Understanding audience intent on social media

Suppose you do everything right when creating social media content, but you still aren’t getting the engagement you thought you would. It’s probably because the content isn’t intended for the audience on that particular platform.  

Each group of users on each social media platform has a purpose for being there. When your content doesn’t support them carrying out that purpose, they’re not likely to engage with it. Ultimately, the success of your social media marketing campaign is reliant on you crafting content specific to each platform and its users. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore leading social media platforms and:

• What their primary audience’s intent is while using them
• How to tailor your company’s content marketing strategy for various social media platforms

Understanding various audiences’ intentions 

Social media platforms are generally used for connection, entertainment, education, and, if available, making a purchase. But people log onto each platform with a specific objective in mind.  

For instance, Facebook started as a way to stay connected to friends and share updates on our lives. It has since evolved into one of the most comprehensive social media platforms. People now use Facebook to build their brands with a business page, get their daily dose of news, live stream, and make purchases in the marketplace. 

Twitter is more for community development, research, and bringing awareness to various movements, influencers, trending topics, world events, and so forth. You can’t buy directly from this platform, but it’s a goldmine for people who want to learn more about a business and its brand before moving on in the buyer’s journey. 

The audience on Instagram is mainly there for entertainment. Although the platform is pushing to make it so users don’t have to leave the platform to participate in online shopping, it’s most famous for the sea of interactive, engaging content you can sift through at will.  

TikTok is the newest social media craze. Users aren’t just there for the entertaining dance videos, but they’re also there for tips, tricks, and guidance on various life experiences. People who engage on TikTok want to do something, whether it’s growing their influence, trying something new, or learning something they haven’t explored yet. 

Ultimately, people have a different intent when they log onto each platform, and it’s in your best interest to know what it is so that you can create content that caters to it. 

Now that you have a bit more knowledge about audience intent on some of the main social media platforms, it’s time to ensure you’re getting the most out of your social media platforms. 

How to tailor your social media content strategy

Here’s how you can create content with audience intent at the forefront for your social media profiles: 

Understand the benefits of community engagement 

Community engagement is one of the best ways to support more innovation in small businesses and big brands. When you engage with your community often and actually listen to what they say, you can be confidently rather than blindly creative and inventive.   

Social media allows for seamless community engagement because it is easy to interact with, understand, and meet the needs of people.

Next, study your target audience and leverage market research. 

Study your target audience and leverage market research 

You should leverage market research and closely study your target audience, especially about their social media activity, interests, and intent. 

Conducting market research can help you better understand your audience, develop a strategy for your social media marketing on each platform, then execute that strategy using the most productive tactics.

After conducting market research, create a detailed content strategy for each platform. 

Create a detailed content strategy for each platform 

Here’s some questions to help prepare your content strategy:

• What do you want the content on each platform to do for your business and your target audience?
• What action do you want them to take?
• What business goal will the content on each social media platform help you achieve?
• What kind of content will you create?
• What’s your publishing schedule on each platform?

Answering questions like these can help you create a detailed strategy for your social media content on the platforms you choose. 

Once your content strategy is in place, take your time creating content. 

Spend ample time creating content 

Plan to spend as much time as possible creating quality content. You should know the intent of your unique target audience on each social media platform by this time. Be sure that each piece of content you create is tailored to not just what your audience needs, wants, and hopes to overcome but also their specific purpose for being on that platform. 

Lastly, track the performance of your content on social media. 

Track each platform’s performance 

Be sure to track the performance of each piece of content on your social media. Most social media platforms have built-in analytics tools you can use to see how people are engaging with your content. In addition, you’ll probably want to implement a third-party social media analytics tool. Use this control over the who, what, when, where, and why of what you track. 

Ultimately, when you track the performance of your content on each social media platform, you can replicate what’s working, adjust what isn’t, and optimize your social media marketing efforts. 

Conclusion 

Understanding the audience intent on different social media platforms is crucial to ensure you’re getting the most out of your chosen platforms. Leveraging social media effectively is also vital to your overall online marketing success. Utilize these tips to ensure you’re putting audience intent at the forefront of your social media content marketing strategy.