People spend an average of 3 hours on social media per day. As the years go by and the social platforms become more engaging. That number is likely to go up even more.
Because of that, businesses must find a way to establish their presence on social media. If they want to stay in front of their audiences and have a way to engage them directly.
But choosing the right social media channel isn’t always easy. You can’t reasonably expect to maintain a presence on all of the platforms popular today. You also have to choose the ones that your audience actually likes.
So, which are the most promising and the most useful social media channels for business?
Let’s go through a few of the top options for 2021 and beyond.
Even though numerous new social media platforms are emerging every year. Facebook remains the top platform in all of the main categories. It not only has the most users but also has a sophisticated marketing platform. That allows businesses to engage their audiences in multiple ways.
In fact, when looking at a social media marketing resume, you’d probably find Facebook qualifications in almost every single one. Today, it’s still impossible to be a social media marketing expert. Not have at least some knowledge on how to succeed on Facebook.
You can pinpoint audiences according to a wide range of criteria, find specific pockets of people you want to reach. Run various ads that get their attention and prompt them to take action.
Sure, Facebook isn’t perfect, and the constant policy changes can make running campaigns a hassle. It’s also not as cost-effective as it once was, but there are still excellent results to be had if you can invest more money and get more audience data.
But if you want to reach your audience, you will probably find it on Facebook. Even though it’s not as popular with the younger demographic, the majority of people still use it every day and will use it in the foreseeable future.
Tik Tok
If Facebook is proven and established, then Tik Tok is hot and up-and-coming. It might be the most talked-about social media platform this year, generating mixed reviews but also showing undeniable popularity, especially among the younger generation.
Even though it’s still relatively new, Tik Tok already has more than 800 million users, including more than 80 million in the U.S. alone.
The basic principles of the platform are relatively easy to understand. Users can upload videos of up to 15 seconds and can combine videos for up to 60 seconds. Then, other people can interact with their videos, respond with their own videos, and more.
Tik Tok offers users a wide range of effects, music, and editing, making it easy to create catchy and creative videos that often go viral.
But why should you market on Tik Tok?
Well, for one thing, it not only has a massive audience but also has by far the best engagement numbers out of all social media platforms. People also tend to spend around 45 minutes per day interacting with content, which is an excellent number that businesses can take advantage of.
However, because Tik Tok has such a young audience, many brands are unsure how to make their messages seem authentic and generate interest. But that’s where influencer marketing can be so helpful.
By partnering up with the top Tik Tok influencers, you can use their creative vision and style to showcase your products in a way that will be appealing to the platform’s audiences. What’s more, you will also gain access to their followers, which can help you get in front of a large audience primed to be interested in what you have to offer.
If you have a product geared towards a younger audience, Tik Tok is the place where you could probably see the best returns for your social media marketing efforts.
Instagram is gaining traction every year, as more and more people want to share visual stories with their friends and followers. And one of the best things about Instagram is how well it’s designed to help businesses promote their products.
If you have a younger audience that likes to shop through their mobile device (and more people shop on their phone every year), you should strongly consider focusing your social media efforts on the platform.
Instagram also has influencers in almost any niche, so you can utilize influencer marketing just as well as on Tik Tok, gaining access to the influencer’s audience and their authority in your industry.
However, when establishing your presence on the platform, make sure that you take the time to develop a visually appealing aesthetic because that plays a vital role in whether your posts get noticed and generate attention.
LinkedIn has been around for a long time. But businesses are only now starting to see the full potential that it can offer. It’s especially useful to those operating in the B2B industry. As the platform can become a direct link to hyper-targeted leads that ideally suited for what you have to offer.
But even if you don’t operate in the B2B world, having a presence on LinkedIn can help you forge useful partnerships. Which could result in joint ventures, marketing opportunities, and more.
It might not have as large of an audience as some of the other social media channels on this list. But it makes up for it by having an engaged user base of professionals in almost any field imaginable. Which is a big asset in itself.
YouTube
No list of social media platforms would be complete without including YouTube. And that’s even when considering that it isn’t strictly a social media platform, at least not in the traditional sense.
Even though it’s primarily a video hosting platform. The sheer amount of content creators and influencers that use it as their platform has also attracted millions of people. Who interacts with the videos in a very similar way to how users interact with other social media channels.
Engaging videos get liked, shared, and commented on, often generating heated discussions about a wide range of topics.
And for businesses, having a dedicated video channel can help get in front of audiences that like to consume video content, want to learn more about what you have to offer, and have questions that need to be answered.
You can use YouTube to showcase your products in an appealing way. Post educational videos that help your audience overcome challenges. Show the human side of your company, which will help you connect with your target buyers.
Final Words
Having a social media presence is a must for any business. With the audiences of the leading platforms increasing every year. It’s just too good of an opportunity for gaining more exposure online to pass up.
Facebook remains king in terms of social media presence. But Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, and even LinkedIn can also be very useful in certain situations.