Our Take on the Top Social Media Channels

As society has increased reliance on technology as a means of connectivity, social media consumption has been on the rise. In 2019, there were approximately 2.95 billion people using social media. By 2023, this number is expected to increase to almost 3.43 billion.

These statistics present a huge opportunity for marketers to engage with target audiences across multiple platforms. Whether you are an experienced brand social media marketer, or a  small business owner looking to connect with customers, understanding the top social media sites can be helpful. Knowing the differences between social media sites allows for marketers to modify social media goals according to different platform audiences; thus, increasing correct audience engagement.

In this post, you will see information about 7 social media platforms that can be used to market a brand in line with objective type.

1. Facebook

Facebook is a user-friendly platform that allows many forms of content including text, images, videos, and stories. It is the largest social media site in the world with approximately 2.45 billion monthly active users. This huge number almost ensures most social media users will be on Facebook. Marketing on Facebook introduces a pretty sound platform to reach a wide audience.  

2. YouTube 

YouTube is the largest video-sharing platform available. Its monthly active users rival Facebook at 2 billion. Because YouTube users spend an average of 40 minutes watching content on the platform, there are many opportunities to engage your audience. YouTube is also the second largest search engine, which gives an opportunity to expand SEO capabilities. 

Content thought starters for your YouTube channel:

• Informational Tutorials
• Product Reviews + Testimonials
• A day in the life of one of your employees 

3. Instagram

Instagram is a platform that allows users to share photos, videos, stories, and live videos. It is one of the fastest growing social media platforms and reaches 1 billion monthly active users. Instagram is primarily app-based, but can be accessed on desktop browsers as well. Because of the highly visual nature of the platform, it is very well-liked among younger generations. The wide range of people accessing Instagram allows marketers to target specific audiences.

Content thought starters for your Instagram account:

• Product photos + potential uses
• Employee day in the life takeover
• Create a relevant company hashtag
• Repost customer photos using the product
• Behind the scenes photos of company/office

4. TikTok

TikTok is a newly-popular social media network that consists of short-form mobile videos. Although newly popular, it already has about 800 million monthly active users, making it larger than popular favorites, like Twitter and Pinterest. Influencer marketing on TikTok is rapidly rising in occurrence and is a good way to start establishing trust with consumers. TikTok has a very specific user demographic which enhances targeting capabilities.

Content thought starters for your TikTok channel:

• Host hashtag challenges for customers
• Influencer partnerships showcasing product
• Educational videos that speak to target audience (ex. Workout video)

5. Twitter  

Twitter is a social media platform that provides real-time information on trending topics. At 335 million monthly active users, it falls behind some of the other top social media sites in terms of scale. However, Twitter boasts a highly engaged user base, allowing marketers to increase conversion metrics. Something to keep in mind with Twitter is its limitations on character length. Because it allows less characters in tweets than other social media sites, messages need to be especially concise in length.

Content thought starters for your Twitter feed:

• Real time company updates
• Links to company blog posts + other media
• Company generated or user generated memes
• News from other sources related to the company or industry

6. Reddit 

Reddit is a social media site that acts as a news aggregator for users to submit questions, links and images from different sources. It is an interactive platform that allows users to discuss submissions and vote them up or down. With 330 million monthly active users, Reddit has a large community broken into dedicated forums. Marketers can target these dedicated forums to reach specific passionate and diverse communities.

Content thought starters for your Reddit channel:

• Upcoming event reminders
• Business calendar with charted company news
• Generate queries and suggestions with brand subreddit 

7. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional social media site that has 260 million monthly active users. It is most common among a B2B audience because of the industry experts that make up its vast audience. LinkedIn offers many forms of advertising, such as the ability to display ads, send personalized ads to LinkedIn inboxes, and boost content.

Content thought starters for your LinkedIn channel:

• Tutorials
• How-to guides
• Blog reposts
• Podcast links from companies in the same industry

Closing Thoughts

These are 7 of the most popular social media sites that marketers should consider including into their mix. While your first instinct may be to use the larger social media platforms with a wider reach, it is important to keep in mind your objective and determine which social media source your target user is most active on. Quality over quantity folks!