The Basic Guide to Choosing Social Media Platforms for Your Business

Do you own a business or are you thinking of starting one and you're overwhelmed by the daunting choices and expectations that the world of social media has to offer you? Well, you can be encouraged that you are NOT alone.

In the ever-changing digital age, social media has become a critical tool for businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness and drive sales. With so many platforms available, which one(s) do you choose? What if you choose the wrong ones? Don’t worry, we’ve been there asking those same questions alongside so many other businesses. This is a strange time to navigate entrepreneurship but take relief because we are here to help!

In this guide, we’ll navigate through the strange terrain that is social media, helping you make informed decisions on which platforms are best suited for your business.

Understanding Your Audience

Before we dive deep into the diverse world of social media, it’s essential to understand your target audience. Different demographics prefer different platforms. For example, younger audiences may be more active on visual-centric platforms like Instagram and TikTok, while professionals and B2B audiences often engage on LinkedIn. Knowing your audience’s preferences and behaviours will guide your platform selection.

The Power of Facebook: A Universal Presence

To this day, Facebook remains a juggernaut in the social media world, boasting over 2.8 billion monthly active users. Let’s stop right here. That is an insane amount of people actively scrolling the same app. No matter what your business is, you need to have a business Facebook page! If you don’t, you’re missing out on how much again? 2.8 BILLION possible customers. Let’s continue. Facebook offers a versatile platform suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries. It offers FREE features such as, business pages, page insights, and the ability to engage with your audience, share content, advertise (not completely free) and build a community around your business.

Did we mention that it is virtually FREE to create a business page and regularly post a variety of content? Although paid marketing is not free, the fact that any businesses are missing out on this free opportunity to propel their business forward is simply mind-boggling. So if you don’t have a business Facebook page created yet, take this time to pause reading this article and click the link below to our Creating A Business Facebook Page Tutorial and go create one. We’ll wait.

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Now that you have a business Facebook page let’s continue by mentioning just a few more features that Facebook offers its business users that we think are awesome.

• Scheduling content. We have tried a plethora of apps, all promising to make our lives easier when it comes to scheduling and posting content and we didn’t love any of them. Now, we’re not saying the perfect platform doesn’t exist out there because, for the right price, I’m sure it does. But what if you don’t have $$$$ to spend? Well thankfully, Facebook thought of that and introduced its scheduling feature on Meta Business Suite for both Facebook AND Instagram. This is amazing for so many reasons but mainly because the majority of small businesses and churches only use those two platforms. To pay hundreds of dollars a month to an app that will post to those two platforms is RIDICULOUS. However, there still remained the problem that manually posting every post was both tedious and exhausting. So, THANK YOU FACEBOOK for making our content creators' lives easier. *Once again, there are some great apps out there that are well worth the money if you post on several platforms or if you are a social media manager for several entities.*‍
• Facebook Searches. Google still holds the lead when compared to searches but it is considerable how many people will search for a business on Facebook. What are they looking for on Facebook business pages? A person’s opinion of a business can be influenced by the business's Facebook page by its consistency, credibility, customer experience, and relativity.
• Facebook Reviews. According to recent statistics, “Nearly everyone (93% ) say that an online review has impacted their purchase habits.” With that incredible tidbit of information, you can see why having a Facebook page for your business is necessary if only for the reviews (which you should be asking for constantly by the way)!

To summarize, we encourage all of our clients to have a presence on Facebook whether it is the main platform you post to or not, you’ve gotta have one.

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Instagram: Visual Storytelling for Millennials and Gen Z

If your business relies heavily on visual content, Instagram is the go-to-platform. With its emphasis on stunning imagery and short-form videos, Instagram is perfect for industries such as fashion, beauty, travel, food, art and design. Although slightly less popular with Gen Zers, it is the target platform for a younger audience. It’s important to know your ideal customer and audience to know if Instagram is where you want to place your time and effort.

Another nice thing about Instagram is the fact that it is owned by Facebook so you can cross-post and schedule content quite easily with the scheduling feature on Meta Business Suite (more on this above).

There’s quite a bit of controversy over changes to Instagram over the last few years and we have our own opinions about all that (we’ll share in a future post) but overall Instagram is a good platform to utilize and connect with your community.

Remember to leverage Instagram Stories and Reels to add a dynamic touch to your content and to connect with a younger demographic. Fortunately or unfortunately (depends on how you feel about it), Reels are often the make-or-break option for an account to reach new audiences.

LinkedIn: The Professional Network

For B2B businesses and those targeting a professional audience, LinkedIn is essential. This platform is a hub for networking, industry insights, and thought leadership

So what’s the point of LinkedIn? LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that serves as a virtual resume AND a way to connect with other professionals in various industries. LinkedIn allows you to showcase your professional achievements, skills and experiences as well as to connect with colleagues, peers and potential employers and employees.

We believe that if you are a business owner of any sort you MUST be on LinkedIn. Why? Because, freelancers and entrepreneurs can use LinkedIn to promote their services, connect with potential clients, and establish themselves as experts in their field. You might be surprised how many beneficial connections you’ll make once you sign up and make even an ounce of effort on this platform.

Twitter or X (we don’t know anymore): Real-time Conversations and Trending Topics

Twitter’s fast-paced environment makes it ideal for real-time updates, quick engagement and staying on top of industry trends. If your business thrives on timely communication and frequent updates, Twitter may be a valuable asset.

A helpful description of Twitter is that it is a microblogging platform that allows users to share short messages, known as tweets, with a global audience. Companies use Twitter for real-time-information an updates (as we said), networking, brand promotion, and even customer interaction. Twitter allows for direct communication with customers, fostering a more transparent and immediate connection which might be helpful to your business.

Several types of businesses can benefit from having a presence on Twitter. Companies in technology, media and entertainment, E-commerce, Public Figures and personal brands, and many service-based businesses. An even more surprising and recent trend is Creative and Design-based businesses moving their more dominant presence to Twitter.

If you want to create a strong presence on Twitter, make sure to spend an adequate amount of time engaging in relevant conversations and letting your voice be heard. Don’t forget to strategically use hashtags to increase your visibility as well!

YouTube: Engaging Through Video Content

Video content continues (and will continue) to dominate social media, and YouTube is the epicentre of online video. If your business can convey its message effectively through tutorials, product demonstrations, or engaging storytelling, establishing a YouTube presence can significantly boost your visibility and connect with a broader audience.

YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world after Google. Having a presence on YouTube can improve your business’s visibility on search engines, which could potentially drive more traffic to your website and other platforms.

A few more reasons you might consider posting on YouTube: It can help build brand awareness and loyalty, create visually engaging content you can be proud of,  uniquely interact with your customers through comments, and collaborate with other businesses and influencers. Not to mention,  it’s virtually free advertising (costs nothing to post videos) and in fact, you can even get paid through monetization!

TikTok: Capturing the Attention of the Younger Generation

Gen Z is the entertainment generation so it should be no surprise that their social media platforms of choice are the ones promoting video content. TikTok has rapidly risen to prominence, particularly among younger audiences. Known for its short-form, entertaining content, TikTok can be an excellent platform for brands willing to embrace creativity and authenticity. Develop fun and engaging content to connect with the youth demographic and showcase the human side of your business.

TikTok has a massive and diverse user base which makes it an excellent platform for audience engagement, especially if your target audience is the millennial and Gen Z age demographic.

Be authentic. TikTok is known for its emphasis on creativity and authenticity. Businesses can use the platform to showcase their personality, brand values and behind-the-scenes content. Think of it as an opportunity to interact with your audience in a more casual and relatable way.

Lastly, TikTok’s algorithm is designed to promote content based on user preferences, leading to the potential for videos to go viral FAST. This could increase your business's reach and visibility, which let’s face it, we all want.

Which platforms should I choose?

Selecting the right social media platforms is not a one-size-fits-all process. Your business might benefit from a combination of platforms, depending on your goals and target audience. You must also honestly reflect on the amount of time and resources you can give to consistently and effectively running your social media accounts. Will you be posting yourself ontop of all of your other business-owner duties? Will you hire out to a social media manager, or hire a part-time staff to run your accounts? These are important, often overlooked questions to ask yourself. It’s easy to make an account on all the platforms, it’s harder to stay consistent while still offering quality.

Also, remember that you can adapt your social media strategy at any time to maximize your reach and engagement. This means maybe starting with Facebook and slowly adding more platforms when you feel you can adequately manage them. There is truly no right answer.

Conclusion

In the vast and dynamic landscape of social media, choosing the right platforms for your business is a key step toward reaching your marketing goals. By clearly understanding your audience, leveraging the unique features of each platform and staying consistent, you can navigate the social media terrain with confidence all the while building a strong online presence and creating meaningful connections with your audience.