Which Social Media Platform is Best for Your Business?
There are hundreds of social media platforms out there, and absolutely no time for us solopreneurs and small business owners to keep up with it all. So we stick to the big names in our regions, but even then that means 3 or more platforms you're trying to keep up with on top of managing your actual business! That's too much for any one person to handle alone, so if you aren't yet at a point of outsourcing social media to a manager or marketing team, you need to figure out which social media platform is best for your business.
Why is Social Media Important for Business?
So why does your business even need to be active on any social media platforms? Maybe you already have a strong referral network or are a brick and mortar business with successful foot traffic on your street. Does being on social media really matter for you?
Almost everyone uses one or more social media platforms every day, so even if you already have decent exposure through other means, neglecting to engage with social media is a missed opportunity for even more growth! In a report with the Harris Poll, Sprout Social surveyed both consumers and business executives to see how much social media actually matters. They found that over half of consumers discover new brands via social media! That means half of your potential market is waiting for you on the right platform, and you might not have met them yet if you're not showing up there!
As far as successful business executives go, 91% anticipate a growth in their social media marketing budget over the next few years, recognizing social as a vital source of business intelligence and connecting with their target market.
Long story short, social media is where your audience is and, in most cases, you don't need to spend a ton on ads to reach them. You just need to know where your unique, ideal customer is most likely to show up!
Which Social Media Platform is the Most Popular?
Despite up and coming competitors like TikTok and YouTube, Facebook still remains the most popular social media platform (in terms of number of active users). But does this mean it's where you should be focusing your efforts? When it comes to social media ads, yes. Facebook ads are a very effective way to increase consideration and conversions with consumers. But organic growth on Facebook for brands isn't as effective as it once was unless your target market is highly engaged there.
Ultimately, it doesn't come down to choosing the most popular platform. It comes down to where your audience is spending the most time.
Which Social Media Platform is Best for Your Business
To help you decide which social media platform is best for marketing your unique business, I'll break down five of the most popular ones as well as their typical users and what kind of business I recommend them for. Because I would have to write a novel to cover all the social media platforms out there, I'm just focusing on five that are in the top 20 most popular and that I have seen client success with.
I'm excluding chat-focused apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Snapchat as although they're social media platforms, they're a completely different beast and I don't have the expertise to tell you how to leverage them for your business! So for our purposes, I'm diving into the big 5 of social media marketing in the United States: Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
If you have never heard of Facebook, you've probably lived your entire life off grid in a sketchy commune. Facebook has been around since 2004, making it legally an adult, but not quite old enough to drink. Facebook has excellent tools for businesses to promote themselves on the platform, and since you can post virtually any content form from video and short-lived Stories to static text or image posts, you can really create the experience you want with your brand on there.
Brands that do well on Facebook typically create really engaging content that gets a lot of conversations started in the comments section. Of course, it can be tricky to build up an initial audience, so many business owners user Facebook groups to network and invest in ads to reach more users.
Monthly Active Users: 2.9 billion
Most Common Demographic: 31+ years old, more male than female users, largely in India and the United States
Ideal For: E-Commerce, Entrepreneur networking
Popular Interests: Business and Industry, Entertainment, Family and Relationships
Facebook's sister platform, Instagram, is the fourth most popular platform globally, but for United States users it ranks second. Instagram is my personal favorite social media platform because it really is where my audience and colleagues spend their time!
Business accounts get really rich analytics, and it pairs well with Facebook to save you a lot of time and energy on growing a social media account. Plus pairing the two platforms gives you access to Business Suite for scheduling ease and managing comments, DMs, and responses.
Monthly Active Users: 2 billion
Most Common Demographic: 18-34 years old (Gen Z and Millennials), evenly male and female users, largely in India and the United States
Ideal For: Photographers, Coaches/Educators, Bloggers/Influencers
Popular Interests: Travel, Music, Food and Drink, Technology (especially in India)
Tiktok
Tiktok is seen as the Gen Z place to be and often feared by less tech-savvy parents. Tiktok ranks seventh globally among all social media platforms, which is pretty astounding considering it's only five years old!
Tiktok videos are typically between 15 seconds and 3 minutes in length, but they did start rolling out 10 minute videos earlier this year as well as Stories (which look just like other Tiktok videos in your feed, but don't stay on the creator's profile).
Tiktok is a great place to grow any business, and e-commerce brands tend to be very successful if they're willing to have fun with video content! Also, because it doesn't have the 13-year-old age restriction of Facebook and Instagram, you're more likely to be able to connect with younger Gen Z users on Tiktok than anywhere else on the web. However, very few users actually choose Tiktok as their favorite social media platform...just something to keep in mind.
Monthly Active Users: 1 billion
Most Common Demographic: 10-29 years old, more female than male, in the United States and Indonesia (no, not China. It's not available there!)
Ideal For: E-Commerce, Influencers
Popular Interests: Entertainment, Dance, Pranks
Pinterest rose to popularity when I was in college, so it will always hold a special place in my heart! This is the most unique social media platform of all the ones I'm diving into here, and is often described as being more like a search engine than actual social media.
Consumers love to search for ideas on Pinterest. It's where many people organize wishlists, recipes, DIYs, and other content they want to save for later. Users are way more likely to purchase products they've pinned, making this a great underused space for e-commerce brands - especially if you're in the right industry.
Here's an interesting note on demographics: although many consider Facebook to be home to older internet users, the largest user age group for Pinterest is 50-64 years old! So if you're looking to reach an older audience, this might be the right place for you! It's very visuals-heavy, so make sure your photos are stunning and graphics are on point!
Monthly Active Users: 444 million
Most Common Demographic: 30-64 years old, mostly female (77%), in the United States and Europe
Ideal For: Bloggers/Influencers, Photographers, e-Commerce
Common Interests: Fashion, Beauty, DIY, Home, Garden
This is probably the most niche-specific of any of the platforms I'm digging into, since it's a social media platform designed with a focus on careers and professional networking. This makes it a great place to grow your brand's authority within its industry and build B2B relationships.
LinkedIn posts are more commonly long-form content, falling somewhere between blogging and social media captions for length. It's a space to really showcase your expertise in your niche or industry.
Monthly Active Users: 250 million
Most Common Demographic: 36-55 years old, college educated professionals, largely male, in the United States, India, and China (I know! It's not blocked there!)
Ideal For: B2B, Businesses looking to establish themselves as thought leaders
Common Interests: Job search, career growth, networking
How May Social Media Platforms Should I Focus On?
Let me remind you, you do not need to show up on all five of these to be successful. In fact, unless you have a huge team and generous budget, I recommend sticking with one or two to really invest your time and resources in!
I offer social media strategy management or coaching for Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, so if you're looking to really invest in the future of your brand's online presence, contact me to learn more!
