If you own or operate a business you’ve probably heard, “Oh, you should be on Facebook!”, “You should be on Twitter!”, “You should be on Instagram!”, or “You should be on – insert each and every social media platform here.”
But, how do you know which platform/s you should invest your time, energy, and money into?
By the end of this blog, we hope to help you answer that question.
A High-Level View of Choosing Your Social Media Platforms
When choosing a social media platform, the first question you should ask is this: which social media platform is my target market using?
If you don’t know who is in your target market, you need to take the time to figure this out. At a simple level, your target market is the profile of the people who your product and service provides the most value for or who would be most interested in your product.
Some parts of your target market’s profile might include: age range, gender, income level, interests, industry and more.
If you know who your target market is, you can then take a look at the different social media platforms and decide which one would best reach them.
Below, we dive into the following social media platforms:
As we discuss each platform, we’ll share the demographics that you’ll find on the platforms as well as give you ideas for how to know if this platform might be right for you.
According to SproutSocial, age demographics break down on Facebook as follows:
- 51% of 13–17 year olds use Facebook
- 76% of 18–24 year olds use Facebook
- 84% of 25–30 year olds use Facebook
- 79% of 30–49 year olds use Facebook
- 68% of 50–64 year olds use Facebook
- 46% of 65+ year olds use Facebook
When you look at how people are using Facebook, KHOROS says:
- 96% of users access Facebook via mobile devices
- 25% of users access Facebook via laptop or desktop
In terms of gender, more U.S. women (75%) report that they use Facebook than men (63%) (Hootsuite).
Facebook Insights
Facebook is still popular and dominates across age groups. Since there are so many people who use it, you’ll find that most likely, your target market is there.
One thing to keep in mind is that organic reach (non-paid reach) has dramatically decreased since Facebook was created. This means that even if you have 1,000 followers, you will not reach them all with a single post.
Instead, you’ll want to use Facebook’s robust advertising options to reach your customers.
When in doubt, Facebook is a good place to start for most businesses.
According to SproutSocial, age demographics break down on LinkedIn as follows:
- 17% of 18–24 year olds use LinkedIn
- 44% of 25–30 year olds use LinkedIn
- 37% of 30–49 year olds use LinkedIn
- 24% of 50–64 year olds use LinkedI
- 11% of 65+ year olds use LinkedIn
Men and women are equally represented on the platform (Sprout Social).
LinkedIn Insights
LinkedIn is an excellent platform for B2B products or services. Most likely, if you’re B2B, you’ll find your target market on LinkedIn. However, depending on your specific industry, you might have to dive a bit deeper and start to explore your network and connections to see if your industry is well-represented.
LinkedIn also works well for products or services that are associated with careers, career development, and business development.
However, LinkedIn might not be the best platform to heavily invest in if your products/services are not related to careers or business. Since people using LinkedIn are there to interact with content and people related to business, they might easily disregard content and ads not related to this subject.
One last note – even if you don’t use LinkedIn to actively market your business, you still might want to set up a LinkedIn Company Page for your organization. This will allow employees to say that they work for you and can direct people to learn more about you.
According to SproutSocial, age demographics break down on Twitter are as follows:
- 44% of 18–24 year olds use Twitter
- 31% of 25–30 year olds use Twitter
- 26% of 30–49 year olds use Twitter
- 17% of 50–64 year olds use Twitter
- 7% of 65+ year olds use Twitter
When you look at the gender demographics, Hootsuite says:
- Slightly more men use Twitter than women in the US
- Overall though, women make up just 34% of Twitter’s audience compared to the other 66% who are men
In regards to businesses and brands on Twitter, Khoros says:
- 67% of B2B businesses are using Twitter as a digital marketing tool
- 77% of Twitter users have a better impression of a brand when they respond to a tweet
- In Q3 2019, Ad engagement on Twitter was up 23%
Twitter Insights
Twitter allows brands to connect directly with their customers and other businesses. You can also use it to stay up-to-date on industry news, and join into conversations as a thought leader.
But, given the nature of the platform, you’ll have to be ready to spend a good amount of time on the platform to grow your audience and stay connected. Tweets have an average shelf life of 18 minutes (Mamsys), which means that you’ll want to have multiple tweets planned per day.
Popular industries on Twitter include: music, entertainment, aviation & aerospace, gaming, farming, sporting goods, and sports (SocialMediaToday). In general, technology is highly discussed on Twitter as well.
According to SproutSocial, age demographics break down on Instagram are as follows:
- 75% of 18–24 year olds use Instagram
- 57% of 25–30 year olds use Instagram
- 47% of 30–49 year olds use Instagram
- 23% of 50–64 year olds use Instagram
- 8% of 65+ year olds use Instagram
When you look at the gender demographics, Hootsuite says:
- Instagram is more popular with women than it is with men globally—though only slightly, with 52% female and 48% male users
- In the U.S., that gap is higher with 43% of women using the app compared to just 31% of men
In regards to Businesses and Brands on Twitter, Khoros says:
- An estimated 71% of U.S. businesses have Instagram accounts
- 83% on Instagram users say they discover new products and services on Instagram
Instagram Insights:
If you’re looking to target Gen Z and Millennials, Instagram is a great place to start.
You’ll especially want to use this platform if your products or services lend themselves to photographs or videos. Think – home construction, art and graphic design, apparel, and more.
If photographs or videos don’t immediately come to mind when you think of your business, fear not. There are programs, like Canva, that can help you design images that relate to your business.
You can also use Instagram to share more personal photos and connect with your audience.
Top industries that people interact with on Instagram include: music, entertainment, consumer electronics, sporting goods, luxury goods & jewelry, apparel & fashion, government relations, and more (SocialMediaToday).
According to SproutSocial, age demographics break down on Pinterest are as follows:
- 38% of 18–24 year olds use Pinterest
- 28% of 25–30 year olds use Pinterest
- 35% of 30–49 year olds use Pinterest
- 27% of 50–64 year olds use Pinterest
- 15% of 65+ year olds use Pinterest
Khoros says:
- 80% of users access Pinterest via mobile devices
When you look at the gender demographics, Hootsuite says:
- Pinterest reaches 83% of US women aged 25-54. That’s more than Instagram, Snap and Twitter
- But, 50% of Pinterest’s new sign-ups are men.
When it comes to purchasing decisions on Pinterest, Khoros says:
- 90% of weekly pinners used Pinterest to make purchase decisions
- Pinterest drives 33% more referral traffic to shopping sites than Facebook
Pinterest Insights:
As you can see from the data, Pinterest has serious purchasing power, especially with women ages 25-54. It also became the third-largest social user network in the United States in 2019 (Business Insider).
Popular industries on Pinterest include Arts and Craft, Travel, Food and Drink, Fashion, Health & Self-Improvement, and Music (SmallBizDaily).
However, like Twitter, Pinterest can take significant time and energy to do well. Some experts recommend 15 pins per day, which we’ll admit sounds daunting. If you choose to use this social media platform, keep in mind that you’ll have to find the frequency that is right for you.
But, the good news is that while Tweets last roughly 18 minutes, Pinterest pins have a much longer life. On average, pins last for four months, since Pinterest is big on recycling content (Mamsys).
Also, if you’re curious, Pinterest has a blog with tips on how you can make the most of it for your business.
YouTube
According to SproutSocial, age demographics break down on Pinterest are as follows:
- 90% of 18–24 year olds use YouTube
- 93% of 25–30 year olds use YouTube
- 87% of 30–49 year olds use YouTube
- 70% of 50–64 year olds use YouTube
- 38% of 65+ year olds use YouTube
When you look at the gender demographics, Hootsuite says:
- YouTube is more popular with teenage boys: 85% of boys 13-17-years old watch YouTube daily, versus 70% of girls
YouTube Insights:
YouTube is the second most popular website in the world (Alexa). Not only that, but it’s also the second most popular search engine after Google itself. This means it has serious potential for helping people find your business.
But because it’s so popular, that also means there is quite a bit of competition on YouTube. If you’re going to dive into YouTube for your small business, you’ll want to figure out how you can make consistent, valuable content that is optimized for the platform.
In addition to that, you’ll also need to have a plan in place for how you’re recording, editing, and posting the videos.
Avoid overwhelm. Find the ones that work for you.
If you read through all of these options and feel more overwhelmed than when you began, it’s okay.
Here is our recommendation for you: find the social media platform that makes the most sense to start with, and do it well.
It is better to dedicate your time and energy into making one platform succeed than it is to split your time between every single platform and not do any of them well.
But, if you want to tackle multiple platforms and you need help in making that happen, we’re here for you. Or, if you want assistance making the one platform you chose really shine, we can help you with that too.
We’re always happy to chat about social media strategies and what they might look like for your business. Click here to schedule a free consultation with our founder Katie McNamee or email kate@elevateonlinestrategy.com.