Social Media Showdown: Pick the right platform for your biz!
Welcome to the ultimate Social Media Showdown, where your service-based business will get the info you need to make sure you are putting your marketing efforts in the right place. We’ve rounded up the top contenders – Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest – so let's see which one can let your business soar high in the marketing universe.
Instagram: The Visual Virtuoso
Audience Statistics: Can you believe Instagram sees 1 billion monthly active users? IG reigns supreme among a visual-loving audience, especially those between ages 18-34.
Length of Content: No time for novels here – keep your captions under 2,200 characters and let your visuals do the talking! Don’t be afraid to substitute engaging text graphics for photos, we love a good text graphic carousel here at Loop!
Post Frequency: Show off your biz 3-7 times a week to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more!
Pros:
Stunning Visuals: Flaunt your business's beauty with eye-catching images and snazzy short videos!
Connect with the Young Guns: Reach the millennials and Gen Z folks with ease!
Engaging Stories: Unleash your creativity with Instagram Stories that vanish after 24 hours! This is a great place for behind the scenes.
Cons:
Short-lived Content: Your posts have a short lifespan, so keep 'em coming to stay in the hearts and feeds of your ideal audience.
Less B2B Opportunities: Instagram shines brightest for B2C businesses, so if you are looking for a B2B audience you might find other platforms more suited. *Keep in mind that your direct B2B clients may not have a profile, but the employees and customers of your ideal clients are most likely there keeping an eye out.*
LinkedIn: The Professional Powerhouse
Audience Statistics: With 774 million users, LinkedIn is the ultimate hangout for professionals and B2B heroes!
Length of Content: Break out your articulate side – LinkedIn loves lengthy article posts with 1,900-2,000 words. If you are in love with writing, LinkedIn is where it’s at for you!
Post Frequency: Show off your expertise 2-5 times a week, and you'll be mingling with industry moguls in no time!
Pros:
B2B Heaven: Network with other businesses, find leads, and showcase your professional prowess!
Thought Leadership: Position yourself as an industry expert and watch your influence grow! Service-based businesses thrive in the thought leadership space!
Meaningful Conversations: Engage in meaningful discussions and build connections with like-minded professionals in comments and direct messages.
Cons:
Serious Vibes: Light-hearted content may struggle to shine among the sea of suits, but don’t be afraid to test out your audience. Sometimes something catchy is just what an audience ordered to break up their feed with some fun.
High-Quality Content Needed: LinkedIn demands well-crafted and informative posts, so make sure you put your best writing pen forward.
Facebook: The Socialite Star
Audience Statistics: Say hello to a jaw-dropping 2.85 billion monthly active users! Facebook's diverse audience welcomes audiences of all kinds!
Length of Content: While Facebook accepts longer form content, it’s best to keep it snappy and engaging so you don't exceed the attention span – short and sweet is the mantra!
Post Frequency: 3-5 times a week is the sweet spot – the more, the merrier!
Pros:
Massive Reach: The biggest audience playground you'll find in the digital realm!
Versatile Content: From images and videos to blog links and customer love, Facebook loves it all!
Analytical Insights: Unleash your marketing strategies with in-depth analytics and audience insights.
Cons:
Content Overload: Standing out amidst the noise can be a challenge, so polish those creative skills and don’t be afraid to stand out.
Limited Organic Reach: While some brands can see reach without, be prepared to dabble in paid advertising to really see the value from Facebook.
YouTube: The Video Vanguard
Audience Statistics: It’s said that YouTube has a whopping 2 billion monthly logged-in users (plus an unknown number of users who aren’t logged in)! YouTube's video paradise is perfect for businesses with captivating visual content.
Length of Content: If you like to flex your video muscles, YouTube is where you belong. Publish content ranging from quick snippets to engaging long-form videos.
Post Frequency: Consistency is the key to ruling YouTube – aim for at least one video per week.
Pros:
Video Royalty: Showcase your brand's personality through compelling video tutorials, product or service demos, engaging vlogs, and even interviews.
SEO Superpowers: YouTube is owned by Google, which can help boost your businesses Google search results to the first page!
Evergreen Content: Your videos stay alive and kicking long after you post them, gaining views over time, which is great news if you like to spend lots of time crafting the perfect video content.
Cons:
Time-Consuming: Video creation and editing can feel like a marathon. If this is your skillset, YouTube certainly sets you up for success.
Competition Galore: YouTube is a crowded arena, it may not be for a first timer to social media marketing.
Pinterest: The Visual Discovery Dynamo
Audience Statistics: If your audience includes people interested in lifestyle, fashion, food, and other creative realms. Pinterest is where it’s at! With 459 million monthly active users, Pinterest is the perfect playground for businesses comfortable with representing itself visually.
Length of Content: If you aren’t big with words, look no further. Less is more on Pinterest – let your visuals do the talking, and keep your descriptions brief.
Post Frequency: Pinning multiple times a day ensures your creativity gets the attention it deserves across the platform.
Pros:
Pin-tastic Display: Showcase your services, and inspirations with stunning pins and boards.
Long-Lasting Appeal: Pinterest's content has a long shelf life, driving traffic to your website over time.
Organic Growth: Quality content on Pinterest can spread like wildfire, gaining traction organically.
Cons:
Niche Audience: While loyal, Pinterest's user base has specific interests, so it may not suit every service-based business.
High-Quality Imagery Needed: Prepare to invest in eye-catching visuals to win hearts on Pinterest.
Honourable Mentions
In this ever changing world we can’t forget to give an honourable mention to X.com and Threads. If you don’t follow social media trends you may have missed two massive launches this summer.
First: Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) launched it’s new platform Threads on July 5. Much like its direct competitor, X.com (formerly Twitter), Threads is a place for quick text based content. While you can post photos and short videos, upon launch the value for its audience was in short thoughts, comments, jokes, and more.
Second: Twitter announced a rebrand of the well known social media app to X.com around the 24th of July. So far the only change is to its logo (bye bye to the little blue bird) and name, with no changes to the function of the app so far. A lot remains to be seen on the future of X.com, but if your business had a profile on Twitter with an engaged audience all you need to know now is to keep doing what you are doing.
The world changes fast and social media is no stranger to a furious pace, even when it comes to the platforms themselves. Loop Consulting is watching this space and, for now, we recommend keeping any content on either Threads or X.com lighthearted and fun. Hard selling content hasn’t yet caught on so no need to rush to develop a marketing strategy quite yet. However, please, let's do our part to make social media a supportive place and keep our content positive and polite on whatever platform we decide to engage.
There you have it – a comprehensive look into the dynamic world of social media platforms, each equipped with its unique superpowers to help your business succeed in the digital universe. Remember, the key to success lies in understanding your audience, creating engaging content, and maintaining a consistent presence. Choose your platform(s) wisely to allow your business to make its mark online.
If you are looking for help figuring out which platform to start with, give us a shout. We offer total content creation packages for small and medium sized businesses to get your biz posting online consistent and with confidence!
