Nowadays we all know the value and power of using social media platforms to create an online presence. Most brands are on social media and it is a great way to quickly reach a wide audience with targeted communications. But how do these brands pick which social media platform to focus on? After all, they each have different audiences, styles and features to offer.

In this blog, we take a look at the top 5 social media platforms to help you choose the right platform for you and your business. 

Facebook 

Facebook is still the largest social media platform to date. It is a platform for brands and businesses to connect and build relationships with their audience. According to Statista, 79% of 18-29-year-olds and 30-49-year-olds use Facebook in the US. Pew Research estimates that 74% of users visit Facebook daily and there are 2.7 billion users globally! Understanding which demographics are on Facebook will help you build a strategy that targets these audiences. 

Facebook has the ability to highly target its users due to the fact that users add their personal details to the platform. This means that when building advertising campaigns, you have the ability to set your target audience and easily manage your budget, nice features for a first-timer! 

Here are some tips and tricks for Facebook:

  • Know when your audience is online – are they viewing Facebook on their morning commute, maybe they eat while scrolling Facebook? 
  • Post videos and graphics to increase your engagement rate 
  • Go live and build a relationship with your audience 
  • Create a Facebook Group to build and nurture your community 

Facebook is a great platform for any business in any sector!

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Instagram is a highly visual platform and many focus time and energy in creating an aesthetic feed to grow their online following. Influencers are huge on Instagram because of this and it pays to be mindful that imagery is often heavily edited. Instagram is a visual platform used to share moments and communicate one’s point of view to the world. Instagram has around 1 billion monthly active users! 
Instagram is mostly used by women the age of 13-29. They like to see images that they can relate to or aspire to be. The changing algorithm and constant stream of new features mean it can be difficult to get your content seen, however providing value that’s targeted to your ideal audience should always be your focus. Ways to help your content be seen are to use ads and sponsored posts on the platform and using a wide range of hashtags that are targeted and researched for your ideal audience. You can also look at your insights to see when the optimal time for posting is for your audience (Check out our blog on this here). Great sectors for Instagram are travel, restaurant, fashion, makeup, food, motivational, and so on. 

  • Share unique business POVs and show the face behind the brand
  • Make sure to edit content to fit your audience 
  • Find Influencers who fit with your brand and collaborate
  • Research how to use hashtags strategically for your business (check out our blog on hashtags here.)

Any business who has a target audience within this demographic should be on Instagram.

Twitter

Twitter is a great platform for real-time conversations. It enables users to send and read Tweets on a global scale. For many users, Twitter is the platform for live updates for news, sports, or brand information. Most users follow brands on Twitter than on any other social media platform.

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According to Pew Research, 22% of US adults use Twitter with 32% having a college degree. This same study found that 44% of 18-24-year-olds use the platform. There are 152 million daily active users worldwide.

Some tips for Twitter include: 

  • Add a video or graphic to increase engagement 
  • Use link shorteners to save character counts
  • Be concise with what you post 
  • Build relationships with influencers and brand ambassadors here

Any business who sends in the moment information should be on Twitter!

Download 10 Fresh Content Ideas
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LinkedIn 

Linkedin is a professional networking site focusing on B2B. It is all about building and developing professional connections and networking. It is great for businesses to share their CSR campaigns, news, jobs, and any other exciting updates. LinkedIn is a very niche audience making it easier to target specific groups of people.

The average age group is 25-30 being 44% of users and 51% are educated at a college level. The platform has 706 million members in 200 countries and regions worldwide.

  • Have clear call to actions on your LinkedIn posts 
  • Use the platform to create new connections 
  • Provide value by sharing relevant business articles and blogs
  • Don’t cold pitch new connections in the DMs – it’s never appreciated!

LinkedIn is a place for professionals to convene and meet. Remember to use this platform in a professional manner with a professional tone.

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Pinterest is a great platform for businesses looking to connect with women, and who have a visual brand. According to Statista, 71% of global users are female and they make the purchasing decisions in their household. Statista also says that there are 322 million users globally with 87 million active users in the US alone.  

The platform is used to plan “life moments” such as weddings, parties, travelling, etc. It is also used to develop hobbies and passions like; arts and decor, cooking, sewing, and building their business, like you! 

  • Use Pinterest to connect with your audience through positive posts and ads
  • Help users plan life moments using your products or services 
  • Use Pinterest during the consideration stage of the Buyer’s Journey 
  • Pinterest introduced Mobile Ad Tools so that you can build ad campaigns right from your phone
  • You can use social media schedulers such as Tailwind to help you pin your content

If you are a DIY brand or one with unique ideas, Pinterest is the platform for you!

Which Social Media Platform Should You Chose For Your Business?

In summary, the best social media platform for you very much depends on your ideal audience and the type of business you have! Our advice however is, don’t try to be on all the platforms all of the time. This isn’t an effective strategy and you are far better off choosing a couple of platforms and creating targeted content to suit. Remember, you can use social media schedulers to help you create and plan out content in advance and you can see our blog on which to use here.  In fact, we have a whole series of blogs to support you with social media which you can access by clicking here.

J. Rachel West
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J. Rachel West

Marketing Executive | Women Thrive Media

Rachel West is a marketing & branding devotee who loves empowering women in business. She is a “she-boss” running her own marketing agency, JRW Consulting LLC. When she's not at her desk you can find her traveling the world.

 

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