Originally published on 09/14/2015. Updated on 10/18/2022
The Big Five Social Media Platforms Your Company Should Be On
People live and breathe social media nowadays. As a business owner, you have to be where your customers are and decide which social media platforms can help your business the most by engaging your customers.
The problem is that all social media platforms look alike now with similar features. You might also be questioning whether or not social media as a whole is necessary since it is difficult to quantify in terms of return on investment.
Lucky for you, we have a guide to the big five social media platforms for businesses. We go over what each one is all about to help you with your marketing decisions.
1. Facebook is Still the Top Social Media Platform:
Facebook is still the largest social media platform, with 2.9 billion monthly active users. If your company wants to increase its brand awareness and gain a following, you should get a Facebook Page.
In fact, it’s almost expected of businesses to have a Facebook page. Customers expect to see some updates and content on a Facebook page to get to know the business. Facebook allows you to build a relationship with customers. You should be conversational in your posts, as this news feed is about catching up and connecting with friends.
Facebook does have its downsides. Over the years, Facebook has updated its algorithm to show more specialized content in people’s feeds. As a result, organic reach on a Facebook post is 5.2% on average. Don’t be discouraged, though. Organic posts are still important; you just also need to have a strategy for building followers, and you should invest in Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads will better place your services and products in front of people who are more likely to buy from you.
Try to keep your posts under 250 characters, as it could increase your engagement by 23%. Posts with pictures also get more attention, with a 39% increase in interactions. Just think of your post as a billboard and add an interesting picture and engaging text to capture your audience’s attention.
In addition to standard Facebook posts and Ads, you can also take advantage of Facebook Stories, Facebook Shops, Groups, Events, and more. There’s a lot you can do with Facebook, which is why it is on the big five social media platform list; it just comes down to navigating the platform and finding the best way to reach your customers.
2. YouTube is Next in the Big Five Social Media Platforms:
Videos have been on the rise since the first commercial in 1941. People love videos, and many platforms have supported them over the years, leading to this star player – YouTube.
With a whopping 14.3 billion visitors a month, this untraditional social media platform is used by people across the globe. People use this platform for all types of video content, from looking at cute videos of cats to finding out how to use a new tool they bought.
YouTube can open a world of communication and connection with your customers, and there are many types of videos companies can use for their business. Some video types include:
- Introduction/Company Overview
- Product Demonstrations
- Testimonials
- Launch Videos
- Recruitment
- And More!
Read more about different types of videos for your business here. Videos can do so much for your company by selling your products, highlighting your unique selling point, or just showing your story.
The only catch to YouTube is you have to produce high-quality videos if you want to stand out, which can be challenging if you’re not ready to invest at least 20 hours each week into video scripting, recording, and editing. At Catapult, we have a team of creative engineers who can help you stand out from your competition with professional video production services. Let your customers see your company through a whole new lens and increase your customer base.
3. Twitter:
Twitter is the 7th most popular social media platform in the world. With this real-time platform, your company can keep up with instant news and display small bits of information to your followers. Unlike other social media platforms, it has a 280-character limit, and this limit takes full advantage of people’s limited attention span. Twitter users don’t want to read paragraphs; they are looking to get to the point quickly.
This forces you to get to the root of your message, highlighting the most important aspect and choosing your words carefully. Twitter would be a good platform for your company if you have something to say often and want to reach out and respond to customers promptly. To reach even more people with your message, include relevant hashtags.
Twitter can be advantageous for your business. 54% of Twitter’s users are likely to purchase new products, helping Twitter make the list of the big five social media platforms for companies. Using Twitter organic posts or ads can help you sell more of your products. Just make sure your ads are short, sweet, and to the point.
Everyone in the advertising community is keeping a close eye on Twitter as the platform experiences major changes. Will Twitter hold on to its spot in the big five social media platform list?
4. Instagram:
Instagram is in the big five social media platforms because it’s all about displaying your brand or company visually. It is a friendly and personable platform and humanizes your company by showing the people behind the work. It can also be a showcase platform for your company as Instagram users tend to like beautiful photographs, art, and creativity. By sharing composed company pictures, videos, and time-lapses, you show what is happening within the business and invite customers into your company.
Instagram is a multi-use platform and boasts organic posts, Reels (videos), Ads, Stories, and Shops. With an average of 1.22 billion users each month, this platform is a great option for businesses looking to market their companies and products. In fact, 50% of users say they’ve purchased from a company after seeing a product or service in Stories.
Add a hashtag and caption to posts to enjoy being part of a bigger conversation and optimize your picture for searching so more people see your post. Instagram is a great platform for companies wanting to reveal what their brand represents; after all, a picture is worth 1,000 words.
5. LinkedIn Still Makes the Big Five Social Media Platform List:
LinkedIn is a social media platform geared towards professional networking and sharing industry information. Your company can create content about your industry and engage with others in similar work or who are interested in your industry.
It will allow your company to build awareness within a professional audience and share industry or company information that will lead to your company being at the forefront of the industry. You can also use this platform for recruiting and hiring as members keep up-to-date resumes here, and it is quickly becoming a replacement for hard-copy resumes.
Honorable Mention: TikTok
This was a difficult choice for us as TikTok exploded in popularity with about 1 billion monthly active users. It was close to kicking LinkedIn off the list. However, we think it has found its home in the honorable mention category.
TikTok didn’t quite make the top five social media platforms because it’s still a relatively new platform with a limited market. Almost half of TikTok users are individuals in the generation Z category, with the youngest users being around 10 years old. To top it off, only one in 10 individuals between the ages of 45 and 64 have a favorable opinion about the app.
While that’s not a drawback for some companies, it doesn’t make sense to be on the platform for others. Not every company has information or services that concern a younger audience. It also might be more difficult to engage your audience on this new platform as you compete with users who are there solely to entertain.
For some companies, though, this platform can be a major advantage. Gen Zers are the current trendsetters, and getting in front of them can boost your company’s awareness and help you sell more. We suggest taking a look at your company and your goals to see if the platform aligns with or can help you reach your goals. Testing different advertising methods is all part of the process of growing your business.
Which Social Media Platform is Right for Your Company?
When choosing a social media platform for your business out of the big five social media platforms, it is important to consider which would work best for your company and your goals for it. LinkedIn might be the way to go if you’re trying to build your team and be the industry leader. But if you want to showcase your amazingly creative products in a picture-perfect setting, Instagram might be a match made in heaven.
You don’t have to limit yourself to one. Different social media platforms can work in conjunction to help you form a complete picture of your company and what it stands for. Don’t limit yourself to this big five social media platform list either, but do take posting seriously if you want to get something out of social media.
Developing a strong social strategy helps to determine where you want to go and what you want to get out of social media. Make sure to quantify your online presence to keep from investing too much time in a platform that doesn’t work for you.
If you need help building a social media platform and keeping up with your plan, contact Catapult Creative Media today. We have the experience, talent, and quick wit to help you stand out in the social media sphere. Call today at 225-590-3310 to see what we can do for your brand.
Apps that Didn’t Make The Big Five Social Media Platform List:
- Myspace
- Snapchat
- Foursquare
RIP to the Social Media Platforms that are No Longer with Us
- Google+ (deceased)
- Vine (deceased)
Meredith Kisow is the lead copywriter at Catapult. She enjoys reading, hiking with her husband and dogs, and taking way too many pictures of her pets.
Work with Catapult Creative Media Inc. Catapult Creative Media Inc. is a digital marketing and design agency serving clients over the United States but is proud to call Baton Rouge, Louisiana home. Founded in 2007, Catapult provides digital, social and mobile marketing solutions backed by relevant strategy and measurable results. Catapult works the web to their clients’ advantage, launching them to their next level of success.
