Where Should I Invest My Time & Effort on Social Media?
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As a social media professional, one of the most common questions I get is, “which social media platforms should I be on?” Social media is always changing–you’ve got to keep up with the old standbys of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, then there’s pressure to hop on new platforms, and there are options like LinkedIn and Pinterest to consider. How do you know where to focus your time and effort? Social media is a ton of work, so you want to make sure your time is well spent and that you’re not spreading yourself too thin. Today I’m sharing my best advice for where to invest your time and effort when it comes to social media marketing.
A Caveat
Since social media changes quickly and varies widely by industry, I want to preface all of this with a big “it depends.” I’ll be sharing general advice below, but keep in mind, it depends! It depends on your industry. It depends on the demographics of your target audience. It depends on what type of content your business lends itself to. It depends on a ton of different factors!
Many people are eager to abandon Facebook–it’s just not as exciting as it used to be! It’s tried too hard to copy features from other platforms (no one needed Facebook Stories) and there are plenty of valid reasons to be angry with Meta as their platform has played a big role in the increasing polarization of our country.
And yet, Facebook has 2.9 billion monthly active users. People are spending less time per day on the platform, but it’s still widely used. If you’re a newer nonprofit or small business, it makes sense to start with a Facebook page. We tend to assume that Facebook is where an older population hangs out, and to some extent that’s true, but the largest demographic on the platform is 25-34 year old men.
That said, Facebook’s organic reach is incredibly low these days. If you’re not promoting posts, only a small sliver of your followers will see them. Why invest a ton of time in content if your followers won’t even see it?
The value
At this point, Facebook arguably has the most value with groups. Few other platforms have a similar tool that can be used to organize people. You can create a ‘members of X gym’ group for your gym members to form friendships and stay in touch, a group for a book club run by your library, a ‘fans of Y coffee shop’ group where you offer special discounts to your most loyal customers–the options are limitless! Consider exploring groups if you haven’t already.
Takeaway
Invest as little effort as possible to scrape by with Facebook. It’s good to have a presence there, but it won’t really help you get discovered by new customers unless you’re running aggressive paid ad campaigns.
Oh, Instagram. The darling of the social media world…until it wasn’t. People started falling out of love with Instagram when they took away the chronological news feed. Two thirds of the app’s user base is millennials and Gen Z, so while some of them are migrating to TikTok, they’re not ditching Insta completely.
Despite the declarations by some that Instagram is dead, I think it still has value and will remain a reliable marketing tool for the vast majority of folks. Not everyone wants to create video content for TikTok (or watch video content on TikTok!), so I don’t see people abandoning Instagram in droves–perhaps just engaging less, a trend we’re already seeing.
Instagram is highly favoring Reels right now (to compete with TikTok, of course, since they love to imitate other platforms’ features). I haven’t created many Reels myself; I find the tool clunky and un-intuitive. However, sharing Reels is a great way to get your account in front of new eyes. Instagram will serve your Reels to people who don’t follow you already, so it’s an excellent way to reach new people.
The value
Stories is another smart place to invest your time and effort on Instagram. People are looking at Stories as much as, if not more than, in-feed posts now. Many folks come on the app, tap through Stories, and leave. Stories can also be more casual and less aesthetic, which makes it a great place for behind-the-scenes content and less curated peeks at your business.
Takeaway
Keep investing in Instagram; it’s not going anywhere. Give Reels a try if you can. Even just one Reel a week is worth incorporating into your content schedule. And focus more on Stories than static posts.
TikTok
I love TikTok–I spend more time on it now than any other social media app. Their uncanny algorithm makes it a fun place where you’re always learning something new, laughing, or finding community. That’s rare on social media these days!
TikTok’s user base is young and the platform is growing rapidly, plus the average user spends a whopping 89 minutes per day on the platform. That’s three times more than giants like Facebook and Instagram! Who wouldn’t want to capitalize on an audience that’s so engaged?
TikTok’s unique algorithm is also a huge asset–you don’t need followers for people to see your content. TikTok automatically serves content to the people who they think will like it–so your fantastic, funny video could wind up in front of hundreds of thousands of people, even if you only have 60 followers. The growth potential is huge!
The value
TikTok’s value is in its unique algorithm and its growth potential. On TikTok, people are less curated than on Instagram. You can show what things are really like at your business. You can joke around. You can be weird. And that has the potential to reach a big audience! If your company is risk-averse or old school, TikTok may not be the platform for you.
Takeaway
If you have the bandwidth and interest, invest some solid time and effort in TikTok! There’s tremendous potential and it’s a lot of fun. I’ve seen some people recommend an aggressive posting cadence of three times per day, but I think aiming for five posts/week is enough.
I don’t spend anywhere near as much time on Twitter as I used to (I left the platform in 2021 and haven’t looked back); I now only use Twitter for just one client. Twitter’s user base is far smaller than TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, with just 211 million monthly active users. Twitter hasn’t seen much growth over the years but has held steady; it’s worth noting that its user base tends to be highly educated and high-earning.
The value
If your brand doesn’t translate well to photo or video, then Twitter could be a good platform to focus on. It works well for industries like journalism, tech, and politics.
Takeaway
Due to Twitter’s small user base and low growth potential, only invest in Twitter if other platforms aren’t a fit for your brand, or if Twitter is the sole place where your target demographic hangs out.
Did you know that LinkedIn has more users than Twitter? I didn’t, until researching this blog post! LinkedIn has 810 million monthly active users. As the baby boomer generation retires, the platform has become more millennial-dominated (including those cringey hustle-culture posts). I often hear nonprofits wondering if they should be using LinkedIn more, and it largely depends on their goals. Are they trying to get people into programs? Sell tickets to events? Raise funds? Will the people you want to do the thing be on LinkedIn? Most of the time, LinkedIn isn’t necessarily the best platform for achieving those goals.
The value
LinkedIn can be a good place to stay somewhat active for times when your company is hiring. You can share snippets of company culture, highlights of projects employees are working on, new hire announcements, and more.
Takeaway
Invest lightly in LinkedIn where/when it makes sense. Even one post a week is enough to keep your presence adequately active.
I don’t consider myself a Pinterest expert, but I have researched it extensively for clients. Nonprofits often create a Pinterest without thinking through the strategy behind what to post, how often to post, who they’re trying to reach, or what they’re trying to achieve. With a thoughtful strategy, Pinterest can be an effective marketing tool.
Pinterest has 431 million monthly active users, skews heavily female, and its largest age group is 50-64 year olds. Many folks don’t realize that Pinterest is a great search tool effective for selling physical products. For example, a clothing brand might see more traction than a wedding photographer.
The value
Pinterest can drive a lot of traffic to your site if you’re using it well.
Takeaway
Invest moderately in Pinterest if you’re a business that sells a product that women between 50 and 64 might want to buy for themselves or someone they love.
The Newcomers
New social media platforms will keep popping up. Clubhouse, an audio-only platform, saw a brief moment of popularity before issues with harassment and misinformation arose. There are platforms like Truth Social and Parler, designed for conservatives. And then there are the long-dead sites, like Google+, Peach, Vine, YikYak, and so many others. When a new platform launches, give it some time. There’s no need to rush to join it as soon as it hits the App Store. Let it breathe and spend some time monitoring how it works, how it’s received, and how quickly it grows. Thought, care, and strategy should always go into your decision to join another platform, not an ill-advised rush to be an early adopter.
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