With the number of social media platforms and formats growing constantly, it can be easy to get sucked into the idea that your brand needs to be in all places, all the time. But that’s simply not true.
We’re no strangers to recommending quality over quantity when it comes to developing content, and that same concept applies when deciding where your brand should be showing up online. Each platform owns a unique space on the internet, with a specific audience that goes into that platform looking for a specific type of content or interaction from other users.
Did you know there are over 100 different social media platforms out there? That’s a lot to keep up with!
If you’re ready to up-level the effectiveness of your social strategy in 2021, the best place to start is where your audience is.
What does that mean? Well, if you haven’t spent time defining your marketing personas, that’s a great place to start. Once you know who you’re talking to, figure out where they hang out and what they expect to see from you online, then get to work making that content.
We’re sharing insights on some of the most popular social platforms for businesses and brands in 2021 to help you be where your audience is.
Don’t forget: No matter what social media platforms you choose for your business, you won’t see success in your social strategies if your initiatives aren’t optimized to convert after users click through to your site.
- Want email sign ups? Make it easy and the offer enticing.
- Looking for ads to cart? Minimize the clicks to make it happen.
- Want someone to get in touch ASAP? Consider implementing chat options on your site.
DOES MY BUSINESS NEED A FACEBOOK PAGE?
According to data from Hootsuite, Facebook is the most popular social media platform with over 2.7 Billion active users. While younger users have not totally ditched Facebook, the platform has grown in popularity with older audiences, making it a prime location to engage with and run ads to older demographics.
Here’s a look at who is on Facebook
- 56% Male
- 44% Female
- 25-34 Average Age of Users
Most users of the platform spend about 38 minutes/day on the app consuming and engaging with content.
Make Your Content Matter on Facebook
When creating content to share on your branded Facebook pages, take a visual first approach. Remember that videos always out-perform photos and text-based graphics.
Optimization Insights
Facebook is great for getting long-form content in front of your audience in the form of referral links. Share blog articles, relevant industry news, links to your ecommerce store front, lead generation modules and more.
Optimize your content for comments and shares, not likes! Ask questions, or prompt your audience to share the content if they found it helpful.
SHOULD MY BUSINESS USE INSTAGRAM?
Over 1 Billion users login to Instagram every single month. Established initially as a photo-sharing app, this platform puts visuals first. Since being acquired by Facebook, the shared ad platform across the two networks makes Facebook and Instagram a key element of many brand’s social strategies.
Here’s a look at who is on Instagram
- 43% Male
- 57% Female
- 25-34 Average Age of Users
Most users of the platform spend about 29 minutes/day on the app consuming and engaging with content.
Make Your Content Pop on Insta!
When creating content to share on your Instagram Business page, remember you’re making eye-candy. Photos and videos across this platform are highly stylized and with the rising popularity of Stories and Reels, video-based content remains the preferred format in this app.
Optimization Insights
Instagram is all about in-platform engagement. The app rewards content makers who are able to keep their social media audiences engaged inside the app longer.
What does that mean? Build a community, create a space online that users in your audience seek out. Have conversations, host IG Lives, and engage with your audience as much as possible.
Many experts say that the “save for later” option is the new like, especially as the platform continues to beta test hiding likes. Think about the types of content a user might need to save to reference later and test this specific CTA in your graphics and captions.
SHOULD MY BRAND TWEET?
With a heavily male dominated audience, twitter is home to trending hashtags and a ticker style feed that keeps you in the loop on the most recent updates of your followers. While some of the most active users post over 130 tweets each month, the median user posts only twice each month. If your brand or business is looking to engage with events and news in real time, twitter might be a great option for you.
Here’s a look at who is on Twitter
- 68% Male
- 32% Female
- 30-49 Average Age of Users
Most users of the platform spend about 3.53 minutes/session on the app consuming and engaging with content.
What’s Trending on Twitter?
Creating a strategy for Twitter can feel daunting. It’s a fast-paced app that seemingly requires content to be produced in volume for the biggest impact. But twitter doesn’t have to be all about #trending topics.
Think about some of the most well-known twitter accounts, like Wendy’s, known for their epic roasts of other brands and platform users. They have an established voice and laser focused strategy. Their goal is to provide entertainment, not just sell hamburgers, and that gets people talking.
DO BRANDS STILL CONNECT ON LINKEDIN?
For business to business brands, LinkedIn is still where it happens. The primary audience on this platform is often high-educated, high-earning professionals looking to connect and level up their knowledge base and career. If you’re a thought leader in your industry, it’s a great place to create content and connect with users across your field. Their hyper-targeted advertising options have also proven highly successful for brands and talent acquisition professionals alike.
Here’s a look at who is on LinkedIn
- 51% Male
- 49% Female
- 46-55 Average Age of Users
Most users of the platform spend about 30 minutes/month on the app consuming and engaging with content.
Create Engaging Content on LinkedIn
If you’re looking to have conversations about your industry with other professionals and industry leaders in a traditional social media setting, LinkedIn is where it’s happening.
People love a fresh idea or unique insight about industry trends or experiences, and LinkedIn has established itself as a platform for Thought Leadership, possibly catapulting the individual user above the brand, which is why many businesses have seen success with employee advocacy and engagement initiatives. This type of content initiative encourages employees to generate their own content in partnership with the businesses branded content to increase reach and audience size.
Why does employee advocacy on LinkedIn work?
Simply put, trust.
Data shows that users have a higher level of trust with their peers than with brands.
According to SproutSocial, brand messages were shared 24 times more frequently when shared by employees rather than brands.
DOES MY BUSINESS NEED A TIKTOK?
Started in 2016, TikTok really busted onto the scene in 2019 and throughout 2020 as one of the fastest growing social platforms out there. Known (possibly infamously) for their 15 to 60 second viral video content, the app allows creators to easily follow trends, collaborate and create original content.
Brands are flocking to TikTok because of the sheer number of users on the platform with hopes that their video will hit that #FYP (for your page) and rocket to virality.
Here’s a look at who is on TikTok
- 41% Male
- 59% Female
- 18-24 Average Age of Users
Most users of the platform spend over 45 minutes/day on the app consuming and engaging with content.
Is TikTok for every business?
First things first, make sure you have the time and resources to invest in making this platform work for your business and that you find ways to optimize for your desired conversions from the platform. Considering the international reach of the platform, if your business isn’t setup to serve a national or international audience and your business is hyper-local with no digital offerings, TikTok might not be the place for you.
Tips for using TikTok for your business
Businesses have seen success using owned and user-generated content to promote their brand. If you are opting to share user-generated content as a part of your strategy, be sure to ask for permission and give credit, as requested.
Paid ads on TikTok have been growing in popularity in the form of takeovers (seen before any other content), native ads (in the feed), and sponsored challenges, where brands host a TikTok challenge and encourage users to generate content using a branded hashtag.
If your business is looking to grow their influencer marketing initiatives, TikTok is a great place to do that. Many influencers have jumped head first into the platform because of its massive reach and user base. They are creating tons of amazingly creative content, every day, and there are various levels of influencer marketing engagements that include cross-platform opportunities.
WHO IS ON CLUBHOUSE?
This invite-only social media app started in Silicon Valley as an audio-based idea-sharing platform. Members are given a limited number of invitations to share with their network. Once inside users have access to thousands of rooms hosted by anyone from industry tycoons and podcast hosts, to bloggers, small business owners, and your curious neighbor.
Users can hop in and out of rooms and listen to live, curated conversations with hosts on a variety of topics. Built on the concept of FOMO, chat disappears as soon as they are over, so if you want the info, you better be “in the room where it happens.”
Clubhouse launched in March 2020. As of February 2021 the app has 10 million users and is ranked 5th among social networking apps in the App Store.
How do I use Clubhouse for my Business?
For starters, Clubhouse is an audio-first platform, meaning no photo or video, just voice – which might be a welcome change for some.
Similar to LinkedIn, Clubhouse is amazing for Thought Leadership initiatives. You can dive right into building an engaged community and establishing yourself as an expert in your space by hosting informative and valuable conversations with peers and other industry professionals.
One of the biggest advantages of Clubhouse is learning from others. You can create rooms to discuss ideas, strategies, new ideas, or even ask for feedback from other users. It’s an amazing way to grow and improve your business, if you’re willing to invest in the meidum.
Not ready to dive into hosting your own room? No worries, you can just hang back and learn from all the other amazing users on the app.
DOES MY BUSINESS NEED A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?
Youtube is the “go-to” video platform and one of the most visited sites on the internet. Over the years users have leveled up production quality and the platform is now home to tons of brands, influencers, and businesses who have made a name for themselves through high-quality, engaging, and informative digital and video content.
Youtube has a little something for everyone, no matter your interests, there’s probably someone out there making great quality YouTube content about it. The key? Brands have to find a balance of using the platform for advertising and using it to entertain, as many users don’t come to YouTube seeking out new brands or businesses to follow.
Here’s a look at who is on Youtube
- 56% Male
- 44% Female
- 15-35 Average Age of Users
Most users of the platform spend about 41.9 minutes/day on the app consuming and engaging with content.
How can I be successful on YouTube?
Focus on production quality and the value of your information.
As with any content, every second counts and if you aren’t able to grab a viewers attention up front, there are millions and millions of other videos, right at their fingertips.
Youtube isn’t the play for a quick, DIY video approach (save that for your stories, reels, and TikToks). Invest in some equipment and editing software or budget to outsource production if YouTube is a primary focus of your social efforts.
Once you have your content developed, optimization is key. Your captions, tags, and in-video links and calls to action will be crucial in both driving users TO your content and driving conversions for your business.
SHOULD MY BUSINESS CREATE A PINTEREST?
Pinterest is the most product-focused social media platform and has recently seen a resurgence in use with millennials, and Gen Z. If you’re an ecommerce business, retailer, or product-based business, Pinterest is where it’s at.
Here’s a look at who is on Pinterest
- 22% Male
- 78% Female
- 30-49 Average Age of Users
Most users of the platform spend about 14.2 minutes/day on the app consuming and engaging with content.
What Should I Pin?
Similar to other platforms Pinterest works great with a mix of owned and user generated content that leads back to your point of sale for retail and product based businesses.
For digital offerings, the sky is the limit for coming up with creative pins that drive people back to your site. From Graphics and checklists to photos, video pins and more, you can create a great mix of visuals to push your products to a larger audience.
How do I optimize my pins?
First things first, don’t limit yourself to one pin per item or resource. Think of 5-7 different ways you can showcase and link back to that same product. Make sure the visuals are eye-catching and that images are crisp and high quality. Pinterest still uses social engagement metrics to prioritize what content users see.
Next optimize the captions and hashtags for searchability. Make sure to use relevant keywords, and location based key words, if you’re a local business or service provider. Not sure which words to use? Try the “guided search” feature on Pinterest. Start typing your search into the box and let the platform predict the search based on what other users are searching. Topics that pop up here are a pretty good indicator of what people are looking for across the platform.
Pro Tip: Make the conversion easy. If an item is in your photo or graphic, link directly to it. Don’t make the pinner search for the content or the item you were showcasing.
NEXT STEPS: SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY INSIGHTS
We’ll let you in on a little secret, you DO NOT have to be everywhere, all at once. Pick a handful of social media platforms where you are most likely to succeed based on
- your business model
- the kinds of content you are able to produce
- the volume of content you’re able to manage
- And most importantly, be where your target audience is
Feeling in over your head? Don’t sweat it. We’re helping businesses like you find their best-fit social strategy and creating branded content to drive traffic to their sites, every day.
Need that in your life? We’ve got you covered. Get in touch.