If you search for information about what social media platforms you should be using, you’ll find articles explaining why every business needs a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok. At first glance, this seems to make sense. What’s the harm in reaching your audience on as many platforms as possible?
Although it seems strategic, not every social media platform will be equally effective. Taking this approach to social media marketing campaigns can prevent you from concentrating your resources on top-performing channels. Your marketing resources – including time, money, and creative energy – are limited. If you invest your resources in low-performing social media efforts, you might get a few leads and sales, but it will take a ton of effort to get those small returns. Your resources will be tied up and unavailable to invest in more effective channels, making it harder to scale your efforts.
What makes a social media platform high-performing will be determined by your market, budget, and goals. Some businesses excel on Facebook, while others corner their market on TikTok.
Whether you’re just getting started, or you’re already using multiple social media platforms, here’s why you need to be selective.
If your social media marketing strategy involves posting daily content to as many platforms as possible, that’s not going to work. Rumor has it that businesses need to maintain a presence on every social media platform, but that’s simply not true. Having a presence won’t automatically generate conversions, nor will it do much of anything for your brand if you don’t have a social media strategy.
Social media marketing efforts require in-depth knowledge about your market, including knowing where your market hangs out online. It’s safe to assume that most people have a Facebook account, but they might spend more time on other platforms. Your goal should be to reach your market where they hang out and where they are most likely to convert.
For example, X is not a good platform for generating sales. Even if 100% of your market hangs out on X, you’ll struggle to get sales through this platform, and that’s intentional. It’s not designed for selling – it’s meant to keep people scrolling while consuming content.
There’s a good chance that your target audience doesn't use every social media platform equally, if at all. For effective paid social media advertising, you’ll need to sort out where they actually spend time and focus your efforts there.
According to research data, here’s a breakdown of where consumers say they’ve made purchases:
· Facebook (75%)
· Instagram (50%)
· YouTube (29%)
· TikTok (18%)
Although these numbers make Facebook look like the ideal platform, that may not be the case. It depends on your market and your paid advertising budget.
Most brands have to spend a lot of money on Facebook Ads to get results. Due to the complex nature of running Facebook Ads, it usually requires hiring an agency, and that makes it even more expensive. You’ll get more sales than you would on your own, but it will take more effort and money. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth investing in Facebook Ads. On the contrary, paid ads are one of the most efficient and fastest ways to grow your business, but it requires a significant budget on Facebook.
If you have a generous Pay-Per-Click (PPC) budget and can afford to hire a marketing agency, Facebook Ads can work in your favor to get you a steady stream of leads and sales. However, if you’re trying to save money and are working with a small budget, it will be a struggle to gain traction. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s better to focus your efforts on platforms that make paid ads a little easier. Namely, Instagram and TikTok.
Unlike Facebook Ads, it’s easy to set up and start running your own TikTok ads in minutes, and the conversion rate for many industries is typically higher. While fewer people overall buy on TikTok compared to Facebook, the returns are better for brands with a market that spends a lot of time on TikTok simply because the conversion rate is higher.
Instagram ads are equally easy to set up and run. However, the market on Instagram is much different than TikTok. Still, it’s worth experimenting with both if you haven’t already.
When experts recommend social media platforms to businesses, X is always at the top of the list. However, X is not what it used to be, and it’s no longer marketing-friendly.
Sharing links to your website is fundamental to social media management, but you won’t get far with that on X. Many X users have noticed that after Elon Musk bought Twitter and altered the algorithm, social media posts with external links have been heavily suppressed.
Financial Analyst Jesse Colombo noticed this and ran an experiment where he published the same content one day apart, but only inserted an external link in one of his posts. His first post, which contained an external link to an informational report he wrote, received 3,670 views, 3 comments, 13 reposts, 40 favorites, and 12 bookmarks. His second post – posted the next day without the link – received 65,400 views, 74 comments, 258 reposts, 873 favorites, and 97 bookmarks.
Reviewing his past threads on X, Colombo noticed that many other posts with external links only received a fraction of the reach and engagement compared to posts without external links. His observations may be anecdotal, but they aren’t without merit. Elon Musk confirmed that X posts with external links aren’t prioritized in the algorithm because he doesn’t want people to be taken off the platform.
Knowing this about X should give you a good reason to assess whether or not you need to maintain social media campaigns on the platform.
X might be a good fit for your business if you:
· Can post interesting, engaging, and informative information on a regular basis related to your business. If you own a plumbing company, you probably won’t do well on X. People aren’t going to get excited about tips for unclogging drains.
· Aren’t solely focused on trying to get people to visit your website. If your main goal is to capture leads and send people to sales pages, X isn’t the right platform.
· Want to build a personal connection with your market, and can post about topics they’ll find engaging. If you don’t have time to connect with your market, or there’s nothing for them to talk about on their own, X is probably not a good fit.
Like all marketing channels, you’ll need to assess your intention and goals for having a presence on X and it needs to make sense based on how the platform works. If your approach is aggressive self-promotion with little to no user-focused content, your resources will be better spent establishing yourself on other platforms.
Maybe your research says that your target market spends a lot of time on Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, and Instagram. That’s great information, but it still doesn’t mean you’ll effectively reach your market on all of those platforms. It depends on what you’re selling, how you sell it, and what state of mind your market is in when they encounter your content.
Each of the aforementioned apps – Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram – require a unique approach to marketing because people have a different mindset when they’re on each platform.
People on X are looking for interesting content they can absorb at-a-glance or within a few seconds while scrolling. Short content works great for brand building and creating rapport with your market, but as previously discussed, it’s not ideal for lead generation because external links get suppressed. If you can’t send people to your online store, a sales page, or your email signup form, X might not be all that useful.
On Instagram, many people are intentionally searching for products to buy, but will only interact with a post or ad if it has stunning aesthetics. Users may never actually read your text-based caption, but if you post engaging videos and images, Instagram can be highly effective.
You can post links on Facebook without fear of suppression, but people still scroll rather quickly through their feed, and you’ll need a good visual to catch your market’s attention. The problem with Facebook is you have to get people to click to play your videos.
TikTok is even more rapid fire. People are scrolling through their feed at lightning speed, wanting to be entertained by short and engaging videos. Since videos automatically play, it’s easier to capture attention with your ads. TikTok ads average a 5-16% engagement rate, leaving Facebook (0.09%) and Instagram (1.22%) in the dust.
Although it began as a music-centered app, TokTok has become one of the best social media platforms for ecommerce. TikTok Shop makes it easy to reach your market, and a whopping 30% of daily users say they’ve bought something from TikTok Shop.
TikTok Ads also work exceptionally well. However, you’ll need to be creative to get those conversions. Still, even when users see your ads, but don’t interact, you’ll benefit. According to recent data, 41% of users say they trust a brand just by seeing an ad on TikTok.
Unlike other platforms, TikTok ads are always videos, and you need to capture a user’s attention in the first few seconds or they’ll just keep scrolling. This requires planning and strategy. Another key to success on TikTok is to make your ads look like native TikTok videos by adding your text overlays and music directly from the app. Video ads that look too polished and professional can be off-putting to users. If you can do this or hire out the task to a video production company, TikTok could be your best social media marketing channel.
Something else that sets TikTok apart is that the company constantly analyzes their best-performing ads, and makes the data available for free through their Creative Center. They also consistently publish content to help business owners reach more people. Compared to other social media platforms, TikTok is extremely business-friendly.
Not all platforms are ideal for every type of conversion. For example, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram are great for generating impulse sales and building your email list, but don’t use TikTok solely for lead generation. The user base tends to be younger, they’re looking for entertainment, and are unlikely to be in the mood to download a PDF guide. They will, however, click a few buttons to make an impulse buy
Some platforms aren’t good for any kind of conversion, like X (due to the suppression of external links). However, if your goal is to create brand awareness or establish expertise in your industry, then X can be useful. And while many people still use LinkedIn, it’s not ideal for marketing, and its effectiveness for networking is questionable.
Remember that successful marketing requires precision targeting rather than a broad reach. Trying to market on every social media platform will only waste your resources. Success comes from being selective. Understand where your target customers spend their time, and establish a strong presence on those platforms. With a targeted approach, you’ll reach a larger portion of your market and get more of the conversions you want.
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