ based on your target audience, company type, resources and competitor activity.

Business Objectives

If you want to include social media marketing in the mix, there must be a reason behind it. The objective of making this strategy must be a particular goal that you wish to achieve for your business. The first step is to first identify the basic objective behind taking on this task. There can be a few things that might have inspired you to go this way.

For lead generation, you can use a multitude of social media networks. Here you’ll have to keep in mind the basic business model you have. LinkedIn is a greater lead generation tool if you have a B2B business model. Similarly, Facebook and Twitter can perform well when you have to connect directly with the customers. They are highly effective for B2C businesses and often enjoy a lower cost per click (CPC) than an AdWords campaign!

And if your objective is to increase your brand awareness, selecting well-established platforms with a large following would be the right way to do it. Facebook’s advertising platform, for example, has a great reputation for generating impressive ROI. As long as you have a clear objective in mind, you’d be able to select from the best social media websites for marketing.

Target Audience and Competitors

So before you decide on a social media channel, it’s important that you understand about your target audience. If you are looking to appeal to the younger generation Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are the best social media websites for marketing. But if your focus is professionals, then you might want to look into the opportunities that LinkedIn provides.

To make this step easier for you, most of the social media channels provide a breakdown of their target audience demographics. Using this data, you can easily judge which social media channel will benefit you the most.

The same goes when you are searching for the best way to beat your competitors. Keep an eye on the industry reports and surveys that can help you gauge the best social media websites for marketing. For example, online women are more likely to use Instagram than online men (31% vs. 24%). You can use such data for your benefit and grow your business the right way.

Your target market and competitors aren’t the only factors that can affect your choice of social media websites for marketing. You have to keep other factors in mind too.

Resources and Time

Take for example the resources that you have. If you are short on the budget, you won’t be able to take an aggressive market strategy for your business. The best solution would be to focus on the best social media websites that caters to your target audience and invest in that. And with limited time on your hands, you would never be able to deal with the demands of various social media marketing platform.

That’s why it’s better to have one or two channels that you can use effectively. You can post content on them regularly and use them effectively for lead generation.

Business Model

Take a look at your business model. If you are a B2B company, you’re better off with a social media platform that can help you connect with professionals. With LinkedIn presences, you can get your business the professional coverage it needs. In another scenario, if you are a B2C company, using a Facebook page will fare well with your business model.

So make sure you keep an eye on your resources, time allotted for media marketing and your business model. By finding the best mix for all these factors, you can come across the best social media platform that can help your business grow.

So are you ready to make use of the best social media websites for marketing? Follow the afore-mentioned tips today and reap the benefits of various social media marketing platforms!