Did you know that 79% of the US population is active on at least one social media platform? And did you know that 74% of consumers rely on social networks to help with their purchasing decisions?
These statistics prove that social media is more than just a means of keeping in touch with family and friends. From free accounts to paid advertising, social media is believed to be one of the best tools for digital marketing and growing your small business.
But with so many options out there, the question is….
Which social medial shall you invest your time and money on?
And which of them is the best for your business?
Below you’ll find an overview of the top 5 social media sites for small business. Hopefully, it’ll help you decide. Let’s dig in!
Top Social Media Platforms for Small Business
1. Facebook
With over 2 billion people using the platform per month (that’s almost a third of the world’s population!), Facebook undoubtedly is the biggest and the most widely used social media site around. Whether it’s text, images, stories, or live videos – whatever the content format be, it’s easy to get started on the platform.
Unless you’re a CBD, tobacco, or vaping company (or specialize in a few more delicate industries), you can reach your target audience using paid ads. You can target them by gender, age, employment, interests, relationship status, and so much more. You will need an advertising budget to target your audience, but many small businesses see significant ROI in no time.
The platform is home to many ‘groups’ where people with specific interests get together. This is beneficial if you own a niche business. Facebook can direct you to an entire group of potential customers. In this group, you can interact with your clients and spark conversations to leave a memorable mark.
Having said that, Facebook facilitates a wide range of topics and interests. So, this makes it one of the best social media platforms for a small business like yours.
2. Instagram
Instagram is a visual platform with over 500 million users daily, primarily millennials, teens, and women.
The platform allows you to share content through videos, photos, and stories. Not so long ago, it also launched IGTV for long-form videos. It’s an excellent medium for brands to show their products, voice, and values. It’s considered a valuable tool for lead generation. That’s because people remember 80% of what they see as opposed to what they hear or read.
On the platform, you can optimize your videos and photos for shopping. This can lead potential buyers directly to your store. Moreover, businesses have the option to adopt influencer marketing or brand ambassadors to spread the word about their products or services.
Facebook owns Instagram, and so has the same robust extensive user base and advertising platform. However, unlike Facebook, on Instagram, you can grow your followers organically, making the platform an affordable option for businesses with limited or no advertising budget.
3. Pinterest
Imagine a corkboard where you could collect various ideas, recipes, DIY tutorials, or cutouts from magazines. Well, that’s Pinterest in a nutshell.
Does your business fall within a creative industry such as home decor, food, photography, travel, and fashion? Why? Because Pinterest is a great tool for visually appealing businesses that offer products or services that people wish to own or experience or that inspire them.
The platform has over 200 million active users. Out of them, about half are women between the ages of 25 and 54. On average, Pinterest gives a $2 to $4.3 return for every $1 spent on ads. Due to that, it a less expensive and more profitable advertising platform than Facebook or Twitter.
On Pinterest, you can use paid ads to boost your reach. Or you can also plan your content based on popular keywords that are searched a lot on Pinterest without using extra advertising budget.
4. Twitter
With over 300 million active users monthly, Twitter is mainly suited for younger audiences. You can post videos, photos, and 280-character captions. But what makes this social media platform unique is its strong emphasis on real-time updates and information.
Twitter is a public platform, and so are its one to one interactions. This means that when customers have queries or feedback, they can tweet to the business directly without having to use the traditional support channels or opening different chat windows.
Furthermore, the company can respond to any negative comments and feedback quickly before things go out of control. As a result, due to its effectiveness, more than 80% of social customer service requests take place on Twitter.
Like Instagram and Pinterest, the platform’s use of hashtags is an excellent social media platform for finding consumers searching for something your small business offers, and vice versa!
Through a string of ‘re-tweets,’ your content can go viral and reach millions of people in no time.
5. LinkedIn
With over 300 million monthly active users, LinkedIn is considered to be a social media platform for businesses. People don’t go to Linkedin for online shopping or entertainment; instead, they log in to learn more about their industry, to network, and to promote business-related content.
So this platform is perfect for B2B companies, high profile professionals, and niches. It is not suitable for gimmicky large-scale marketing campaigns.
In terms of campaign functions, the platform is not as advanced as Facebook, but if your business is dependent upon targeting specific job titles and enterprises, then LinkedIn will give you the details you need. Keep in mind though that LinkedIn paid advertising is much more expensive than, for instance paid advertising Facebook, so be ready to allocate a larger advertising budget.
Now, It’s Your Turn to Get Social
Regardless of the size of the social media site, what’s important is to research where your brand’s target audience is active and which one is best social media for your small business and its unique needs.
Until you don’t actually start advertising, you won’t know for sure which one is best for you, so don’t hesitate to test various settings, styles, and types of content to figure out what your target customers like best.
And, if you’ve got time, don’t hesitate to look at other social media platforms that are not on this list, such as Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
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