Social media became popular in the early 2000’s, that’s over 20 years ago (don’t think about that too much!) and despite predictions that it was just a phase, it has managed to grow in popularity, going from strength to strength.
That is why social media is so important and so powerful – it’s where the eyes are. That is why it is no longer optional, but a necessity for businesses looking to reach a broader audience.
But, with all the platforms out there how do you know which is the right one or ones for your business?
Well, we’re glad you asked that specific question because that’s exactly what we have detailed below. Thinking about it, it could’ve been awkward if you had any other question.
So, let’s find out which one is right for you!
The 2 most important factors when trying to decide which social media platform to be on is…
1. Understanding Your Audience – different social media platforms cater to different demographics, so really knowing and understanding your target audience is crucial.
2. What Type Of Business You Run – this is important as some social media platforms are geared towards a certain type of content, such as text over visuals for example.
Below we will outline the most popular social media platforms in relation to the 2 above factors.
The stats don’t lie, Facebook has the largest user base, and so, has the broadest audience.
It is ideal for reaching various age groups but has a slight lean towards an older demographic.
It really shines at allowing you to interact with location specific communities and is like a forum in that respect.
Slightly more favoured to visual media, the written word also does well on Facebook making it more of an all-rounder.
Instagram is an extremely popular platform and is the 2nd most used platform on this list.
It has a slightly younger demographic than Facebook, and its users are predominantly between the ages of 18 to 40.
It is a visual-centric platform (both images and video), making it great for brands with strong visual content, which can be anything from creative media through to construction companies – anyone that has something to show, this is a great place to do it!
TikTok is another visual-centric platform similar to Instagram, but unlike Instagram it is specifically geared towards video (no pictures allowed sorry!).
TikTok’s demographic is younger again, especially Gen Z, and is a great place to share creative video content, follow viral trends and to get your content seen by a lot of people.
Views are one of TikTok’s greatest strengths, as its algorithm was designed to get your content in front of the most eyes, so your view stats will most likely be greatest on this platform.
Though, not all views are created equal and TikTok views tend to be less ‘valuable’ than its other social media counterparts.
X is used by a diverse age group and is famous for being a text-based platform (though in more recent years visual media has become more common place) making it ideal for writers/businesses that utilise the written word.
Actually, most of the public facing businesses and brands you can think of have an X account and are utilising it for its biggest strength – real-time engagement.
X is a platform where you can really connect with your audience; below are some examples of businesses doing exactly that:
LinkedIn is the only social media platform on this list specifically designed for professional networking and it does it better than any other platform on the internet.
Whether you want to target businesses, lead decisions makers, or maybe even recruit – this is the place to do it.
We work predominantly with other businesses so LinkedIn is a great place for us to showcase work, keep up to date with businesses and employees we’ve worked with in the past and find new businesses that we can help.
The final social media platform we are going to go through in this list is Pinterest.
Pinterest might be the most underutilised social media platform for promoting business, but it has a very specific niche which might be hugely beneficial to you.
Pinterest is a self-described ‘visual discovery engine’ and is used by people to find ideas in home decor, fashion, recipes, arts & crafts and loads more.
IKEA is probably the best example of a brand doing very well in this space, who provide a quiz that pre-populates a Pinterest board with IKEA products determined by the answers you give.
These items can be swapped out for others allowing you to design your full home from one board, and of course, these items are all linked to their sell page, which has been a great way of driving sales for them…
…And that is just one of many other examples of business doing very well through Pinterest.
We hope you found it useful in narrowing down which platform is worth your time.
Personally, we are a visual media agency that works predominantly with other businesses, that also writes helpful content like this from time-to-time, so we find LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X to be the most valuable for us.
Have a play, enjoy the process and we think you’ll find it extremely valuable to your business.
If you need help filling your social media accounts with great content, then look no further!
We’ve helped many businesses SME to Blue Chip, in designing social media marketing plans and creating all forms of content, ie. bulk video creation, that can give you months of social media material in a relatively small amount of shooting!
If you want to have a chat about this or anything else in this blog, contact us today. We love chatting through ideas and we will also happily provide you with free, no obligation quotes.
