Which Marketing Platforms to Use for Small Business
Deciding which platforms your business should be on is crucial for connecting with new customers and growing your business. The most common mistake small businesses make is thinking that they should be on every platform possible. The truth is, you only really need to be present on a couple of platforms to be successful. So how do you know which platforms your business should be on?
Knowing which platforms to use for your business and how to use them will boost your success online exponentially.
Before deciding what platforms to use for your business, you have to ask yourself a couple questions. Where does your ideal customer spend most of their time? What content to they engage with? How often do they visit the platform? Understanding the answers to these questions will help you plan for how to use them best.
Generally speaking, here are the top 5 best platforms for a small business:
While this may not apply to every small business, here is a breakdown of each platform and how you can tell whether or not you should be using it.
The largest social media platform in the world, Facebook has over a billion active users. No matter what your business is, there is a great chance you could benefit from having a presence on Facebook. However, if you had to choose one single platform to use, here’s how you can tell whether or not Facebook should be it.
You offer consumer products/services
Your ideal customer is over the age of 30
Your customer favors long-form video content
Your audience can be segmented by various life events or demographics
Your audience values engaging with friends and sharing resources
Your audience is a member of numerous Facebook Groups
While those characteristics could apply to virtually anyone, here are a few that could help you decide not to choose Facebook.
Your ideal customer is a business professional
Your ideal customer favors static images or stories
Your ideal customer is under the age of 25
These characteristics should not exclude Facebook from your choice of platform entirely, but if you only have the time and energy to focus on one or two platforms, Facebook might not be the best choice.
Facebook is great for targeting ads, sharing relevant information, and engaging with your audience daily. Videos perform very well on Facebook, as do posts containing helpful information. A few quick statistics you need to know about Facebook include:
The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is females over the age of 45
Homeowners and married couples are very prevalent on Facebook
E Commerce is the best performing industry when it comes to running paid ads
If your ideal customer does not fit any of the above characteristics, there are a few more platforms that you should consider before making your decision.
Instagram is widely popular among consumers that are 16 - 24 years old. It is most commonly known as the “trendy” platform, where trends are started, shared, and lived out. It is also highly popular for social media influencers, which is an increasingly common source of information and lifestyle tips.
You should really consider using Instagram if you ideal customer meets any of the following characteristics:
Your ideal customer values stories or long-form videos (over 60 seconds)
Your ideal customer is between 16 and 24 years old
Your ideal customer values social media influencers and looks to them for tips and trends
Your ideal customer values trends and aesthetic
Your ideal customer stays up to date with the latest fashion, lifestyle, fitness, or beauty trends
If you are considering using Instagram, here are some statistics you should know first.
Instagram is the most popular social media platform for Gen Z (ages 16 - 24)
Instagram is widely popular for the shopping industry (consumer products and subscription services)
Stories are one of the most engaging forms of content on this platform
IGTV and Reels are the best way to engage and maintain a user’s attention
Aesthetic is very important for this platform
Shopping and E Commerce are the best performing industries for paid ads on this platform
If you ideal customer is not trendy, does not favor social media influencers, or is not interested in shopping for consumer products, chances are you can find a better platform for your marketing objectives.
LinkedIn is perhaps the best platform for research, generating leads, and connecting with business professionals. If your ideal customer did not fit the characteristics for Instagram or Facebook, chances are you will have more luck here.
The most effective brands on LinkedIn find that their audience fits into these characteristics:
The ideal customer uses LinkedIn for work purposes
The ideal customer is active on LinkedIn, using it to post updates, find information and resources, or search for jobs
The ideal customer is a business professional
The ideal customer works in technology, business, marketing, engineering, or sales
The ideal customer owns their own business (small business owner)
The ideal customer is a business executive
If your business has a B2B product or service, chances are very great that LinkedIn is the best platform for you. LinkedIn is a great way to build connections, find potential customers who are already in the work state of mind, and be found organically.
If you are looking to choose LinkedIn as your primary social media presence, here are some statistics you should know.
Over 70% of leads are generated through LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the fastest growing platform for business-to-business paid ads
LinkedIn was built to encourage helpful, original content that is found easily by audiences with relevant interests
LinkedIn is the only platform where providing all of your personal, professional information is encouraged and rewarded with career opportunities
LinkedIn is highly resourceful when segmenting audiences by company characteristics rather than individual characteristics
If your business deals with other businesses in any way, or relies on business professionals to generate leads, a presence on LinkedIn will be crucial for your success.
Pinterest is the best social media platform for consumer products and services that are relevant to any of the following fields:
Fitness
Cooking
Home decor
Lifestyle trends
Wedding/party planning
Before deciding to use Pinterest, there are a few statistics you should be aware of.
Home decor and retail is the best performing industry for paid ads
Consistent engagement and sharing others content is favorable on this platform
Sharing ideas is the primary purpose of this platform
Value-based content that users find helpful is the only way businesses can see success
Females age 25 - 45 are most present on this platform
Consumers that value trends and home products are most prevalent on this platform
Consumer product brands are essentially the only businesses that find Pinterest timeworthy
If your business or ideal customer does not fit these characteristics, there is one more platform you should consider.
Twitter is most common for sharing ideas and opinions. It is most popular among those in the technology industry, but is used by industries all over.
Twitter is most popular among audiences with the following characteristics:
Consumers ages 18 to 35
Technology-oriented consumers
Consumers that rely on social media for news and information
Consumers that are highly engaged in sharing content
Consumers that are not necessarily loyal to brands, but very curious as to what brands have to say
Twitter is a tricky platform to use for business, as trends are changing every hour. It is very difficult to establish a presence on Twitter, as humorous content and helpful information are the two driving factors that encourage followers. It is hard to tell which brands will perform best on Twitter, but companies that are technology-oriented or have ideal customers that are interested in technology most often see the greatest success.
If none of the platforms mentioned here seem like the best fit for your business, you may want to spend some time looking around. Find your ideal customer on each platform and spend some time observing how they use it. If they consistently interact with and share content, chances are your presence on that platform could be beneficial. As long as you can find a way to publish relevant content for that platform, your ideal customers will jump at the opportunity to engage with your brand online.
