Are you interested in choosing the right social media sites and tools for your business? If so, you’re in the right place!
There’s no denying the power of social media in your marketing strategy. It’s estimated that across all social media sites, there are 5.17 billion users. This means there’s a pretty good chance your target audience is out there and waiting to hear from you.
The thing is, every social media site is a little different. If you want to reach new customers, engage with your audience, and promote your business, you need to choose a platform that resonates with the people who are most likely to need your product or service.
Today, we are going to show you how to choose the right social media sites so you can get more value from your marketing efforts and take your strategy to the next level.
Let’s dive in!
The evolution of social media sites
Before we discuss some of the current social media sites out there, I think it’s important to understand the history of social media and how it has exploded in popularity in just over 20 years.
Two of the first real social media sites were Friendster and Myspace, which both had their big break in 2002 and 2003, respectively. These sites allowed people to create profiles, share their favorite music, and interact with friends in totally new and unique ways.
Fast forward to 2004, and ‘TheFacebook’ was released to the world. By 2005, they dropped ‘the,’ and it became just Facebook, which is what we know it as today. Facebook was one of the first to offer news feeds and pages specifically for businesses that want to share their product or services with the world.
Two big things happened between 2005 and 2010: more people started using smartphones, and new social media sites started popping up, such as YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.
Now, jump forward almost 15 years from 2010, and a ton of other social media sites are now in the mix. Each one has a unique ecosystem, style, and overarching audience.
Top social media platforms
With this all in mind, let’s look at some of the top social media platforms today. We will cover their unique strengths, demographics, and other factors you’ll want to consider when choosing the right one for your business.
First up, let’s talk about Facebook. Currently, over 3 billion people check their Facebook accounts each month. It has a ton of great features, including Pages, Groups, Marketplace, and Facebook Ads.
It is a great place to build a community and engage with existing customers as well as build brand awareness. I would say its greatest strength is its very diverse demographic. You can reach everyone, from teens to older adults all in the same place.
YouTube
You can’t talk about popular social media sites without bringing YouTube into the mix. It’s estimated that 2.49 billion people log in each month. It’s also regarded as the second-largest search engine in the world, only behind Google. This statistic makes sense when you consider people are more attracted to video content than ever before.
Businesses use YouTube to showcase their products, create helpful videos for their audience, and stream so they can talk to their fans and first-time visitors in real time.
Instagram is another extremely popular site. It currently sees around 2.4 billion people every month, and that number doesn’t seem to be slowing down. It’s particularly popular with the younger crowd, meaning people between 18 and 34.
The main focus is on visual content, like photos and videos. It’s a great tool for virtual storytelling and can help you build a strong brand identity.
TikTok
The somewhat controversial TikTok has almost 2 billion users, which is quite impressive when you consider that it came out six years after Instagram. The main draw for TikTok is short-form content combined with an algorithm that’s great at understanding what people may be interested in seeing.
It’s worth mentioning that the TikTok demographic typically includes people younger than 30.
X (formally Twitter)
Next, let’s talk about X, which was called Twitter until recently. It boasts an impressive 550 million monthly users each month. X’s strong point is it’s great for real-time information and quick updates.
It’s a great place for businesses to engage with their audience, share company news, and offer customer service. The fast-paced nature of this platform makes it great for companies who want to spark engagement and build rapport with their audience.
LinkedIn is a social platform made for professionals. It currently boasts around 830 million users from all over the world. This is no doubt a great place to connect with like-minded business owners and, if your specialty is B2B, engage with your customers.
The main point of focus on LinkedIn is professional development, thought leadership, and industry-specific content, ranging from carousel posts to corporate videos.
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Choosing the right social media platforms
Now that you know a little more about the most popular social media sites and what they’re used for, let’s go over a few factors you’ll want to consider when choosing which platforms are worth your time.
- Audience demographics – You should always take the needs, interests, pain points, and qualities of your audience into account. For example, if you’re mostly trying to reach people who are 50 and older, TikTok is not your best option. Choosing sites where your audience spends their time means you’ll have a better chance to connect.
- Business goals – You’ll need to determine the goals of your social media marketing strategy. Facebook is great for community building, while X is a very effective way to expand your reach.
- Content format – The next thing you should ask yourself is, ‘What kind of content do I want to create for social media?’ If your goal is to post plenty of videos, you’ll want to stick to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. On the other hand, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn are great places to share articles that were originally posted on your website.
- Engagement type – You’ll also need to figure out what kind of engagement will help you get one step closer to your goals. Earning likes on your videos can help with brand awareness, but engaging with comments is ideal for building rapport with would-be customers and earning the loyalty of existing customers. You’ll also want to consider events. If you have contest promotion ideas, for example, you’ll want to pick a platform that accommodates giveaways.
- Resources and experience – Finally, you’ll want to consider how much time and how many resources you have to devote to your social media marketing strategy. If you’re a new startup, for instance, you may want to prioritize one or two sites. Established brands with consistent cash flow may opt for three or more sites. It’s important to consider your capacity and resources so you don’t spread yourself or your team too thin.
Measuring social media performance
Once you decide on the platforms you’ll use, you need to start reviewing your analytics and determining how you’d like to improve over time.
The best way to do this is to track key social media metrics. Establish a baseline and a goal so you can identify areas for improvement and take action.
With that in mind, here are some of the most widely tracked social media marketing metrics.
| Metric | Why It Matters |
| Engagement Rate | Measures how actively involved your audience is with your content. High engagement suggests your content resonates with followers, potentially increasing brand loyalty and organic reach. |
| Follower Growth | Indicates the expansion of your potential audience. Steady growth suggests increasing brand awareness and appeal, while stagnation or decline may signal a need to adjust strategies. |
| Reach and Impressions | Reveals how many unique users see your content (reach) and how often it’s displayed (impressions). These metrics help gauge the overall exposure of your brand and content effectiveness. |
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) | Represents the people who click on a link compared to those who saw it. High CTR indicates compelling content and effective calls-to-action, driving traffic to your site |
| Conversion Rate | Represents how many folks take a desired action (e.g., sign up, make a purchase) after clicking through from social media. It essentially ties social media efforts to business objectives and ROI |
| Average Post Lifespan | Indicates how long your content remains relevant and engaging. Understanding this helps in planning posting frequency and content types to maintain consistent visibility. |
| Return on Investment (ROI) | Quantifies the overall effectiveness of your social media marketing efforts by comparing costs to tangible benefits (e.g., sales, leads). It’s crucial for justifying and optimizing marketing spend. |
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How to track your social media analytics
Keyhole is, without a doubt, the best way to track your social media analytics across virtually every popular social media site.
You can use the advanced analytics features to expand your reach, boost impressions, and create more memorable moments for your followers. The best part is Keyhole brings all of this data together, so you don’t have to sort through countless spreadsheets to see where you stand.
You’ll also be happy to know that Keyhole does much more than show in-depth insights. You can also use it for social listening, cross-platform posting, and much more.
Social media marketing challenges
Regardless of which social media sites you choose, there are a few challenges you should keep an eye on if you want to keep things running smoothly. Here are a few trends we’ve noticed over the last several years and what you can do to mitigate them.
- Algorithm changes – AI tools, Google, and social media sites all run on unique algorithms that are constantly changing. When you decide on one or more sites, it’s very important to stay connected to their newsfeed and industry experts so you know when things are expected to change. Being aware of the algorithm and potential changes is a great way to stay relevant and one step ahead of your competitors.
- Privacy concerns – Another thing that’s always changing is data privacy laws. Be sure you know what’s going on with each platform, and always try to be as transparent as possible if you intend to collect data or otherwise gather customer feedback.
- Content saturation – More businesses are using social media than ever before. You want to be sure to share unique content so people are far more likely to check out your posts. This could mean coming at a story from a different perspective or sharing in-house images like infographics.
- Managing multiple platforms – Social media marketing is a time-consuming process. Earlier, I mentioned the importance of managing resources and experience. This challenge speaks to that point. If you try to manage too many social media sites at once, you’re not going to have trouble building genuine relationships with your audience. My advice is to take it one step at a time and only add more social sites to your strategy when you’re ready.
Strategies for social media success
Finally, I wanted to share some actionable strategies that you can start using today. These strategies have helped us over the years, and I’m sure they’ll be beneficial to you, too.
Create relevant content
Always create content that resonates with your audience. Whether it’s educational, entertaining, or inspirational, make sure it matters in some capacity to your target audience. If you’re not sure where to start, I recommend building buyer personas.
You should also use a mix of content formats, such as images, videos, and blogs, to keep your audience engaged. Sites like YouTube, for example, have a community section where you can share text-based content and images to go with your videos.
Posting frequency and timing
Timing will play a big part in your success on social media. I highly recommend experimenting with different times and days so you can figure out when people are most receptive to your content.
It may take some time and tuning to get your timing just right, but once you do, you’ll have a much better chance of improving engagement and conversions.
Engage with your audience
Engagement is a two-way street. If someone comments on your video and says they loved it, and it was super helpful, respond and thank them! The simple act of thanking someone for their time can help build rapport and turn them into long-time viewers.
Similarly, if someone shares your article on LinkedIn or posts another type of user-generated content, like a product review, drop them a mention, letting them know that you’re glad they liked it. These seemingly small gestures help build your brand identity and will result in more engagement.
Use tags
Tags, including hashtags, are some of the best ways to expose new people to your content. For example, if you want more people to make it to your online photography service, you could use #photography or #photographystudio in your posts.
This ensures that people who are into the subject are more likely to find your post and learn about your brand.
Many of the sites we discussed today use tags in one form or another. Be sure to find out which ones are most popular on your platforms of choice and use them to greatly improve brand awareness.
Wrapping up
As you can see, it takes time and effort to decide which social media sites are right for your business. Once you find the ones you want to use, you’re going to need to keep a close eye on your brand mentions and analytics.
Keyhole can streamline this process, which will give you more time to focus on your social media marketing efforts. Book a demo so you can see for yourself how Keyhole can help you elevate your brand.
Author Bio
Thomas Griffin is the co-founder and president of OptinMonster. He is an expert software architect with a deep knowledge of building products for the mass market and consistently works to delight his customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I choose the right social media platform for my business?
Consider your target audience and where they spend their time online. Think about your business goals, whether it's building awareness, driving sales, or fostering a community, and choose platforms aligned with those objectives.
2. What are the most popular social media sites?
The most popular social media sites as of late 2024 are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn. These platforms boast billions of active users globally and offer diverse features for connecting, sharing, and engaging with audiences.
3. My business targets professionals. Is LinkedIn the only platform I should use?
While LinkedIn is excellent for B2B and professional networking, don't overlook other platforms entirely. Consider whether your target audience might be on platforms like Facebook or Twitter outside of work hours.
4. I'm new to social media marketing. What tools or resources can help me succeed?
Tools like Keyhole can streamline your social media efforts by providing advanced analytics, social listening features, and cross-platform posting capabilities.
5. How important is it to track social media metrics, and which ones should I focus on?
Tracking metrics is crucial to measure your social media success and identify areas for improvement. Focus on key metrics like engagement rate, follower growth, reach and impressions, click-through rate, and conversion rate to understand what's working and where to optimize your strategy.
