Marketers commonly use social media to increase brand sensation, generate leads, and improve traffic. If y'all're tasked with starting a social media strategy for your company, you might exist wondering which type of platforms y'all should be on. Your platform choice will likely alter based on your audition.

What is Social Media Used For?

Individuals use social media to express themselves, hash out their interests, connect with friends, and grow their careers. Different social media platforms are used for specific purposes. For example, expressing inventiveness is most common on TikTok or Instagram; promoting i'southward career is common on LinkedIn.

The list of social media platforms is growing, and well-known platforms similar Facebook are always evolving and adding new features. With a greater and greater need for a social presence and an overwhelming amount of platform choices, it can be hard to pick which social channels to use.

You might not desire to spread yourself also thin past managing a channel on every imaginable platform, just you also don't want to miss great brand-awareness opportunities.

To help you make informed decisions nigh which platforms to utilize, this post will guide you through some of the core types of social media, examples of platforms inside each category, and the pros and cons that each type might present. Past the terminate, y'all should accept a much clearer idea of what kind of social media strategy volition work for your business.

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Social Networking

Examples of Major Platforms

  • Facebook: 2.6 billion monthly active users
  • Twitter: 166 one thousand thousand daily active users
  • LinkedIn: 160 meg users in the U.S. alone

Social networking is peradventure the almost traditional grade of social media.

Platforms similar Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are often called "networking" platforms because they permit user accounts to collaborate with each other in a variety of different means.

Professional Uses

If you're a minor business, like a eating house, a platform like Facebook could be a great place to outset your social strategy. With Facebook, you can build a business organization profile that includes links to your website and details about your menu.

Once your profile is all set up, y'all tin post regular updates about your concern, "similar" other pages, and reply client post comments or messages. Business organization profiles also allow other Facebook users to give you reviews.

For companies looking to offer a professional service, B2B or publishing companies, LinkedIn is some other great way to grow your following. LinkedIn emphasizes career-related networking.

Brands looking to build an audience of professionals from a certain industry can create a concern profile at that place, categorize it with an industry type, and then use posts and messaging to publish updates. They can also use messaging and annotate features to interact with their audiences, or users who annotate on their posts.

A Twitter account could exist helpful to companies in a wide spectrum of industries, from entertainment to due east-commerce. This platform similarly allows you lot to create a profile where y'all can list and link company information.

You can so use Twitter to mail nearly visitor updates, tag companies or customers in posts, retweet positive client tweets, and reply to customer questions via tweet or straight letters. Similar Facebook, y'all tin besides post content like photos or videos.

On all three networks, users can easily communicate with others through unproblematic deportment like tagging, hashtagging, commenting, private messaging, reacting to posts, and re-sharing content.

Aside from social interaction, newsfeeds on mutual social networking platforms are designed to show off a mix of text and visuals, rather than ane master content blazon.

This flexibility makes social networking platforms easy to begin a social strategy on because you lot can experiment with different forms of content before branching out to platforms that require more than specific content types.

Here'south an example of Facebook's newsfeed:

Facebook newsfeed

For those who want to dabble in video or graphics, these platforms could exist a great identify to test this new content. With the growth of video marketing, many have begun to launch more than advanced features similar Facebook Stories and Twitter's live streams.

Platforms like Facebook and Twitter have also started to encourage native video and photograph uploads more heavily. Recently, Facebook even adjusted its algorithms to favor alive video and image uploads. This has acquired these types of native content to gain greater user appointment.

If you're still not sure where to get started, bank check out our beginner's guides for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are some of the nearly prominently used forms of social media
  • Social networking sites often integrate with scheduling tools like HubSpot, Hootsuite, and TweetDeck software
  • All platforms accept capabilities for photo and video.

Cons

  • Those interested in simply posting links may have a harder fourth dimension getting engagement than those uploading photo and video.
  • Some platforms, like Facebook, put individual user posts higher than concern posts in newsfeeds.

Photo Sharing

Examples of Major Platforms

  • Instagram: i billion monthly active users
  • Pinterest: 367 million monthly active users

Two of the biggest platforms that specialize in photo sharing are Instagram and Pinterest.

Instagram offers a visual feed with posts showing photos and brusk videos followed by a caption. Users can likewise post live video or create Instagram Stories that disappear afterward one day. Similar the social networking platforms above, users tin can interact with others through tags, likes, comments, or direct message.

Professional Uses

This platform would be helpful to companies like restaurants or stores that desire to photo and display and update followers nigh their food, goods, or products in a crisp, clean way.

Instagram has get a domicile to influencer marketing, as 93% of influencer campaigns took place on the platform in 2018. It also offers opportunities for advertising and ecommerce because of its highly-visual layout.

Unlike some social platforms, Instagram emphasize visuals and doesn't let link sharing directly in posts. Basic users on Instagram can only share links in their bio. Verified users, or accounts with over 10,000 followers, tin postal service links in their Stories.

To show you lot how visual the platform is, here's a wait at Instagram's search feed:

Instagram search feed

Although basic users accept minimal linking options, Instagram has tried to make the platform even more friendly for ecommerce businesses with the addition of Shoppable posts.

Pinterest is well-suited for ecommerce companies, such every bit those who sell dwelling house goods, and businesses that would like a place to share crisp standalone product images with links.

It similarly offers a photo-based feed with posts that can include a photograph and brusque description. Unlike Instagram, it allows all users to link straight to websites or product landing pages in posts.

One interesting aspect of the platform is that users tin heart posts from others, or assign them to a themed "board." For example, users might make boards centered around topics like "Inspirational Quotes" or "Bedroom products."

One time a lath is created, other users can besides follow it. A business organisation could potentially make a board with their own product posts, or find their products on another user'southward board.

Here's an example of what a board looks like:

Pinterest Home and DIY board

Before getting started on one or both of these platforms, y'all'll desire to determine whether your goal is to gain make awareness or link-based traffic.

While Instagram and Pinterest tin can both be helpful tools for product shots and brand sensation, Instagram's active audience is much larger than Pinterest'southward. Instagram has also hosted over 25 million business organization profiles.

When choosing a platform, yous may want to consider your content-related bandwidth. Both require visual imagery, merely y'all might also need to include video creation within your Instagram strategy. Here'due south a great guide that demonstrates what it takes to gain followers on Instagram.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Platforms like Instagram assistance with brand awareness. Approximately lx% of people say they've learned well-nigh products or services on Instagram.
  • Pinterest and Instagram provide an outlet for showing off visual content or product shots.
  • Platforms similar Instagram also permit you to experiment with visual or curt video content

Cons

  • Budget on these platforms might crave a photo budget or dedicated production fourth dimension.
  • Some platforms, like Instagram, require you to postal service from a mobile app.

Video Sharing

Examples of Major Platforms

  • Youtube: Over 2 billion monthly active users
  • Vimeo: 240 one thousand thousand monthly viewers

Professional Uses

Roughly 88% of marketers say video gives them a stiff ROI and 90% experience the level of video competition has increased. Adding a video platform to your social strategy could make your brand look relevant and keep y'all up to speed with your competitors.

Video can exist helpful to a wide range of industries. While a restaurant could accept a vlog with cooking tips, a technology company might focus its video strategy around product demos.

To help you pivot downward a strategy that'southward right for your industry and service, check out our video marketing guide.

When it comes to long-form video, Youtube and Vimeo are the leading platforms. While Youtube has the bigger audience base of operations and better SEO capabilities, Vimeo'southward smaller platform is very customs driven.

Youtube too seems to have better opportunities for advertisers and monetization, while Vimeo offers viewers the perk of no pre-roll ads.

For a longer list of similarities and differences, check out this head-to-head slice where we compare the business capabilities of Vimeo and YouTube.

Forth with Youtube and Vimeo, the more traditional social networking platforms have also begun to embrace video marketing more aggressively. In the concluding few years, Facebook launched Facebook Stories and Facebook Alive, and added a tab on their mobile app dedicated to video. Meanwhile, Twitter has allowed users to launch live video streams which are powered past its Periscope software.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Videos can be longer than on other social platforms.
  • Both platforms have website linking capabilities.
  • Platforms like Youtube and Vimeo oftentimes offer analytics.
  • Both Youtube and Vimeo have search optimization features.

Cons

  • Content might take more time and money to create.
  • These platforms require more than backend tasks like SEO.

Interactive Media

Examples of Major Platforms

  • Snapchat: 229 daily active users
  • TikTok: 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. alone

Apps like Snapchat and TikTok let users to share photos and videos, they also take a diverseness of unique interactive and highly experimental features. These two apps include AR/VR filters, musical overlays, and interactive games. Their audition bases are also prominently Gen-Z.

Professional person Uses

Because mainly large companies are just starting to experiment with these new applications, marketers who are but offset a social strategy don't need to prioritize these interactive apps earlier traditional social networking platforms.

The large companies on these platforms tend to produce loftier product-level content. Brands with large followings might besides publish Snapchat Stories, or videos that are curated from fans. Without a loftier-budget or giant online following, these strategies might be difficult for a visitor that'due south just starting out on social.

Brands and influencers on these apps tend to cater their content to the platforms' younger audiences. For instance, on Snapchat, you might come across stories that nowadays beauty tutorials, wellness tips, news, or trendy new products.

If you're really interested in interactive media, there are all the same a few viable ways you could go involved with Snapchat or TikTok.

While major brands, similar VICE and BuzzFeed take become Snapchat Discover partners, the average business organisation can still create a Snapchat business business relationship that can be searched and friended by users. This account allows yous to send publish temporary stories, just like individual accounts can. However, those with a concern account tin also purchase ad space.

Hither'south a comprehensive video that explains how to utilize Snapchat:

If you've set up an business relationship, check out this guide to getting started on Snapchat.

TikTok, an app based around short, repetitive clips -- similar to Vine -- offers five types of advertising options for businesses. While large businesses may find value in all five, smaller businesses may lean more towards "In-Feed Ads." These ads are 9-15 2nd clips that tin exist skipped by the user.

Approximate is one notable brand that has used its business relationship to create trending campaigns with trendy hashtags. Universal Pictures has also had influencers create posts to promote its films.

If you do test out these platforms, yous might desire to make sure your industry and content fits in with the young age demographic. You should as well try to properly judge the time and money that might get into keeping these accounts up to date and relevant.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • These platforms are very artistic and experimental.
  • They take immature audiences, which can assistance brands better target Gen-Z.
  • Stories tin be used to give your following a backside-the-scenes look at your brand.

Cons

  • Producing regular content could be expensive and fourth dimension-consuming.
  • Concern accounts aren't promoted upward-front on the Snapchat interface. You may want to promote your channel on your website or other social channels because users will need to search for yous with your Snapcode or username.
  • Snapchat and TikTok are limited to mobile and aren't as easy to use.

Blogging/Community

Examples of Major Platforms

  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Tumblr and Reddit both let users to postal service about interesting niche topics, like memes, events, politics, and pop-civilisation. When users publish a post, these platforms allow other users to share them or add together to the chat with their ain commentary.

Professional Uses

Both blogging and community building platforms could be helpful to those who desire to encourage discussion around very niche industries or topics. For example, on these platforms, you might encounter discussion about anything from alternative wellness to auto learning.

By blogging, you lot can write posts about topics in your company'south industry and link them to your product or site. While many people accept a blog on their website, platforms like Tumblr might be great to use if you haven't set this feature upwards -- or just want to see what others in your industry are blogging about.

With a discussion site like Reddit, you lot could share a link or a mail service most a specific topic on a discussion board related to your industry and encounter how users respond. You could likewise start your ain board if a topic you're looking to encourage word on doesn't have one yet.

These ii platforms specifically encourage web chatter and post shares from users that intendance about the same topics.

Both also allow users to follow you or subscribe to your blogs or Reddit boards so your content could testify upwards on their feeds. Here'southward an example of what Reddit's feed looks like.

Reddit feed

When someone publishes something on Reddit, other users tin can up-vote or down-vote it. Up-voting makes a post show up higher in Reddit feeds while down-voting does the opposite.

On Tumblr, the feeds are organized past time. However, a post tin bear witness up higher when it is re-shared by other users. When a user shares or interacts with your Tumblr content, they give it a note. When they reshare, they have the option to post a comment with the post that gets added to a thread.

Here's an case of how notes and threads can be used to encourage discussion:

Tumblr music recommendation thread

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Both platforms allow you to share text posts, photos, and videos most your business organisation, brand, or individual thoughts.
  • These platforms enable yous to commencement conversations well-nigh a topic.
  • Both platforms permit linking to outside websites.

Cons

  • Longer blog posts might take time to craft or write.
  • Getting downvoted on Reddit or no reaction from Tumblr users means your posts may go unseen.
  • Your audition might be too niche or limited to just those on the specific platform yous use.

A Few Things to Consider

Before you beginning logging in and setting up your accounts on a bunch of platforms, be sure to consider these factors:

  • How much fourth dimension do you have to devote to strategizing around a social platform?
  • Practise you take resources for creating graphics or videos?
  • Do your goals involve boosting make awareness, or traffic and revenue?
  • Will you need an additional staff fellow member to run this platform, or will information technology exist easy to maintain?

One time you're on a platform or two, be sure to stay in the know of how it's irresolute and what marketers are doing. For a electric current outlook, check out our Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing.

social media content calendar

social media calendar

Originally published December 7, 2020 vii:00:00 AM, updated July 21 2021