Can Your Audience Hear You?

By: Kristen Paquet, Sr. Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

I read an article the other day written by a 19-year-old college student who provided some perspective on what social media platforms are used most by his generation. Although the column provided some good insight (for the younger generation, Facebook is out and Instagram is in) it also got me wondering if I was reaching the right audience with the social media accounts I manage.

I’ve long said that signing up for a particular social media outlet just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it will produce the results you’re looking for. You need to understand who the platform is reaching and if your audience is in line with that. But as with all things social media, the audience you thought you were reaching can change fast.

The article’s author says that although many people his age have Facebook accounts, they don’t really engage anymore, outside of maybe checking in with a group. This speaks to another important point to remember. Just because you have 1,000 likes on your page doesn’t necessarily mean it’s successful. The question you should be asking is what are those 1,000 people saying? If they are engaged, asking questions and sharing information, great. You have a pretty healthy community. If not, you might want to be sure the platform you’re on and the audience you want to reach match. 

Just as I encourage clients using a social media management tool like Hootsuite to go and look at their actual social media accounts every now and again (just to make sure the layout hasn’t changed or to refresh photos, etc.), I’ll also be suggesting conducting quick online research once or twice a year to make sure that the platforms they are on are still reaching their audience. It’s a good practice to get into!

What do you do to make sure you are connecting with your audience on social media? Have you ever changed or added new accounts because your audience changed?