By Derek P. Vlcko, September 3, 2021
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I’m hearing everyone is going to platform xyz…” you may be starting down the slippery slope of chasing the next digital fad. Who is everyone, anyway? If everyone is your neighbor’s kid (or your own) or an article you saw on LinkedIn, it may be a good time to pause and reflect on your audiences. Small businesses care about consumers, and consumers rarely rush in droves to new platforms. The choices can be overwhelming. A recently updated article in Small Business Trends lists forty different social media channels. Forty! Maybe ask the social media “department” if they have all those covered. Oh wait, you are the social media “department.” So with so many choices, which are the ones that truly matter?
- Facebook: With 2.7 billion users (302 million in the U.S.) and the ability to target like no other social media channel, Facebook retains the social media crown. You absolutely need to be on Facebook. Why? Because I can almost guarantee your audience is. No? Well, in the unlikely event that I am wrong, I can ensure there is an audience for your product or service on Facebook.
- Instagram: Instagram, also owned by Facebook, has 1.0 billion users (112 million in the U.S.). Instagram leans towards products and services that lend themselves well to a visual presentation. Instagram is the preferred channel for luxury brands and fashion apparel, many associated with famous influencers. If your product fits well with being photographed in exciting ways, Instagram can be a great social media channel. If you are, say, an accounting firm, you may want to consider other channels.
- Pinterest: Pinterest has 454 million users, with 91 million users in the U.S. Pinterest is much like Instagram in that it lends itself to visual experiences. If you’ve concluded you should be on Instagram, it’s worth dipping your toe into Pinterest to see if it’s a good fit with your audience profile. Pinterest tends to skew more female than other social media channels.
- YouTube: YouTube currently has around 2.0 billion users (210 million in the U.S.). YouTube is the preferred channel for long-form video content. If you are charismatic on camera and have the creativity to create a video series, YouTube is your jam. It can be as simple as an unboxing series, investing advice, or a new product launch. Beyond the content itself, YouTube is also an excellent medium for advertising. All those ads that interrupt your Milk Crate Challenge compilations? That can be your business!
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn has 740 million users and 55 million registered companies. Every small business should be on LinkedIn. It’s a great avenue to build your brand, lead generation, networking, and a must for HR recruiting.
- Twitter: There are 206 million users, 37 million in the U.S. Twitter has been in the news lately, for some controversial reasons (not touching that one.) You may have your own Twitter feed and spend a good bit of time on the platform, but I would advise small businesses to focus elsewhere. Twitter is an ideal platform for those with a large span of influence. Not just in your local community but globally. I’m talking celebrities, athletes, industry thought leaders, famous CEOs of large corporations (e.g., Elon Musk). It may feel like everyone is doing it, but you will likely be wasting your time Tweeting into the ether.
- If your products are marketed to the youth demos, TikTok and Snapchat are great options for organic content and paid ads. With 66 million users in the U.S., 41% of TikTok users are between ages 16 and 24. 37% of the 100 million U.S. Snapchat users are aged 18-24. If you don’t market to these age groups, it’s recommended to focus on the platforms that attract broader audiences.
So, on which platforms should I place my focus? The answer is not always easy, but it’s a combination of where your audience is most active and how many accounts you can manage at once. If you are active on too few platforms, you may be missing valuable audience segments. Spread yourself too thin, and you may have difficulty keeping up with content demands and end up with poor-quality posts that fail to engage the audience. Facebook and Instagram go well together because they’re linked through a joint ad manager (both owned by Facebook). This can help to repurpose content and view ad metrics through a single analytics tool. In the end, you want to build and maintain a healthy ecosystem of social platforms that tie to your audience’s needs and the company’s content goals and capabilities. The worst thing you can do is sit on the sideline.