Social Media Platforms Overview

With well over 2 billion users, Facebook is the biggest social media platform on this list. You can share text, videos, live videos, images, and even stories, which are posts that disappear after 24 hours, all on Facebook. As the most used social media platform in the world and with two-thirds of Facebook users visiting a local business page per week, you should definitely consider using Facebook for your business.

Instagram has over 1 billion users. Originally a photo-sharing app, it has expanded to allow users to also share videos and stories. Instagram’s users are generally young, with 70% of users being under 35, and the platform is known for "influencer" marketing—a type of marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from popular/influential users. Using this platform as a marketing tool can be beneficial because Instagram users engage with business accounts more than Twitter or Facebook users do.

Unlike most other social media platforms, Twitter limits users to only 280 characters per post. Twitter is commonly used as a source of news, with about 59% of users regularly getting news from this platform. It is also often used as a customer support channel—advertisers report that 80% of their social customer service requests happen on Twitter. With over 300 million monthly active users, Twitter can be a great platform to connect with your audience.

LinkedIn is different from other platforms because it focuses specifically on professional networking. There are over 700 million registered professionals on LinkedIn. Businesses can use LinkedIn to establish themselves as industry experts, build credibility, increase brand awareness, and attract talent to the company. LinkedIn is also more effective than Facebook and Twitter at generating leads. If you are doing B2B marketing, LinkedIn is a must-have platform.

Pinterest is a social media platform where users can discover, save, share, and organize creative ideas online. Users can "pin" ideas to different "boards" that they make—essentially digital mood or inspiration boards. The platform has over 450 million monthly active users. Pinterest is especially beneficial for e-commerce stores, as it works as a referral tool. If you have aesthetically pleasing or inspiring content, then Pinterest can be a beneficial platform for your business.

Snapchat popularized the stories—video or picture posts that disappear after 24 hours—format of posting. The platform has over 200 million daily active users and is most popular among teenagers and young adults. Snapchat can be used to reach consumers directly with highly engaging content.

YouTube is a video sharing platform with 2 billion logged in monthly users. For businesses, Youtube can be used to inform and engage your audience. Because YouTube only supports video content, maintaining an account can take a considerable amount of time and effort.

TikTok is a social media platform that has rapidly gained popularity in recent years. It supports short format videos, and users have the option to choose from a wide range of audio files to add to their videos. Teenagers and young people are the app’s main audience. While Tik Tok is a relatively new platform, it has the potential to be an effective marketing tool for businesses.