The Big 4 Social Media Platforms for Business
Where do you go when you want to get the word out to as many people as possible, as cost-effectively as possible? Social media. Because creating great content isn’t enough. You also need to promote that content, and the big four social media platforms, with users numbering in the billions, comprise the world’s largest audience.
Monthly users: ~875 million
LinkedIn is the place for B2B businesses. By some estimates, up to 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn. It’s the perfect channel for posting your original blog posts, graphics, and video content.
LinkedIn gives you direct access to decision-makers and historically high rates of success for B2B companies that use LinkedIn for marketing. It is also a great way to recruit quality staff with 52 million users looking for employment every week.
X (formerly Twitter)
Monthly users: ~320 million.
X (formerly Twitter) is great for curating your content — for instance, posting links to your recent blog posts and press releases. It’s also good for sharing company news. It’s especially effective during events — “live-tweeting” is a thing.
X is more forgiving of text-heavy posts. Yes, there is a character limit of 280, but witty one-liners, quotes, rants (presidential or otherwise) and even entire “Moments” (slideshow-like stories) are not uncommon on the platform. X also has a paid function in the form of “Promoted Tweets” that help extend your audience.
Monthly users: ~2.5 billion.
You can do a lot with Facebook: share company updates, post links to your new blog articles, create event pages, start user-generated content campaigns (such as social media contests), and much more. But video is king on this platform.
Video posts get about 60% more engagement on Facebook than any other type of content. Next in the pecking order is questions, followed by photos.
In general, the platform is very noisy. Point of fact: Facebook engagement for businesses has been declining for a few years now. It’s not a lost cause, though. Facebook has a huge audience and is still a great channel for posting links (with images) and videos.
Monthly users: ~ 2 billion
Instagram is all about visual branding. It’s a godsend for retailers, cafe owners, manufacturers, and anyone else with products and services that lend to visual demonstrations.
Additionally, Instagram users are relatively prolific. Its total monthly user count closely mirrors a total number of accounts, and of those monthly users, half are active every single day. Keep in mind that it’s particularly popular with Millennials and Gen-Z, and a highly valued social network for consumer brands. A B2B software company with a Gen-X and Baby Boomer audience may have better luck on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Other Social Media Platforms Worth Exploring
Ready to harness the power of social media for your business? Contact Black Raven AFC today and let us help you reach your target audience on the big 4 platforms!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January, 2020, and has been revised and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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