With so many social media channels out there, we're often asked which platforms marketers should spend their time and efforts on. There’s no simple answer—what's great for one business might not be the best choice for another. We put together stats about some of the most popular networks to help you choose the right one for optimal growth.
Facebook is by far the most popular social network: it’s the third-most visited website after Google and YouTube, and it’s the second-most downloaded app after TikTok. Best of all, it allows targeted advertising. But with so many active users, there’s a lot of competition to have your content seen, often requiring a large ad budget and consistent effort to create engagement.
People mostly use LinkedIn for networking, to learn about their industry, or to see new career opportunities (versus for entertainment or shopping, like on other social platforms). It’s great for marketers because the audience includes decision-makers from multiple industries. LinkedIn is almost three times more effective at generating leads than Twitter or Facebook, and U.S. audiences view it as more trustworthy than other social media networks.
Instagram is more popular with younger generations than Facebook, and has the fourth-most users of any mobile app. It’s a visual app, allowing companies to “show” rather than “tell” about their products. High-quality photos and videos that showcase your brand are encouraged. Videos perform well on Instagram, with Stories being the most popular type of content. For optimal engagement, marketers must post consistently to be seen by audiences.
Twitter is ideal for sharing thoughts, asking questions, creating polls, and promoting events. Many users get their news from this platform (17% in the U.S. and 59% overall report using Twitter as a news source). Messages are limited to only 280 characters per tweet. Marketers should plan to post multiple tweets a day to compete with the “noise.” Ads on Twitter perform 1-3% better than on Facebook.
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