Best Social Media Platforms for Business Marketing
All social platforms have their specialty or defining characteristic.
More “orthodox” social media channels like Facebook have multiple features that attract users, while specialized platforms like Instagram focus mostly on one element.
The popularity and demand for each platform fluctuate according to what consumers’ interests, so marketers need to look at the individual performance of each platform to determine if their reach is big enough.
Facebook first became available to the public in 2006 and has since become the most popular social media platform in the world.
Today, the company is worth almost 95 billion US dollars. The social network has invested billions back into its operations, acquiring WhatsApp in 2012 as well as Instagram, which we’ll discuss later in this post.
This platform has almost a 2.5billion monthly active users and it adds about half a million new accounts every day.
As if that wasn’t enough, 51% percent of US adults report using Facebook multiple times per day while 40% of all accounts are used for reading news and informational purposes.
Considering the above, it’s worth noting that the announcement of Facebook Zero has drastically changed the way marketers will be able to use the platform.
Those who get ahead of the wave and start developing potential content early on will have a crucial advantage over their competitors.
Unlike traditional social media accounts, Twitter’s specialty is the dissemination of information via small text snippets widely known as tweets.
Although consumers have to get used to the minimalist nature of the platform, Twitter allows companies to create a stronger connection with a more exclusive market, which is regarded as being more affluent than the average user base.
While Twitter doesn’t have Facebook’s reach, many marketers argue that content on this social media platform is much more engaging.
500 million tweets are being sent out every day, which comes from roughly 330 million monthly active users.
1 in 5 adults uses Twitter in the US and 42% of users check the platform every single day.
Anyone who’s ever used Instagram understands why this social network is almost addictive.
It focuses on sharing images, videos, live feeds, and other super-engaging content that consumers simply love.
Instagram is ideal for companies that want to attract young customers through their content as 71% of users on this platform are under the age of 35.
Instagram was acquired by Facebook a few years ago, but the picture-centric social network has never been more popular.
There are 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram, half of which use the platform daily.
And, even though Twitter invented the hashtag, Instagram users have transformed this quirky practice into an art form.
The average Instagram post includes about 10 carefully-selected hashtags that allow the content to reach a broader audience.
YouTube
YouTube is the premier video sharing platform that’s used by consumers, media outlets, companies, and every other entity on the planet.
It’s estimated that every minute, users upload around 500 hours of video content to this platform.
Whether users are looking for a funny cat video, a recap of a match they missed, or a how-to video, YouTube is the place to go.
From a business perspective, it’s important to understand that each visitor spends just under 12 minutes on each visit.
About 7 out of 10 videos that people watch are suggested by the platform’s recommendation algorithm, which means that YouTube has a profound knowledge about its viewer base.
This can be translated into better placement and more effective ads.
If there is one platform that has remained user-centric since its inception, it has to be Pinterest.
Despite the fact that it revolves around creating boards, Pinterest attracts users because it’s relatable, easy to use, and practical.
According to official numbers, there have been more than 200 billion pins saved on the platform by more than 335 million users.
In the US, Pinterest is already the third-biggest social channel, with close to 43% of internet users having an account.
To top it off, households that have a higher income are more likely to have a Pinterest account, so users tend to have more acquisitional power when compared to other platforms.
