Which social media platforms are best for business?

There’s no jack-of-all-trades social media site out there when it comes to getting your business online. Different demographics flock to various platforms, where you’ll find a great variety of features suited to all kinds of goals. So the question is, which social media platform is best for your business?

Facebook has a whopping three billion active users, encompassing almost any demographic you can think of. It’s awesome for generally interacting online and increasing brand awareness, but Facebook’s holy grail is targeted ad capability.

Want to advertise a new product to someone of a certain gender, between the age of x and y, with precise interests, online behaviours and connections? Say no more! No niche is too narrow for a well-crafted Facebook ad. You can even target by very specific post code areas, which is great for hyperlocal marketing campaigns.

If your business does something pleasing to the eye, then Instagram is the place to be, especially if your target audience is under 25, and apparently even more so if they’re female.

Fashion, beauty, travel and food are some obvious industries that work well here, but as long as you offer something with attractive visuals – be that an office dog or a satisfying before and after cleaning snap – it’s the perfect platform to promote your brand.

Twitter is an incredible platform for joining online conversations as and when they happen.

Most popular with millennials, the millions of short-term interactions taking place create a perfect environment for textual content, social listening, customer service, and a high level of interaction. If you’ve a lot to say, Twitter is ideal for brief chinwags with potential or existing customers.

LinkedIn users are primarily a slightly older, higher-educated, higher-earning bunch. It’s a very business-focused platform, so they’ll typically keep up with industry news, have a nosey at what other businesses and professionals are up to, or look for career moves.

That so, it’s a goldmine if you want to form connections with similar professionals, use content to establish a solid reputation for your business in its field, and pursue high-quality B2B lead generation. If they’re on LinkedIn, they’re ready for business.

TikTok has seen a meteoric rise over the last couple of years, with an active user count rapidly overtaking several of the social media giants, mostly consisting of teenagers and younger millennials.

Even the most unexpected businesses can find fame on TikTok, from Australian outback farms to online sweet shops and industrial paint mixers, doing so by always remembering that TikTok is primarily a place people go to be entertained. So, whatever your industry, if you can create entertaining short-form video content, and your audience has youth on its side, get yourself signed up.

Whilst these platforms are the big-hitters that you’d arguably be best setting up on first, there are a fair few other social media channels out there that you shouldn’t be afraid of trying out, including the likes of YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit and Clubhouse.

Make sure to research them and figure out what works best with your brand, your demographic and your goals. Alternatively, if you need a hand setting up your socials and managing them on a daily basis, the Penguins are always happy to help. Just give us a shout and let's be social together.