Weigh Social Media Platforms for Best Business Boosting

Social Media for businesses has been around long enough to become an obvious marketing tool. We have written about it for years, but the platforms keep changing and overworked business owners are still wondering how to do it right. 

Being consistently  active on each platform and coming up with creative content is tough, but even trying to figure out which social media platform to use can be challenging, so let’s start with that. 

Here’s a breakdown of what each platform brings to the table so you can weigh their potential for boosting your business:

Facebook

• Over two billion users
• Still the largest social media network in the world
• Three quarters of network use Facebook daily
• Users include teens and those over sixty 
• The likelihood of organic views has decreased due to continued algorithm changes 
• Groups allow creation of community around your brand
• Communication is reciprocated between you and your audience

Twitter

• Over 330 million users
• The majority of users are under age 50
• At 280 characters or less messaging needs to be succinct
• Allows customers to ask questions and give feedback 
• Hashtag use can engage new audiences
• Hashtag use allows you to monitor for your brand to respond appropriately

LinkedIn

• Over 300 million users
• Less crowded news feed than other platforms
• Users are more likely to have higher education and income
• Great for making business connections or finding employees\
• Provides a business page to display industry experience, products and services
• Page viewers can ask questions and leave feedback

Instagram

• Over one billion users
• Almost three quarters of teens and half of adults under 50 are users
• Users are less likely to have higher education and income
• Less than half users visit daily
• Competition for visual engagement is fierce
• Messaging is convenient for customer service

YouTube

• 1.9 billion users
• Largest search engine other than Google
• Several billion hours of video watched each month
• Viewers prefer video to other types of content
• Content can be difficult and expensive to create
• Other than those over age 65, 70-90% of other age groups use YouTube regularly

Pinterest

• 322 million users
• More often used by women than men (no non-binary stats currently)
• Nearly equal reach of users of all education and income levels
• Great visual platform
• People can share and comment on your pins

Google My Business

Back in 2013, Google+ was one of the social media platforms available, but it is no longer an option. Google My Business is the current offering. It’s not exactly a social media platform, but Google has been adding some functions that are social-media-like. For instance, businesses can write posts and customers can write reviews. 

Here’s an bonus tip: Even if Google My Business isn’t quite a social media platform, every business with a business address should claim and flesh out their GMB profile for better search engine optimization and to get on the Google local map.

With this brief insight into who hangs out on these platforms, you can decide with of these will work best for your business. Rather than be overwhelmed trying to be active everywhere, pick the most useful and focus your attention there. Once you master that one, you can always move on to another. Or get help keeping your business active on several platforms. Sprocket Websites offers social media services at several budget levels. Just give us a call to learn more. 

This article is an update to “Your Social Media Site Does What?” dated 6/12/2013. 

Breanne BannonBreanne Bannon

Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.

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