Social media marketing is the process of using online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, to create and manage relationships with potential and current customers. Social media marketing can be used to create a connection with potential and current customers, develop and share content, build and manage relationships, and drive traffic to websites or other online platforms.
There are many different types of social media platforms, so it is important to choose the right one for your business. Facebook is the most popular social media platform, with over 2.2 billion active users. Twitter is the second most popular social media platform, with over 270 million active users. LinkedIn is the third most popular social media platform, with over 433 million active users. Google+, the fourth most popular social media platform, has over 1.3 billion active users.
There are a number of different social media marketing strategies. One strategy is to create content that is relevant to your target audience.
There are many social media marketing services available. It is important to find one that understands your business and your target market. The service should also be able to create a social media strategy that aligns with your business goals.
The social media marketing service should also have experience with all the major social media platforms. They should also be able to help you develop ads for social media, and help you measure the success of your social media campaigns.
When it comes to marketing your business on social media, you have a lot of options. You can hire a social media marketing company to help you with all of your posts, or you can use some of the free tools available online. Here’s a look at some of the most popular social media marketing tools and services.
Social Media Marketing Platforms
- Users: 1.9 billion daily active users worldwide
- Audience: An even spread of Generation X and Millennials
- Industry impact: B2C
- Best for: Brand awareness; advertising
Facebook is the largest social media platform and the most established. Since its launch in 2004, it has become an invaluable tool for B2C businesses, offering advanced advertising tools as well as organic opportunities.
TikTok
- Users: 1 billion active monthly global users
- Audience: Primarily Gen Z followed by Millennials
- Industry impact: B2B and B2C
- Best for: Short-form, creative video content; user-generated content; brand awareness
When you think of short-form videos, you probably think of TikTok. The platform rose in popularity in 2020 and shows no signs of slowing down. It’s one of the best platforms for community building, with marketers ranking it in second place behind YouTube.
- Users: 1 billion monthly active users
- Audience: Primarily Millennials
- Industry impact: B2C
- Best for: High-quality images and videos; user-generated content; advertising
Although Instagram launched only 12 years ago, the platform has taken the world by storm. When it comes to sharing visually compelling content, Instagram is where brands go. Another thing that sets the platform apart is its advanced eCommerce tools.
Today, users can discover brands, browse their products and/or service, and complete a purchase without ever leaving the app – making Instagram a hard platform to beat.
- Users: 211 million daily active users worldwide
- Audience: Primarily Millennials
- Industry impact: B2B and B2C
- Best for: Public relations; customer service; community building
While Instagram focuses on visuals, Twitter focuses on words. Since the early days of 140-character Tweets, the platform has now expanded to include an audio tool called Twitter Spaces, a community-building tool called Twitter Communities, and Twitter Moments to share interesting content with your followers.
- Users: 774 million active users worldwide
- Audience: Baby boomers, Generation X, and Millennials
- Industry impact: B2B
- Best for B2B relationships, business development, and social selling
LinkedIn is Facebook’s professional cousin. It’s perhaps the only platform where its audience is clearly defined: Working professionals looking to network and seek out new opportunities.
That makes it the ideal platform for B2B companies looking to identify key decision-makers and build an industry-specific community.
YouTube
- Users: Over 315 million daily active users worldwide
- Audience: Primarily Millennials but has a strong audience across gender and age demographics
- Industry impact: B2C and B2B
- Best for: Brand awareness; long-form entertainment, and how-to videos
According to HootSuite, YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. In addition, marketers name it the best platform to build community.
In addition to being an incredibly popular platform, its users also tend to stay longer on it because it features mostly long-form content – making it an ideal platform to share educational content.
Snapchat
- Users: 306 million daily active users worldwide
- Audience: Primarily Generation Z
- Industry impact: B2C
- Best for: Brand awareness; advertising
When Snapchat came out in 2011, leading the charge in ephemeral content. It introduced content that you could share with your friends and that would expire after 24 hours.
The platform peaked in 2015 and has held strong since then. Many thought the brand would disappear once Instagram introduced Stories, the same feature with a different name. However, Snapchat continues to be popular among young adults.
- Users: 444 million monthly active users worldwide
- Audience: Primarily Millennials with a solid audience in Gen Z, Gen X, and Baby Boomers
- Industry impact: B2C
- Best for: Visual advertising; inspiration
Think of Pinterest as a visual storyboard that allows users to get inspiration for everything from fashion to home decor.
85% of Pinners say Pinterest is where they go to start a new project. In addition, 80% of weekly Pinners say they’ve discovered a new brand or product on the platform. So, not only is it a great discovery tool but it’s also a way for brands to build their narrative through visual stories.
Clubhouse
- Users: 10 million weekly active users worldwide
- Audience: Primarily Millennials
- Industry impact: B2B and B2C
- Best for: Visual advertising; inspiration
Clubhouse made a strong impression as soon as it entered the social media world in 2020. The audio-only platform allows people to start interesting conversations with followers as well as strangers and build community.
The platform also gained some buzz for its invitation-only setup when it was in beta testing. Today, the platform is open to everyone globally and on both IOS and Android devices. Another big selling point to this platform is that it works well for both B2B and B2C businesses and leverages audio, which has made a huge comeback in recent years.
Now that we’ve detailed the fundamentals of each social media network, let’s discuss why social media marketing is beneficial for your business.