One of the first steps in being successful on social media as a business is picking the right platforms for you and your brand. Pick 2-3 channels and dominate in that space. Consider which platforms make the most sense based on your industry and audience.
Let's break down each social media platform, who's on there and what their behaviors are to determine which is the right fit for you.
It is getting harder to reach and grow audiences on Facebook organically, especially with Facebook's shift to vertical format videos. Facebook’s ad platform is the gold standard for social media ads if you’re interested in paid promotions. On a similar note, Facebook is a must-have for brick-and-mortar businesses looking to target local customers. Allowing for check-ins and reviews, it’s a prime place to grow a dedicated local following. Maybe consider Facebook Groups to allow for more community based marketing.
# of monthly active users: 2.93 billion
Largest age group: 25-34 (23.5%)
Gender: 43% female, 57% male
Time spent per day: 33 minutes
A major hub for brick-and-mortar businesses, E-commerce shops and influencers alike, the platform encourages brands to get creative. From eye-popping photos to clever captions, it’s all about finding unique ways to show off what you’re selling...right now that's REELS!
# of monthly active users: 1.47 billion
Largest age group: 25-34 (33.1%)
Gender: 57% female, 43% male
Average time spent per day: 29 minutes
Since 2020, LinkedIn began to shift to not only serve as a job board but and now looks more like Facebook for businesses. Although most business profiles primarily belong to startups, LinkedIn is a goldmine for anyone networking in the B2B space. Looking to get in touch with an influencer, marketing manager or CEO? Chances are you can find them here.
# of total users: 756 million
Largest age group: 46-55
Gender: 51% male, 49% female
63% of LinkedIn users access the network monthly, and 22% weekly.
Simple and straightforward, Twitter is a solid starting point for most businesses. Requiring minimal setup and providing a place to go back-and-forth with followers directly, there's a reason why Twitter remains the go-to platform for customer service.
# of daily active users: 206 million
Largest age group: 30-49 (44%)
Gender: 32% female, 68% male
Time spent per day: 31 minutes
TikTok
Not only for the kids...TikTok is growing beyond the 18-21 year old demographics. Many of the trends we are seeing on Instragram reels begin on TikTok.
# of monthly active users: 1 Billion
Largest age group: 18-34 (52.7%)
Gender: 61% female, 29% male
Time spent per day: 32 minutes
Snapchat
Here today and gone tomorrow! Snapchat stands behind their 24 hour content lifecycle. A great place to be to build a community but be prepared to have a dedicated person fueling your feed. Media and news outlets shine here!
# of monthly active users: 557 million
Largest age group: 13-34 (75%)
Gender: 58% female, 40% male
Time spent per day: 31 Minutes
This visual pinning platform is insanely popular with millennials and is noted to be one of the best networks for social selling. Not unlike Instagram, Pinterest thrives on imagery and inspirational content where products serve as the proverbial centerpiece. Recently we have seen Pinterest shift to promoting more paid posts.
# of monthly active users: 444 million
Largest age group: 30-49
Gender: 78% female, 22% male
Time spent per day: 14.2 minutes
YouTube
Although some might not regard YouTube as a traditional social network, the platform’s active and engaged community speaks for itself. Considering that video represents the top-performing type of content across nearly every social networking, YouTube is a great place to house your videos if you’re already producing them.
# of monthly active users: 2.56 billion
Largest age group: 15-25
Gender: 72% of all female internet users and 72% of all male internet users
Time spent per day: 19 minutes among viewers 18 and older
Google My Business
Another platform that some may not consider a social network. Google My Business is the standard for controlling how your business shows up in search.
For many of my clients, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google My Business are their main focus. Dig into who your ideal client is, what platforms they frequent and how they use these platforms and you're on the right track to showing up and standing out on social media.