Social media platforms have become crucial tools for any modern digital marketer. And while everyone knows that social media marketing is a must, deciding which combination of platforms to focus on for growth can be a challenge for even the most seasoned marketing team.
In an effort to better understand the constantly shifting social media landscape, we recently asked our community of marketing professionals for their thoughts and expert insights on this topic.
Our experts weighed in on:
- The benefits of social media marketing for small businesses
- The types of posts that work best on the most popular platforms
- The strengths and weaknesses of different social media platforms
- How to decide which platforms work best for social media marketing
- And more
Let’s get into it, but first, we’ll take a quick moment to set the table for our discussion.
What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing (SMM) campaigns allow marketing experts to build brand awareness, increase inbound traffic to a website or landing page, and maximize profitability across social platforms and apps.
How does social media marketing benefit small businesses?
Small businesses and startup entrepreneurs rely on the social proof and marketing reach that social media platforms provide.[1] Being active on these platforms provides low- to no-cost access to what customers are saying about your business and actionable data to structure well-defined target audiences.
Social media platforms also offer affordable advertising solutions, accessible methods for communicating promotions and new product launches, and a way to market directly to potential customers through mobile applications. The challenge many small businesses have, then, isn’t whether to advertise on social media, but rather on which platforms to focus their efforts.
What social media platforms are most effective for marketing?
Small businesses can advertise across an almost infinite combination of social media platforms in order to ideally reach their well-defined target audiences.[2]
The segment of professionals in our community that specialize in B2B marketing unsurprisingly suggested that the most valuable social platforms are those that allow them to connect with other businesses and professionals.
“As a B2B marketing firm, we absolutely love LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the best social media marketing platform when it comes to being able to identify and target your ideal customer persona. Traffic coming from Meta has become much more faceless whereas we can identify the perfect target on LinkedIn based on the company profiles and job roles/titles.” —Robb Fahrion, Partner and Co-Founder, Flying V Group
Despite ongoing security and privacy concerns leading to its use being restricted or banned by government entities,[3] TikTok remains a strong advertising platform for commercial and private entities. Because of its popularity with Millennials and Gen Z, TikTok should be a priority for companies looking to leverage live video and short recorded video content as well as educational content to attract new customers.
“TikTok is one of the top channels to focus your organic marketing on. This is due to it pushing its new creators on the platform stronger than any other platform algorithm. This will allow you to reach your audience locally at a lower cost to you than running social media ads. Alternatively, the best platform to run ads on for a locally based business is going to be Facebook and Instagram. This is due to its targeting and internal algorithm to find your exact target audience based on your ad performance. However, it’s important to be aware that your creative efforts are going to be the foundation for this optimization. So if your creative doesn’t speak to your audience right away, the Meta algorithm won’t know who to show your ads to.” —Fabian Omerah, Co-Owner, Social Influenc.
Because there are so many options for businesses to choose from when it comes to social media platforms, choosing the right platforms upon which to market can be tricky.
Many of our experts encourage small business owners to focus on building a social media marketing strategy spread across the platforms that make the most sense for their brand. The exact mix is less important than ensuring that you maintain a presence across your social media accounts.
“There really is no standard answer for the question of which social media platform is most effective, as every business should evaluate all the social channels based on their specific marketing strategy. However, I will advise that you don’t discount social media. Social platforms are quickly becoming more important than search because your prospects are using social media more and getting used to seeing relevant content served up to them without them having to search for it.” —Mike Lieberman, CEO, Square 2
Which social media channels should marketers avoid?
While our experts do advise business owners to integrate social media marketing into their overall marketing strategy, they caution against jumping in too early on the bandwagon of new platforms that haven’t had time to establish themselves in a meaningful way.
“Avoid anything brand new, particularly if you are a small business marketer. Don’t spend time on a platform that hasn’t proven longevity. Examples: Clubhouse and Threads. Both came on the scene with a BANG, then went precisely nowhere as users realized they didn’t have time for yet another platform. Stick to what you know.” —Channing Muller, Principal, DCM Communications
Incorporating any social media platform into your marketing strategy requires a significant investment of time and effort. While often relatively affordable, the advertising costs can add up across multiple platforms and it’s important that you’re able to track and assess the return on your investment.
“You should avoid any social media channel that is hard to track from an ROI perspective. Time is precious and should be spent on things that are working.”—Jake Lett, Marketing Consultant, Bootstrap Creative
While our community of marketing professionals fell short of unanimously disavowing any specific social media platforms, most agreed that every business needs to choose the right platforms for its unique business model and target audience.
“I don’t believe there are any you should outright avoid. Consider your audience and your message. Find platforms that allow you to connect with your audience and where you can easily communicate your expertise and authority in the industry, build trust, and share your message. Social media is not a one-size-fits-all solution. You must understand your target audience enough to know where they are and how to communicate with them.” —Carolyn Cummins, Business Coach for Digital Marketing and Social Media, Santosha Solutions
How to choose the right social media platform to market on
Social media marketing isn’t much different from your overall marketing strategy when it comes to strategic execution. As a business leader who is responsible for your organization’s marketing voice, you have to decide what your overall goals are and how a given social platform supports those business needs.
“When advising clients on which platforms to include in their social media marketing, we discuss three important considerations. First, what are their goals for social media? Second, what’s their target audience and market segment? Finally, what assets can the social media platform offer? Every platform boasts different features and can be used in very different ways.” —Kymber Heinze, Director of Social Media, SmartSites
Each of these components should have equal weight in your marketing strategy. Even so, choosing the right mix of social media platforms can be a daunting undertaking, as creating a well-established profile for your target audience depends on your marketing goals and what you’re looking to accomplish.
“Decide who your target audience is and what you wish to accomplish using social media channels. For example, try to have an answer to the question, ‘What is your goal?’ Are you trying to create awareness? Are you selling using social media channels as social commerce platforms? Or is your goal to build social proof? Is your product targeted toward high school and university students? Parents? Corporates? Baby Boomers? Having a strong understanding of this is critical in deciding which channels are best for your SMB.” —Kunal Desai, CEO, Branding And Promo
While you should have a diverse presence across multiple platforms, you shouldn’t try to establish a presence on each and every platform just to have a presence. Be intentional and targeted about which platforms you choose, with focus placed primarily on engagement with your audience.
“When choosing social media channels, we see better results choosing a few instead of many. The key is to target where your customers are most active and openly engaging. For example, if your target market is other businesses, you’ll see far better results spending your marketing budget on LinkedIn, despite many businesses having a presence on Facebook. As a B2B service provider, your success on LinkedIn will stem from the fact that active professionals on the platform are more likely to be open to services and or products that will potentially improve their business or get them ahead. On Facebook, a professional is likely there to engage their prospects, not your services.” —Francis John, Growth Strategies & Client/Patient Acquisition Specialist, SAJMedia Website And Marketing
Strengths and weaknesses of popular social media platforms
Each of the established social media platforms comes with its own unique mix of benefits and drawbacks. Below, we’ve broken down the strengths and weaknesses of some of the most popular platforms to give business owners an idea of the various benefits and drawbacks they should be considering.
TikTok
This platform facilitates the sharing of short-form videos. It claims upwards of 1 billion international users.[4]
- Strengths include a popularity with younger demographics and a no- to low-cost solution for creating video marketing content that can reach a wide audience.
- Weaknesses include little ability to track ROI and effectiveness of content and no traditional advertising channels. Privacy concerns have also limited the scope of TikTok’s use or accessibility.
Facebook (Meta)
Social platform with roughly 2.5 billion active users.[4] An early entrant into the social media sphere, Facebook has grown in popularity with multiple demographic groups and an older user base than other platforms. Facebook content is typically a mix of visual and traditional long- and short-form content.
- Strengths include a massive global reach and suitability for both B2B and B2C engagement. Integrates well with other advertising platforms, like Google, and is considered to have one of the strongest sets of tools for audience targeting.
- Weaknesses include its popularity with older generations, necessitating additional targeting and compartmentalization of marketing efforts. The platform requires a constant flow of content and has been known to change the visibility of ad content in user newsfeeds regularly, necessitating constant review and revision of marketing efforts.
Instagram (Meta)
Instagram is Facebook’s visual media channel. It allows content creators to share videos and visual content accompanied by short targeted text content. It’s an ideal platform for influencers and content creators to leverage affiliate marketing campaigns, and users rely heavily upon the honesty and authenticity made possible by the format of profiles and posts.
- Strengths include access to the same powerful targeting tools available through Facebook advertising. Instagram is popular with younger demographics and pairs affiliate marketing with visual branding, two of the most powerful advertising methods.
- Weaknesses include difficulty in generating organic traffic. Instagram is just as heavily reliant upon regular content posting as Facebook, which can be a time-consuming and costly undertaking.
YouTube
This Google-owned video-hosting service is one of the web’s most popular websites. Video content is accompanied by targeted ad content and can be used to promote products and services as well as educate and inform consumers.
- Strengths include strong targeting tools and integration into Google’s search engine and ad platform. Recent advertising model changes on the platform have made YouTube a preferred solution for influencers and affiliate marketers.
- Weaknesses as a marketing tool include the costs associated with video production. Advertising on YouTube faces several barriers to access users, including the propensity of users on the platform to use ad blockers.
X (formerly Twitter)
Recently rebranded as X, the mixed-content social platform is currently in a state of flux that makes it difficult to gauge future feasibility as a content marketing platform. In its current state, the platform offers users direct access to decision-makers and consumers.
- Strengths include its strength as a lead generation platform and the access it provides to highly engaged decision-makers. X provides strong marketing opportunities for both B2B and B2C companies.
- Weaknesses lie in the speed at which content is generated and falls off of users’ feeds, creating a lack of evergreen content. It’s also difficult for users to generate organic traffic, and advertising is an expensive undertaking on the platform.
B2C businesses should be leveraging the same platforms in different ways
To reach consumers directly, B2C-focused businesses should be leveraging the powerful targeting tools of Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, as these platforms facilitate direct consumer interaction. YouTube and TikTok are also powerful direct marketing tools, where consumers are already searching for retail and consumer products.
Etsy and Pinterest are great examples of B2C social media platforms useful for small business owners and individuals looking to grow their businesses. These social commerce platforms operate largely as surrogate eCommerce platforms supporting and feeding inbound marketing funnels.
Tips for choosing a social media channel to focus on
When planning out your social media marketing campaigns, it’s vital to decide how you’re going to focus your efforts around the channels that will best support your business. This decision is one that requires significant research on the back end.
“Do your research, figure out your business goals, and truly get to know your target audience. Then, see what social media aligns with what you’ve found, and create content that they would be interested in. Starting out with something simple is better than putting it off in an effort to create the perfect campaign. Remember, it’s all about connecting with your community, not about things like going viral or having a flawless feed.” —Anna Ritchie, Co-Founder, jo + leigh marketing
If you don’t have an experienced marketing professional on staff, then it’s integral to turn to an agency or consultant in order to best leverage social media in your marketing efforts.
“Having run an agency that specializes in social media management, it’s clear to me that these platforms are becoming increasingly complex. My advice to marketers and SMB owners is to either put aside some serious learning time or find a good digital marketing agency that has tried and tested strategies you can rely on, thus saving yourself a serious amount of marketing budget on experimentation.” —Roy Dovaston, Managing Director, Heavyweight Digital
Whether you’re handling engagement on social media yourself or outsourcing through a third-party service provider, social media success depends on your ability to come across as human and authentic. Trust can only be built on these platforms through honest engagement.
“Find the conversations about your market(s) and participate like a human being. People mostly trust peers, not experts. Also, don’t forget that trust and attention are scarce, so direct channels such as email, text, direct messages, and other methods of client outreach remain important.” —Ryan Hanser, President, Hanser & Associates
A strong social media strategy should be a part of your overall marketing strategy
As the social media experts made clear, the integration of social media marketing into your overall marketing strategy can be a complicated endeavor. It’s important to ensure that you either have a trained marketing professional on staff, or that you work closely with a social media marketing provider to support your social media marketing efforts.
Sources
- 15 Benefits of Social Media Marketing, Adobe Experience Cloud
- Target Audience: How to Find Yours, HubSpot
- Which Countries Have Banned TikTok?, Mashable
- Most popular social networks worldwide as of October 2023, ranked by number of monthly active users, Statista