There is no doubt that in today’s society, social media is key in any business’s marketing plan, but the question is, which platform is best for your business? There are so many different platforms, offering slightly different things and access to different audiences, so it’s imperative that you are choosing the right platform or platforms for your particular business, rather than trying to attempt using them all. In this post, we are going to help identify the different platforms, their uses and whether your type of business will benefit from it being within your overall social media marketing strategy.
When it comes to business social media, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. The platform that works brilliantly for one business might be completely ineffective for another, which is why understanding your audience, your objectives and what each platform offers is so important.
Let’s start with a firm favourite of many businesses, LinkedIn. Most certainly the most B2B social media platform currently, offering lots of different features and a great way to keep an eye on competitor movements. This is a firm favourite with many corporate businesses, as it’s most certainly the most professional social platform currently available. If your business is B2B focused, you more than likely could benefit from a presence on LinkedIn.
What’s even more important to note, is there are a few ways to utilise this platform, and as a business owner it’s sometimes even more beneficial to use the platform from a founder/owner point of view, posting on your own personal LinkedIn, whilst also having a LinkedIn Page for your business too. This allows you to invite people you know from your personal account to follow and stay informed of the updates on your LinkedIn page.
In terms of what to post, we normally suggest utilising content pillars to break down clear, differing types of content, allowing you to offer a range of information to those connected with you, so as not to encourage reader fatigue. Company achievements/updates as one, people-focused posts highlighting team members and bringing personality to the page, as well as informative and educational content that highlights that you are experts in your field.
For businesses looking at social media marketing from a B2B perspective, LinkedIn is often one of the first platforms we would recommend considering. It allows you to build credibility, demonstrate expertise and develop relationships with other businesses and professionals.
Instagram is a completely different beast to LinkedIn, and whilst it can work brilliantly for B2C businesses, there are also plenty of B2B businesses that can benefit from having a presence on the platform.
The big difference with Instagram is the visual nature of the platform. It’s a great place to showcase your products, your services, your team, your brand personality and, perhaps most importantly, the people behind the business. If you have a visually interesting business, Instagram should definitely be something to consider.
Whether you are a restaurant, beauty business, fashion brand, interior designer, photographer, property business or even a professional service, there are plenty of opportunities to create engaging content. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about selling either. People want to see the story behind the business, the people involved and what makes you different from your competitors.
Instagram also gives you several different content formats to work with. Reels can help you reach new audiences, Stories are fantastic for regular updates and keeping your existing audience engaged, whilst carousels are a great way to share educational or informative content.
The key with Instagram is consistency and having a recognisable visual identity. Your feed doesn’t need to look overly polished or corporate, but it should feel like your business. Authenticity is becoming increasingly important, so don’t be afraid to show the less polished side of your business too.
As part of your wider business social media strategy, Instagram can be particularly valuable if your products, services or brand lend themselves well to visual content. It can also be a fantastic platform for building brand recognition and allowing potential customers to get to know the people behind the business.
TikTok
TikTok has changed the social media landscape considerably over the last few years. Once viewed primarily as an app for younger audiences and short dance videos, it has become a serious marketing platform for businesses across a huge range of industries.
TikTok is particularly useful if your business has a strong personality or if you can create entertaining, educational or relatable video content. It can be a fantastic platform for reaching people who have never heard of your business before, thanks to the way content can be distributed beyond your existing followers.
And this is one of the biggest attractions of TikTok for businesses. You don’t necessarily need thousands of followers to have a video perform well. A well-created piece of content can potentially reach a much larger audience than the account itself, which makes it an interesting option for smaller or newer businesses.
However, TikTok isn’t necessarily right for everyone. If you are uncomfortable appearing on camera, creating video content or adopting a slightly more informal tone, you may find the platform challenging.
It is also important to remember that TikTok content generally feels less corporate. Businesses that do well tend to embrace the personality of the people behind the brand rather than simply producing adverts. Think behind-the-scenes content, tips, opinions, FAQs, demonstrations, humour and stories.
For businesses considering TikTok as part of their social media marketing, the biggest question is whether you have the time, ideas and personality to create video content consistently. If the answer is yes, it can be an incredibly powerful way to introduce your business to new audiences.
You may be surprised that we are still including Facebook, but it certainly shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to your social media strategy.
Facebook has a huge and established user base, and for many businesses it remains an important way of communicating with customers. It can be particularly useful for local businesses, community-focused organisations and businesses targeting an older demographic.
One of Facebook’s biggest strengths is the sheer range of features available. Alongside traditional posts, businesses can use Groups, Events, Stories, video content and advertising to reach and communicate with their audience.
It can also be particularly useful for businesses where community is important. A Facebook Group, for example, can create a much stronger sense of belonging and provide a space for customers to interact with one another, rather than simply interacting with the business.
Facebook can also work well as a place to repurpose some of the content you are already creating for other platforms. Instagram posts, videos and announcements can often be adapted for Facebook, helping you get more mileage from the content you are producing.
The important thing is not to treat Facebook as an afterthought. If your target audience is active there, it deserves to be part of your overall business social media strategy.
Substack
Substack is slightly different from the other platforms we have discussed, and that is exactly why it is worth considering.
Rather than thinking of Substack purely as another social media platform, it is perhaps better viewed as a combination of publishing platform, newsletter and community. It gives businesses the opportunity to build a direct relationship with an audience through longer-form content, rather than relying entirely on an algorithm to decide who sees your posts.
This can be particularly beneficial for businesses that have expertise to share. If you are a consultant, coach, financial professional, creative, industry expert or founder with something interesting to say, Substack could be a great addition to your marketing strategy.
It also provides an opportunity to go deeper. Whilst Instagram or TikTok might introduce someone to your business through a 30-second piece of content, Substack gives you the opportunity to develop an idea, share your knowledge and establish yourself as an authority within your industry.
There is also something very valuable about building an email audience. Social media platforms can change their algorithms, introduce new features or fall in popularity, whereas having people actively subscribe to receive your content gives you a more direct connection with your audience.
From a social media marketing perspective, Substack can therefore work particularly well alongside your other platforms. Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn might help you attract attention, while Substack gives you somewhere to build a deeper relationship with that audience.
For businesses that have something to say, Substack could therefore be less about chasing viral content and more about building trust over time.
X
Formerly known as Twitter, X is another platform that can be particularly useful for businesses where conversation, commentary and industry news are important.
X tends to work particularly well for individuals and businesses that have opinions, insights or expertise to share. It can be a great platform for joining conversations, commenting on current developments within your industry and connecting directly with other professionals, journalists, creators and potential customers.
It is also a very fast-moving platform. Unlike Instagram, where visual content is often the focus, X is much more centred around words, conversation and real-time commentary.
This makes it particularly useful for businesses operating in industries such as technology, finance, media, politics, marketing and professional services, although there are opportunities for almost any business if the audience is there.
Again, personality is important. Businesses that simply post promotional messages about their own products and services are unlikely to get the same level of engagement as those that actually contribute to conversations.
Think of X as somewhere to have a voice, rather than simply somewhere to advertise.
If your business social media strategy relies heavily on thought leadership, commentary or keeping up with industry conversations, X could be a platform worth exploring.
So, Which Social Media Platform Is Best for Your Business?
As you can probably tell from the above, there isn’t one simple answer.
The best social media platform for business is ultimately the platform where your target audience spends their time and where your business can consistently create content that works.
There is little point in being on TikTok because everyone tells you it is the platform to be on if your ideal customers aren’t there. Equally, there is little point in spending hours creating beautiful Instagram content if your target audience is primarily looking for professional information on LinkedIn.
This is where having a clear social media strategy becomes so important.
Rather than asking, “Which platforms should we be on?”, we would recommend asking:
- Who are we trying to reach?
- Where do they spend their time online?
- What type of content do they want to consume?
- What can we realistically create consistently?
- What are we hoping social media will achieve for our business?
That final question is particularly important.
Are you trying to generate enquiries? Build brand awareness? Drive traffic to your website? Establish yourself as an expert? Build a community? Sell products? Recruit employees?
Your answer will help determine which platforms make the most sense.
And remember, you don’t necessarily need to choose just one. In fact, many businesses will benefit from having a presence across two or three platforms, providing each one has a clear purpose.
For example, LinkedIn could be used for your professional and B2B content, Instagram for your brand personality and visual content, whilst Substack could be where you share your longer-form thoughts and expertise. TikTok could help you reach new audiences through video, Facebook could support your existing customer community, and X could help you join wider industry conversations.
The content can complement each other without simply being copied and pasted across every platform. This is one of the most important parts of an effective social media marketing strategy: creating content that can be repurposed, whilst still adapting it to suit the platform and the audience using it.
Don’t Try To Do Everything
One of the biggest mistakes we see businesses make with social media is trying to do too much.
They create a Facebook page, an Instagram account, a TikTok account, a LinkedIn page, an X account and a Substack newsletter, and then wonder why they are struggling to keep up.
Being active on six platforms isn’t necessarily better than being brilliant on two.
Your time, resources and budget are all limited, so your social media strategy needs to reflect that. Choose the platforms that genuinely make sense for your business, understand what works on each one and create content with a purpose.
Good social media marketing isn’t about simply being everywhere. It’s about being visible in the right places, in front of the right audience, with content that gives them a reason to engage with your business.
And don’t be afraid to experiment.
Social media is constantly changing. The platform that works brilliantly for your business today may not necessarily be the one that delivers the best results in twelve months’ time. Likewise, a platform you dismissed previously might become much more relevant as your audience or content strategy develops.
The important thing is to keep testing, reviewing your results and, most importantly, listening to your audience.
Ultimately, the best social media platform for business isn’t necessarily the newest, biggest or most popular one.
It’s the one that helps you reach the right people, with the right content, in a way that works for your business.
And if you’re still not sure which platform is right for you, that’s exactly where a good social media strategy comes in. Rather than trying to master every platform, take the time to understand where your audience is, what they want from your business and which channels you can realistically maintain. Get those foundations right, and your social media marketing will have a much better chance of delivering results. Looking to get it right first time? Email amy@verriberri.co.uk or contact us today, we can’t wait to get started!