The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

Social media – it started out as a simple tool for connecting with friends and family, but now ranks as the number one channel utilized in digital marketing. It is becoming increasingly important for businesses to market through social media, but should they be on all platforms?

To put it simply: no. Despite the fact that the internet is filled with a multitude of social media sites, it doesn’t mean your business should be on every single one. The secret to leveraging social media to its full potential is to focus your time on a couple of sites that make the most sense for your business goals. 

Why Be Selective?

Your social media is a continuously updated reflection of your business and provides another landing space for users. With that being said, managing a few social media accounts well will yield better results than juggling too many platforms for the sake of having them all, resulting in poor performance. Our recommendation is to try out a few different social media platforms and choose the ones where your target audience resides and interacts with your brand the most.

Popular Platforms and Their Best Uses

To help you decide which social media platform is right for your business, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular social media sites and their best practices.

Facebook

Facebook ranks #1 as the world’s most active social media site, with a recorded 2.9 billion monthly active users. With multiple marketing tools, Facebook makes it easy for businesses to connect with users and promote their products and services. Additionally, the platform allows users to post text, images, videos, and now stories. Facebook might be the right platform for your business if: 

• You’re looking to spark conversations
• Engage with your audience
• Give your business a more personable feel

Instagram

Instagram is a visual platform, with the use of images, in-feed videos, stories, live videos, and Reels (short-form video content). With Meta as their parent company, you can utilize all of the same marketing tools that Facebook offers, such as Facebook Ads Manager and Commerce Manager. If you want to use Instagram to its full potential, post content that makes a big visual impact. Your business is sure to perform well if:

• You plan to showcase your products or services with highly engaging content

Twitter

Twitter is all about current, real-time, and “trending” moments. With an emphasis on news, politics, and of course, entertainment, users are informed on events happening in real-time in 280 characters or less. You should use Twitter if your goal is to manage your reputation and relationships with customers on social media. In addition, you can search for topics, hashtags, etc., which will allow you to listen to what people are saying about your business. You might find that Twitter is the best site for your business if:

• You’re looking for a way to easily communicate with an audience
• You’re looking to stay on top of trending topics

Pinterest

Like Instagram, Pinterest is highly visual and serves as a great landing page to find inspiration and ideas. Pinterest gives users the ability to “pin” photos and videos they like to “boards” which helps them organize content on their profile. On Pinterest, you’re able to link out to websites, blog articles, and specific products, not only giving users inspiration but giving them information on where to find said product or idea. Pinterest may be the right place for you if:

• Your business involves beauty, food, fashion, exercise, or home improvement
• You have the ability to produce compelling photo and video content

YouTube

YouTube is all about video content of all sizes – including Shorts (short-form video content like Reels or TikTok) and live streams. YouTube is also a part of Google and can be great if your business is planning on advertising using video content. Your video ads have the ability to appear in-stream, before, or after a video, making YouTube a great platform for visibility and reach. You may want to consider YouTube if:

• You believe video content is the best way to spread your message
• Your business is visual and focuses on story-telling
• You’re trying to grow your brand awareness and audience

TikTok

As one of the fastest growing social media platforms, TikTok is a short-form video content app that allows users to film videos from 15 seconds all the way to 3 minutes in length. With a vast collection of sounds, music, filters, and other in-app effects and features, the platform is engaging and great for users who are quick to push out content. TikTok houses a wide variety of content and the app’s algorithm is based on your likes and preferences, meaning you’re provided a tailored and customized experience. TikTok’s algorithm also grants opportunities for increased visibility and reach. If your business is looking into video platforms, TikTok could be the right one if:

• You have the ability to produce ample video content
• You’re looking to engage with and entertain your audience
• You’re looking to grow awareness

LinkedIn

LinkedIn gives professionals and businesses a platform to connect with others in the same or similar industries. The platform can be a great source of industry-specific information and news and creates opportunities for businesses and professionals to chime in on the conversation. LinkedIn may be the platform for you if:

• You’re a B2B business
• You’re looking to connect with professionals
• You want to share industry knowledge
• You’re interested in network

Can I Still Use Them All?

There’s no harm in utilizing multiple social media sites, so don’t feel like you have to delete your accounts and narrow them down! Having your business on different social media sites can be beneficial for its reach and brand awareness. You can even claim a handle name on a platform, even if you have no intention of using it. That way, you still appear when users search for you and can improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking. 

However, posting regularly on social media every month is time-consuming, and when it comes to tuning your post for different platforms, it can leave you with even less time. As a business, your efforts are much better spent focusing on a few platforms and the decision on which should align with your goals and where your target market spends their time. 

What If I’m Still Unsure?

This process isn’t overnight, in fact, it shouldn’t be! Truth is, you need to give each platform a chance to marinate and develop proper results so you can best gauge where your business should be. If you’re ever in need of assistance with your social media marketing, we can help! Our digital marketing team at BOOST Creative knows the ins and outs of the industry and can provide you with the right resources and support for your business goals and needs. 

About Boost Creative

We are Southwest Florida’s proven design resource for digital and print marketing for over 15 years. Our specialties include corporate identity, advertising campaigns, website development, and content marketing. We also offer a range of other services including marketing consultation, print production, search engine marketing (SEM), and social media marketing. Our team is composed of creative-minded, forward thinkers. With solid multi-industry experience and a foundation in education…we are the real deal. We serve businesses all over the country and are the chosen outsourcing option for many other advertising agencies and marketing consultants. Learn more about who we are.

Interested in working with us? Send us a message or give us a call!