With social platforms rising and falling every day, how do you know which will remain for the long haul?
Further to that question…how do you know which social platforms will provide the best chance of increasing revenue for your business?
It doesn’t make sense for businesses to try to manage them all, but an active presence on one or two well-chosen platforms can significantly boost a business’s online presence, brand recognition, and lead generation rates.
The key word for business is results. How do you know which platform will get you the best results? After all, every conversation on social media is kind of like having another salesperson working for your company. Except unlike selling over the phone or in person where the strategy shifts in real time based on the conversation, words do not change. Consider this: representing your business online requires a very different skill set than selling, yet both job roles strive to accomplish the same result…generating a qualified lead, converting the lead into a customer, and then delighting them so much that you actually create an evangelist. We took a detailed look at the top five social media sites, and broke it down by usage, demographics, and best-performing content to help you begin to formulate (or refine!) your digital marketing and sales strategy.
Facebook: The Largest and most recognized
Everyone knows Facebook. The social media giant remains the most popular platform, far outperforming any other sites or apps. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, 72 percent of adult internet users are on Facebook or 62 percent of the entire population.
Who’s on Facebook?
People of all ages use Facebook. The highest percentage of Facebook’s users are 18 to 29 years old, although of Americans age 65 years and older, 48 percent are using Facebook to stay connected with family and friends.
There’s no significant difference in usage across household income level, level of education, or location – users are spread evenly across urban, suburban, and rural locations.
What Content Performs Best?
Many users visit Facebook at least once a day, so posting once or twice a day is ideal. Just about any business can succeed on Facebook, after all, it’s still the largest social network in the world. There’s an extremely wide range of well-performing content on Facebook, from strictly promotional business pages that only inform followers of business changes, to fun, entertaining content designed to engage page visitors.
Facebook is designed for easy conversation. A Facebook page is an easy way for consumers to talk directly with a business, so keep an eye on your inbox. Facebook aims to foster “meaningful social connections” between family and friends over business posts, and not surprisingly to us, the ROI on Facebook’s paid ads program is still the most comprehensive of all platforms. Yes, it’s true. We run omni-channel campaigns day in and day out. We know digital better than most, and number’s don’t lie! Although LinkedIn’s audience targeting has gotten much better in the past year, Facebook is still leading the pack in digital lead generation compared to the other social networks.
The ROI on Facebook’s paid ads program is still the most comprehensive of all platforms.
Twitter: The Microblogger
Twitter may portray itself the world’s second most popular platform, but in truth, Twitter is both news oriented and the least-used social media site on our list. The once-rising microblogging platform is full of off-the-cuff comments and political rants. But Twitter also provides easy access to celebrities, big brands, and public figures. Direct messaging another user is simple, whether it’s a conversation between friends or a business engaging with a potential customer.
Even though Twitter’s usage has fallen below other platforms in recent years, some industries perform exceptionally well on Twitter. Many authors, editors, and publishers thrive on Twitter, but your industry doesn’t have to be focused on words to have a strong Twitter strategy.
Who’s on Twitter?
Roughly 23 percent of adult internet users are on Twitter. The median age is young, with 32 percent of those aged 18 to 29 percent active on the platform. Interestingly, Twitter has a diverse user population, with 28 percent of both Hispanic and African-American populations tweeting, and 20 percent of white Americans.
Unlike most social media platforms, Twitter has more men than women, with 25 percent of men on Twitter and 21 percent of women. The site also tends to draw a greater percentage of urban users (30%) over those in rural locations (15%).
What Content Performs Best?
Twitter is all about brevity. While the new limit is 280 characters per tweet, short and snappy tweets still perform well. Keep it brief and focus on only one topic per Tweet. But for longer content, tweet threads are perfectly acceptable – just post your related tweets as comments under your original.
You should post multiple times a day to be successful on Twitter, so don’t be shy about retweeting other posts or quoting and adding your own commentary. Any type of business can be successful on Twitter, as long as you know your target audience is using the platform.
LinkedIn: The Professional
For traditional networking gone online, try LinkedIn. The career-focused platform functions as a resume, job board, and networking event all in one. You can think of it as Facebook for professionals.
Although the vast majority of users are employed, LinkedIn is a virtual hub for job seekers and recruiters. B2B businesses also take advantage of LinkedIn’s features to find leads and clients. Interested in starting the conversation about how to generate leads for your business using LinkedIn’s detailed audience targeting? Click here to book a free, 15-minute telephone consultation with one of our Digital Media Strategists!
Who’s on LinkedIn?
A quarter of adult internet users are on LinkedIn. Like Twitter, LinkedIn’s demographics include more men than women, although only slightly with those numbers being 26 and 25 percent respectively. LinkedIn users are more likely to have completed at least one college degree, with 46 percent of college-educated adults using the platform, but only 9 percent of those at a high school education or lower.
Since it’s built for working professionals, LinkedIn draws a slightly older crowd. The 30 to 49 age group has the most presence on LinkedIn at 32 percent, followed by the 50 to 64 age range at 26 percent. Users aged 18 to 29 years make up 22 percent of the population, while only 12 percent of those 65 and up use LinkedIn.
What Content Performs Best?
LinkedIn is the least likely to be used every day, so posting only two to four times a week is reasonable. Share company information, job openings, and career-related articles with your audience on LinkedIn. Since the platform is focused on networking, forming connections with people is just as important as posting content.
Form connections with people you know in the real world and interact with them. Endorse skills listed on their profiles or write recommendations for people you’ve worked with. While you may manage a company profile, being active as an individual user is far more important. Since your job title is displayed prominently in all your posts, leaders and employees take on the role of representing their company.
Instagram: The Photographer
Instagram is visually driven platform that has risen to surprising popularity. The app is now owned by Facebook and has become the second largest social media platform with over 800 million users. Instagram is known for its carefully edited photos of travel destinations, food, and fashion. Its wide selection of filters and extensive photo- and video-editing options helps users create images that are instantly ready to post.
Who’s on Instagram?
Out of all adult internet users in the US, 28 percent are on Instagram. Women are far more likely to be active on the platform with 31 percent of women and 24 percent of men on the app. Like Twitter, Instagram is popular with a diverse crowd: 47 percent of African-Americans use it, followed by 38 percent of the Latino-Americans and 21 percent of white Americans.
People use Instagram consistently across various education levels and household income brackets. Urban users are more likely to use Instagram, with usage at 32 percent, than rural populations, which came in at only 18 percent.
What Content Performs Best?
Instagram is especially well-suited to food, fashion, and anything that has a strong visual component. Luxury brands to everyday lifestyle brands perform well. Choose your content carefully and edit in a consistent manner to draw an audience on Instagram. You may even consider choosing or creating your own filter for posts.
Don’t forget about additional features, like videos which can now be up to 60 seconds long, and Stories, a Snapchat-like feature that allows users to post raw, behind-the-scenes-type content that disappears after 24 hours. When posting on Instagram, aim to post a new piece of content once a day, whether it’s an image or a Story.
Pinterest: The Collector
Pinterest may have an audience similar to Instagram’s, but its features are vastly different. Pinterest allows users to collect content from across the internet and store it as “pins.” Users categorize pins into different “boards” such as recipes, baby shower, or wedding plans. Think of Pinterest as a vision board crossed with a to-do list.
Who’s on Pinterest?
Roughly 31 percent adult internet users use Pinterest. And Pinterest usage has doubled since 2012. This platform is very heavily skewed toward women, so men’s brands should focus their attention elsewhere. In 2015, 44 percent of women used Pinterest and only 16 percent of men. Pinterest is the only social media platform on our list that’s more popular in the suburbs than urban areas. The breakdown is 34 percent suburban, 31 percent rural, and last, 26 percent urban.
What Content Performs Best?
Think Instagram’s audience, but move beyond images. Pinterest posts often link to helpful recipes and DIY guides. Other popular categories include lifestyle, interior design, travel, and art. You can choose to use the long, vertical images typical of Pinterest posts. Or now, you can branch out and pin gifs or even videos.
Like Twitter, you should post (or “pin”) multiple times a day on Pinterest. Pinterest is all about saving and sharing content. In addition to posting your own content, you should “pin” and share others’ content into your boards. Well-curated boards receive attention from other users, who may then follow your pins.
Consider your target demographic and match it up against these social media profiles. Which one does your industry connect with best? Tweet us @LaunchDM!
