Identifying Strengths and Audiences of the Different Types of Social Media Platforms
According to Eurostat (2020) 2, between 2013 and 2019, the use of social media increased most for marketing purposes (from 22% to 45% of enterprises) and for recruiting employees (from 9% to 28% of enterprises).
As of 2021, the most popular global social media platforms are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. There are however dozens of other notable social media platforms (e.g. TikTok, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Snapchat).
| Social Media platform | Indicators |
| Facebook is undoubtedly (so far) the most popular and well-developed social media platform for marketing. With billions of active users, Facebook should be considered by every organisation / entrepreneur, as it gives a web-like address identity and works well for all types of content. |
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| Audience / Users 3, 4 | |
| Popular among all demographics. |
Voices of our City Choir
With 10,000 likes and followers, this non-profit organisation was created in 2016 to help San Diego's homeless individuals to get back on their feet through the healing power of music.
| Social Media platform | Indicators |
| If however, you’re in a business that’s highly visual (interior design, confectionery, art, etc.), Instagram might be a more appropriate platform to showcase your work by posting attractive pictures and video content (allowing product tags and links in stories to redirect users to specific pages). The “Instagram Stories” feature allows you to publish “24-hours only visible” videos to stimulate your audience with a sense of urgency to watch your posts. |
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| Audience / Users 3, 4 | |
| More appealing to female audiences. |
Demel: A Viennese Fairytale
Founded in 1786, Demel confectionery in Vienna is a …sweet story gone visually online to reveal to its 30,000 followers its pastry creations through Instagram!
| Social Media platform | Indicators |
| LinkedIn can be used to promote your organisation’s activities by networking with other professionals through publishing content of all kinds (e.g. editorial). Furthermore, those in your connection circle can endorse your skills to further help you promote your expertise. LinkedIn is a great tool for career and sales-related networking. |
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| Audience / Users 3, 4 | |
| Users are mostly higher income university graduates within the 30-55 age group. |
Spotawheel: Fixing the broken used cars market
Reaching almost 19,000 LinkedIn followers, Spotawheel, one of Europe’s fastest-growing used car platforms, accomplished capitalising on a successful redesigned process with a dynamic online presence and a strong B2C sales networking.
| Social Media platform | Indicators |
| Twitter works fine for sharing information out quickly and in the fewest words possible (max. 280 characters per post). It is also the right medium for making comments about events in real-time, although it is rather important to be active and timely with responses and use a clear and concise language. Since tweets are produced in massive numbers every day, Hashtags (#) are used to index keywords on Twitter, assisting users to easily follow discussions of topics they are interested in. Read how to use Hashtags here. |
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| Audience / Users 3, 4 | |
| Attracts mostly males with at least some college education within the 25-34 age group. |
Burger King: Genius tweets elevate strong interaction
Since 2010 and with 45,000 tweets so far, Burger King has been trying to interact daily with its 2 million followers in a youthful and clever way to generate a joyful appetite tone for a Whopper.
| Social Media platform | Indicators |
| YouTube is a popular place where you can upload and share videos related to product demonstrations and technical support explanations. Video views aren’t exclusively dependent on subscribers, as videos can also appear as search results and viewed by anyone. This platform allows 360º videos, instant comments and it has very detailed analytics; however, only 18% of YouTube users claim to use the platform to discover brands and products.3 |
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| Audience / Users 3, 4 | |
| Mostly attracts young visitors of both genders. |
Dove: Beauty on your own terms
With almost 3 million YouTube views, Dove Canada launched in the summer of 2016 the #MyBeautyMySay campaign to promote an inspiring social message by featuring stories of amazing women who stood up for their own beauty.
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