Social media platforms have come a long way in the past decade.
Some of the social media platforms have become essential for modern marketing strategies.
Day by day, the number of consumers who use social networks to search for new companies and engage with their favorite brands is increasing.
Not only there are many pros of social media, but there are a lot of options for growing your business through social media networks. But creating an effective appearance or presence in all of the social media networks demands a considerable budget. So, it is essential to choose the best one for your business.
Let’s look at the best social media networks to grow your business in 2021…
1. Facebook
Facebook is not the most relaxed and newest social media platform. But the fact is that it is the largest one in terms of total users and the overall biggest social network. Over 2 million active users use Facebook every month. 3/4th of the total Facebook users visit Facebook daily, while half of the total users visit Facebook several times each day. In case you are thinking about spanning teenagers and older audiences. Over half of teenagers, along with half of the people who are more than 46 years old, use Facebook.
In some cases, we find a misconception about Facebook that people with high income and higher educational qualification prefer LinkedIn more than Facebook. But in actuality, research says that 74% of the people with a college degree and annual income of more than $75,000 use Facebook. In contrast, the counting for Linked In users is only 49% with the same job and academic profile.
Advantages:
- Targeted advertising
- Massive audience reaches
- Powerful analytics
- Amazing for customer interaction
Disadvantages:
- Consistent engagement is required
- In case a page is suspended, you have little or only no control over it
- A large budget is required for ads
2. Instagram
After Facebook, Instagram is another non-negotiable platform. Is it because Facebook owns this? Or because it has another 1 billion users? Either way, Instagram is not for everyone. It is best for those businesses that are targeting younger demographics. The statistics say 72% of teenagers, along with 67% of all the young adults under the age range of 30 years, use Instagram. Instagram is also being used by half of the people aged under 50 years and half of the age range between 50-65.
Since Instagram is more popular among the younger, the total number of users with a college degree and high income is less than Facebook. The stat is 43% with a college degree and 42% of high income.
Advantages:
- The younger generation prefers Instagram over Facebook
- Created especially for mobile
- Visual effects are highly appealing
Disadvantages:
- An aggressive posting schedule is required
- Misleading metrics
3. YouTube
There is no question that YouTube is one of the best social media platforms. More than 1.9 billion people use YouTube regularly. In terms of usage, YouTube is superior to Instagram and almost equal to Facebook. Just after one and only Google, YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine. So, YouTube not only allows you to reach a vast audience but also lets you reach the people who are searching for you.
Here’s what it comes down to: video is the most preferred media type among consumers. That alone makes YouTube superior. But creating a video isn’t easy and it can be time consuming. Apart from creating the content, you also need to set the camera, lighting, microphones, audio, and edit the video. YouTube is indeed a practical option, but it can be a little expensive if you want to stand out, unless you’re already set up for video recording and editing.
Advantages:
- Videos attract more conversations
- Excellent way to show your brand’s impression
- Videos properly complement other marketing strategies
Disadvantages:
- Users have a high expectation for the audio and video quality
- Videos may take longer to make
- Ranking your video can be tough
4. LinkedIn
It is full of a wide range of professionals from different industries, especially B2B companies. Approximately 300 million people are using LinkedIn every month. So, it is clear that it is four times smaller than Facebook and two times smaller than Instagram. Due to its less competitive newsfeed, without the advertisement cost, a business will reach its followers and connections.
This social network is used by most professionals between the ages range of 30-49 years. A quarter of the people between the age range of 50-64 years use LinkedIn daily. This place is most suitable for freelancers and B2B companies.
Advantages:
- More than 65 million active users
- Perfect for networking
- Recruiting talent is much easier
- Excellent for business-related content promotion
Disadvantages:
- Not at all designed for eCommerce
- Compared to other platforms, it has fewer users
- Better for freelancers or home businesses
5. Pinterest
Pinterest is mostly filled with food, fashion, home decor, and shopping. More than 322 million users are there on Pinterest monthly.
Advantages:
- High potential for driving traffic
- Tools cost less for boosting pins, views, and traffic
- Less expensive advertising
Disadvantages:
- Not suitable for all types of businesses
- The total number of users makes it tough to stand out
- Consistent image and post creation consume a lot of time
6. Twitter
Twitter is sending a text message to the world. And the best thing is that you do not need lots of videos or photos to stand out. The limitation of 280 characters lets you send short and sharply-crafted tweets.
Advantages:
- Easy to engage influencers and followers
- Adds offer 1-3% more success in compared to Facebook
- Totally free of cost targeting with “@” and “#.”
Disadvantages:
- The competition level is very high
- Drives traffic but not always sales
- Several tweets are required daily
Apart from all these, there are several other social media sites which can be used for business purposes. To get a broader concept you can see what some of the most famous entrepreneurs tell us about social media marketing.
Final Words
There is no exact rule in social media marketing.
Different types of business grow with the help of different social media platforms.
Based on your business requirement, you need to choose the best social media platform for your business.
About the Author:
Mashum Mollah is a tech entrepreneur by profession and passionate blogger by heart. He is on a mission to help small businesses grow online. He shares his journey, insights, and experiences at Blog Stellar & Search Engine Magazine. If you are an entrepreneur, digital marketing professional, or simply an info-holic, then this blog is for you.