What social media platforms should my business be on?
There’s a better question you should be asking: what social media platforms are my customers on?
The most important part of your social media marketing strategy is to understand that first you can’t be on all the platforms - not well, anyway. Mainly, because you have a business to run!
And while social media is an important part of your marketing strategy, it can’t become your full-time job. (Even our agency that does this for a living only spends about 5-10 hours a month on our social media marketing).
Secondly, even if your customers are on a lot of social media platforms (the average person uses up to 7 platforms) - there are only a few where they expect - and want - to hear from your business.
We’ve broken down the top platforms where most users along with a snapshot of their
demographics. Consider where your customers may be spending most of their time and why:
Note: Exact statistics came from Sprout Social.
Anyone younger than 40 might say, “Facebook is for mom and grandmas,” which may speak to what the platform is still popular for: sharing lots of photos of kids and grandkids.
However, the largest age group is actually part of Gen Z (ages 25-34 make up 31.1% of users) and, it may surprise you, but the gender breakdown skews strongly male with 43.2% of users identifying as female and 56.8% as male (there was no data on other genders).
And perhaps most surprisingly, Facebook has the most “direct purchases from retailers” with TikTok and Instagram and the second and third most purchases respectively.
Should my business be on Facebook? Your business should be on Facebook if:
You are B2C
Your ideal clients are 25-34
You have an online store
You exist
OK - that last one is sort of a joke, but Facebook continues to dominate as the largest social media platform in the world with billions of active users every month. To not be here would be silly.
LinkedIn may seem like an overhyped resume platform, but it has come a long, long way.
And while the largest age group here still trends younger (ages 25-34 make up over 50% of its users), the vast majority (53%) come from high-income households.
You have to be here if you are trying to sell to anyone in the B2B space, especially if you are selling a service where educational content is a top priority for users.
They aren’t looking to necessarily buy (although some are) - what they are looking for is to understand a topic in an industry and to hear from qualified, trustworthy sources.
Should I have a LinkedIn Business page? Your business should be on LinkedIn if:
You are B2B
You are a leader in your industry (or want to show you are)
You are hiring (your future, younger employees are active here - and they’re going to stalk you).
Instagram
Gen Z is the largest age group here at over 31% of users, however, Millennials also spend a lot of time on the platform. 61% of users credit this platform to learn about new brands and products.
Hashtags are your friend on Instagram, which makes discoverability and brand awareness also key.
And while it’s super easy to click “Share on Facebook” while posting to Instagram, be mindful of each platform’s post requirements including dimensions as well as your hashtag and link strategies. The platforms are not a one to one replacement for the other.
Should my business be on Instagram? Your business should be on Instagram if:
You are B2C
You have a lot of content to share (including good photos and videos - they don’t have to be professional, but they need to be good).
Your culture is an important part of your brand.
TikTok
While TikTok trends towards Gen Z, it’s important to remember that many of these users have spending power since they are officially in the workforce. This generation looks for news (63% of them) and product discovery (77%) more than any other platform - however, the product and the news needs to be delivered in an entertaining and creative way.
The biggest hurdle with TikTok is the consistency and volume required to stay top of mind. Where you can post a few times a week on other platforms and be just fine, you’re looking at a few times a day - at least - to stay relevant on TikTok. For many small business owners, this is likely only feasible if you have a dedicated teammate or contractor who can be posting on-site, regularly.
Should my business be on TikTok? Your business should be on TikTok if:
You are B2C
You have products or an interesting space that makes for good videos
You have the capacity to hire an individual who is dedicated to posting to this channel as their entire job
Other Channels to Note
YouTube, Reddit, X, BlueSky and Snapchat may also be important to your marketing strategy depending on the type of content you have to promote and who you are trying to reach, but we recommend these are secondary marketing strategies because of the heavier lift.
For example, Reddit is key if you want to show up in AI engines like ChatGPT, but it requires a lot of patience and providing truly helpful content (not promotional content) in subreddits that fit your industry. Because subreddit are so heavily moderated (and mods can be quick to remove a post), you have to be in it for the long game.
Bottom Line: Knowing where your customers are is key to getting a solid return on your social media strategy. Especially as a busy business owner, you want to make the most of the little time you have to dedicate to social media. Regardless of where you post, make sure you are thoughtful on the type of content your customers expect to see - otherwise, your efforts will be in vain.