How to choose the right social media platform(s) for your business.
So, you've started your business. Congratulations! Now, there's the overwhelming decision of which social media platforms you should be on. It was simple back in the early 2000s: You opened a Facebook and Twitter account, and that was that.
Now there's Pinterest, LinkedIn, Youtube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Threads and new ones starting all the time. Unless you're a company with a social media team, being on all of these platforms is entirely overwhelming and unrealistic.
Let me help you narrow down your choices by giving you some stats and information on the most relevant social media platforms for small business.
Think about these questions when deciding on which platform to choose:
• Who's your target market, and which platforms are they on the most?
• What are you trying to say about your business?
• What kind of content are you going to produce?
• How will your social media drive traffic to your website to bring you sales?
Facebook
Stats:
• Facebook has over 2.45 billion monthly users;
• It is still the most popular social media platform in the world;
• Facebook also has the most extensive age range, with high daily usage among those 18-54; and
• 53% of users are female.
Pros:
• Great for building community, promoting local events, and publishing longer content;
• Advertising on Facebook is affordable, and it's straightforward to create extremely targeted ads that reach your ideal customer; and
• Facebook has a new "shops" function, which is a free online storefront for small businesses.
Cons:
• Facebook is becoming more pay to play, and it is more challenging to get organic reach;
• Requires commitment to make sure that you are responding to your customers' requests and comments; and
• Your Facebook page can become a place where customers leave negative reviews, tarnishing your online reputation.
Who it's good for: All businesses can benefit from having a Facebook page, but you'll need to make sure you're responding to comments and questions in a timely fashion.
YouTube
Stats:
• 1.9 billion monthly users;
• 62% of users are male; and
• People watch over 1 billion hours of YouTube every day.
Pros:
• You don't have to post as often as on other social media platforms to get attention;
• YouTube is a great platform to create how-to videos and content that is entertaining to your customers;
• YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google (which owns YouTube); and
• Influencers can monetize their content by getting Google Ad revenue.
Cons:
• Videos are time-consuming and can be costly to produce; and
• Some people find the ads at the beginning of YouTube videos annoying.
Who it's good for: Any business or influencer that can produce professional-looking content that is valuable and relevant to the intended target customer.
Stats:
• 1 billion monthly users;
• 68% of users are female; and
• Most popular with users 18-30, but older age groups are adopting the platform rapidly.
Pros:
• Great for visual brands and for making personal connections;
• Customers can search for relevant content through hashtags and discover your brand;
• Excellent user interface, who knew scrolling could be so fun;
• Ability to switch to a free Professional or Creator account to get analytics on your posts.
• IGTV- Instagram is trying to lure viewers away from YouTube, and it's a great way to be able to watch videos and look at pictures all in one place;
• Instagram advertising is very affordable, and you can combine your marketing efforts with Facebook since Facebook owns Instagram;
• Creator Accounts will soon be able to monetize their IGTV videos through receiving Ad revenue; and
• Instagram Stories are a great way to show less than perfect or behind the scenes content that can personalize your brand. It's also a great way to interact with your followers by asking questions, conducting polls, quizzes, and mentioning other accounts.
Cons:
• As the popularity of Instagram increases, it is becoming more difficult to attain organic reach, making it necessary at some point in your growth to pay for advertising to gain followers and make sales;
• Pressure to create the perfect picture, post, and hashtag list can be overwhelming and time-consuming; and
• The IG algorithm makes it necessary to post relevant content at the right time of day with enough engagement from your followers to make sure your posts are seen.
Who it's good for: Any business willing to spend a little extra time creating visually appealing images and videos as well as engaging with followers and other businesses in order to create a sense of community.
Stats:
• 690 million members;
• 56% users are male; and
• Most users are 25-54.
Pros:
• Not just for posting your resume, this is an effective platform if you want to become a thought leader or are a B2B business;
• More professional and less potential for negative comments; and
• Less personal. No need to post a bunch of gorgeous IG-worthy photos.
Cons:
• LinkedIn users don't visit the platform as often; and
• To create and maintain a successful network requires regular activity.
Who it's good for: Any business that is B2B or wants to become a thought leader and possibly get hired for speaking engagements in the future relevant to their expertise.
Stats:
• 360 million users;
• Average user age is around 40; and
• 71% of users are female.
Pros:
• One of the most under-appreciated and under-utilized platforms, it is still possible to get organic reach through regular posting without advertising;
• An excellent way to drive traffic to your website/ blog or sell products;
• 92% of Pinners say they use Pinterest to plan offline purchases;
• Your content stays evergreen, as Pinterest's algorithm keeps pins circulating for a long time; and
• Pinterest is not really a social media platform, but actually a search engine, which allows for customers to find you easier.
Cons:
• You'll need to spend some time creating pins and post between 3-30 per day; and
• It's a niche target market since it's mostly female and between the ages of 25-50.
Who it's good for: If you're a blogger or have a newsletter on your website, this is where you need to be. If you sell products, especially if they're for women aged between 25-50, I highly recommend getting on the Pinterest bandwagon!
X/Twitter
Stats:
• 330 million active monthly users;
• Approximately 70% of users go on Twitter for news;
• 53% of users are male; and
• Most users are between 18-29.
Pros:
• Twitter is the fourth most popular B2B social media platform;
• Messages are short, so not as labour-intensive as other platforms; and
• The platform allows for direct two-way communication with your customers and resolve customer service related issues quickly.
Cons:
• You are restricted to the Twitter's 280 character limit;
• Potential to get into twitter wars with other users;
• Maintaining a presence on Twitter requires a time commitment and frequent posting; and
• Customers can complain publicly about your product or service, which can tarnish your reputation.
Who it's good for: If you don't sell a physical product and are excellent at crafting succinct, entertaining, or informative posts, Twitter might be right for you. You'll need to spend some time engaging with comments and growing your community.
To summarize, not every platform is going to be appropriate for your business (and I haven’t even discussed TikTok.) What will work for others won't work for you. The most important thing is to decide what kind of content will be relevant for your customer and if you have the time to give it your best. It's completely okay to focus on one platform and then expand to others as you get more comfortable and experienced.