
If you're wondering what the best social media platforms for business are, then you're in the right place to learn where your company should be getting social
No matter if you are starting your own business or part of a marketing team for a larger company, social media is something you need to consider. There are pros and cons to certain platforms and a variety of tools available that may or may not help your business grow. While you don’t need to be on every single platform (who has time or the team for that!?), if you’re wondering what the best social media platforms for business are, keep reading.
What are the best social media platforms for business?
With the number of social media platforms growing year after year, it’s hard to know where to focus your energies online. You really need to narrow down what you’re hoping to get from your presence on social. Are you looking for e-commerce leads? A booking function? Somewhere to share your amazing content? Or are you looking to engage your potential audience in conversations? Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll find it easier to decide which social media platforms to utilise.
1. Facebook
Number of users: Over 2.3 billion monthly
Age range of users: 18-65+ with largest range of users 30-49
Functionality: Desktop and mobile app
Tools: Business Page, Posts, Ads, Stories, Live, Events, Messaging, Bookings, E-commerce
Best for: All businesses
Ahhh… Facebook. This is one of the most popular social media platforms for businesses across the board for a number of reasons. For startups, Facebook makes it easy to grow a following with its invite friends function. It’s clear interface also makes it easy for users to see vital information such as contact number, address, and event information.
For businesses such as hair salons, restaurants, and dentists, there are options to book appointments. The direct messaging function also makes it easy for users to interact with your business (just be sure to answer those messages ASAP to get a good message return ranking.)
E-commerce businesses can sell products on the platform in a variety of ways, and there are functions for live videos, advertising, and more.
While Facebook may not be as popular as it used to be, we think it’s still a great place to have a business page, as many people use it as a search engine. You can also connect a widget with a link out from your website so that people can easily follow you there for your latest news and information.
2. Instagram
Number of users: Over 1 billion monthly
Age range of users: 13-65+ with largest range of users 18-34
Functionality: Mobile app and desktop for view only
Tools: Business Page, Posts, Ads, Stories, Live, IGTV, Reels, Messaging, Bookings, E-commerce, Highlights, Questions, Polls
Best for: All businesses, particularly those with visual content
Let’s be honest. We’re a digital marketing agency with no epic pictures of exotic places to share on Instagram, but that doesn’t mean we’re not there. While IG is essentially a photo app, when used correctly, it can be a great place to grow awareness of your brand.
Offering a myriad of functions, including IG stories and more recently Reels (the platform’s take on TikTok), this is a fast-moving place loved by the 18-34 demographic.
There are some unique strategies for engaging and growing followers on Instagram, such as curating a feed, hashtag research, and being social on the platform, so don’t think that just posting pretty pictures is enough.
For people looking to be the face of their brand, tools such as IGTV and stories can help you really interact with your followers. For businesses looking to do this, the same tools are great places to showcase your services, offer Q&A sessions, and even host interviews.
As Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same company, there is a lot of crossover (you can connect your accounts and publish IG posts and stories to FB for example) and you can even advertise on both platforms through your advertising manager on Facebook.
3. LinkedIn
Number of users: Over 700 million
Age range of users: 18-65 with largest range of users 30-49
Functionality: Desktop, Mobile, App
Tools: Business Page, Posts, Ads, Messaging, Groups, Polls
Best for: All businesses
LinkedIn is the place where professionals hang out online to get social. This is where some really juicy conversations are had and it’s a great place to grow a following both for yourself and for your business. In fact, we’ve already written an article on how to grow your business on LinkedIn so be sure to take a look.
While it may not have all the tools to showcase your company’s gorgeous photos and videos in real time, we think it’s important to have a LinkedIn Business Page for a number of reasons. Yes, you can share posts about what your company has been working on, but it’s much more than that. Your employees can also list you as their employer which gives credibility to your services. On top of that, you can list job openings, invite people you know to follow you, and a number of analytics are available to you too.
If your business is in its beginning stages, then we get that it’s difficult to manage a bunch of social media pages. If you at least set up a business page on LinkedIn then it’s another social link you can use on your website and it also helps with SEO.
4. YouTube
Number of monthly users: Over 2 billion monthly
Age range of users: 18-65+ with largest range of users 18-49
Functionality: Desktop, mobile, and App
Tools: Business Page, Video Categories, Ads
Best for: All businesses
There’s no denying that video is a beloved resource worldwide, but should your business be using it to drive sales? The answer is undoubtedly: yes. YouTube quickly became popular after its launch in 2005, proving that people want to see dynamic content online. The platform is not only the place to watch video content, but is also used by many as a search engine in its own right.
There are a few different ways that businesses can harness the power of YouTube. Entrepreneurs and Influencers can create their own review or demonstration videos relatively easily and have a channel where people subscribe.
For more high definition products, engaging professionals to craft videos about your business, interviews with staff members/clients, or demonstrations can work well. You can then cross promote these in your newsletters and on other social media platforms.
You can also experiment with the advertising function of YouTube to increase brand awareness in any regions you are trying to reach.
5. Pinterest
Number of monthly users: Over 300 million
Age range of users: 18-65+ with largest range of users 30-49
Functionality: Desktop and mobile
Tools: Business Page, Pins, Ads, E-commerce
Best for: E-commerce and businesses with physical products or engaging visual content
Loved by users across the globe, Pinterest is the place to go when looking for visual inspo. Users can create their own pinboards to save photos and videos into categories such as house renovation, wedding, travel, or anything else they can dream of. So if you have a business with lots of great imagery then you should consider using Pinterest.
In terms of advertising, the manager is similar to Facebook ads. You choose a goal (brand awareness, traffic etc.) and then it gets served to potential users across the site. Definitely something to think about if your business is product-based.
6. Twitter
Number of monthly users: Over 330 million
Age range of users: 18-65+ with largest range of users 18-29
Functionality: Mobile with desktop view
Tools: Business Page, Tweets, Ads, Live, Messaging
Best for: All businesses
Twitter is hugely popular and a good place to start conversations. It’s interesting to see that the top five countries for usage in 2020 are: United States, Japan, India, Brazil and the UK, so if you are based in other regions, you may not see as much reach or engagement here when it comes to growing your business.
The idea of the platform was to allow commentary in just 280 characters or less. As such, it’s become a platform for political debate, social movements, comedians and celebrities, and more. Twitter is a text-based social media platform, so if you’re looking to showcase beautiful visuals and videos, this isn’t really the place for you.
Many larger businesses use Twitter to engage directly with their clients, and many users see it as the perfect place to call out companies directly. What it can be useful for as a smaller business is following journalists and media companies that you hope to engage with to see what kind of content they are producing or are on the lookout for.
Is Twitter the best social media platform for business? Some people in the SEO community hold the belief that a linked Twitter account helps a website’s Google ranking, though this is denied by the search engine. Whether or not you launch on the platform really depends on where you are based and what you are hoping to achieve through your conversations there.
7. TikTok
Number of monthly users: Over 800 million
Age range of users: 13-65+ with largest range of users 18-34
Functionality: Mobile app
Tools: Business Page, Videos, Ads, E-commerce
Best for: Businesses targeting users aged 13-34
TikTok is kind of controversial and who knows what will happen worldwide with this popular app out of China. But, for now we can say that it’s growth since launching worldwide in 2018 has been pretty phenomenal.
The app lets users and businesses create short videos that go out to followers. There are loads of fun/funny challenges, dance moves, and celebrities doing workouts etc. Similar to Instagram, it’s a good place to gain followers if you are an Entrepreneur or an Influencer.
Some larger brands and companies such as the ASOS, Nike, and multiple media platforms have also had success on the channel as it’s a great way to engage potential customers with new products, less high-def videos, and behind the scenes vids.
The big thing will be deciding if it’s worth focussing resources here if there is a chance of the platform being shut down in your location.
8. WeChat/Weixin
Number of monthly users: Over 1.2 billion
Age range of users: 19-95+ with largest range of users 25-35
Functionality: Mobile app or desktop
Tools: Business Page, Posts, Ads, Stories, Live, Events, Messaging, Bookings, E-commerce
Best for: All businesses
WeChat, or Weixin as it is known in China where it originated, is an app that pretty much allows you to do everything. This is where users can chat, call, go shopping, pay bills, play games, or book ride shares.
2020 has seen the app banned in countries such as USA, and India, but with its huge reach in China (many people have more than one account), a number of businesses have seen success on the platform.
With a WeChat business account, E-commerce businesses can set up a store within the platform, banner ads can be placed, as well as Moments ads too. As links out to website are not allowed, Mini Programs allow you to essentially develop your own app within WeChat to engage your audience. This is definitely a good option to consider for those looking to move into the China market.