The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Platforms

The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Platforms

From what once was just Facebook to now a saturated market of social media platforms, it’s easy to get confused on what content should be marketed where, when it should be posted and how often. You may have thought that just pushing the same material on every platform was a viable way to go. While it may be better than nothing, to create a stronger brand presence online, each social media platform should be considered individually. Not only are the target audiences on each slightly different, but optimal posting times change as well as how many posts there should be each day.

 

Take Twitter and Facebook for example. Twitter has a large age demographic, but is mainly used by young adults/adults, best for media, public relations and businesses. Twitter also constantly changes by the second, and multiple posts and retweets per day is recommended. On the other hand, Facebook is used much more by older generations and parents. It is actually starting to lose traction with what is considered Generation Z (13-19-year-olds). Facebook is great for one or two posts a day, especially good for video and viral content.

 

These two platforms, while being similar at times, still have many differences. Knowing the differences and how to combat them is the key to being successful in this digital age. We have compiled the top social media platforms, discussing target market an optimal posting practices.

 

social media platforms

 

6 Social Media Platforms Worth Considering:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

Snapchat

YouTube

  • Facebook

Facebook controls over 25% of all referral traffic. There is no need to further explain the importance of Facebook. This platform acts as a landing page for many companies, especially small businesses. Not to mention, Facebook has over 1.5 billion users and the ability to promote and advertise to selected target markets make this platform most appealing.

Largest Target Audience: Adults (22-65).

Best Time to Post: Thursdays and Fridays- 12pm-3pm

Number of posts per day: 1-2

  • Twitter

Every second there are over 6,000 tweets posted. Twitter is the best spot for immediate updates, information and replying to customer complaints. Twitter is also great for B2B traction as well.

Largest Target Audience: Adults (22-55).

Best Time to Post: B2B Weekdays- 12pm-3pm, B2C Weekends 7pm-11pm

Number of Posts per Day: 5-20

  • Instagram

Whether it is images or video, Instagram is all about the visuals. Latest updates to Instagram also have made it a key player for businesses and influencers. Instagram has now incorporated Instagram stories and live video. Also studies show that brand engagement on Instagram is 10x that of Facebook.

Largest Target Audience: Teenagers/Young adults (13-26).

Best Time to Post: Wednesdays- 5pm

Number of Posts per Day: 1-2

  • LinkedIn

LinkedIn is all about B2B communication. This is the most professional of all the platforms mentioned here. Communicating your brand campaigns, job openings, or new features is perfect for this platform.

Largest Target Audience: Teenagers/Young adults (13-26).

Best Time to Post: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday-10am, 12pm, 5pm

Number of Posts per Day: 1-2

  • Snapchat

Snapchat is the newest player in the game of social media platforms. It is also quite a unique platform because it was originally based on sending individual images to friends with a max of 10 seconds. Now Snapchat has broadened its base to brands and companies due to Snapchat Discovery, advertisements, stories and the ability to link to other webpages. Consumers are able to follow the day to day life and events of brands and celebrities.

Largest Target Audience: Teenagers/Young adults (13-25).

Best Time to Post: Anytime (24hr with snapchat stories)

Number of Posts per Day: (on story) 3-5

  • YouTube

87% of marketers who are active online, incorporate video. In fact, the importance of YouTube, and more importantly YouTube stars, has risen dramatically in the past five years. Influencers on YouTube are able to make a living through sponsorships with companies. They act as digital word of mouth for many products to millions and millions of viewers.

Largest Target Audience: Teenagers/Young adults (13-30).

Best Time to Post: Friday- 12pm-3pm, Saturday- 9am-11am

Number of Posts per Day: 1 (3-5 times per week)

 

 

 

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