Social media can be intimidating for business owners. You may not know what to post or you’re not sure you’re on the right platform, or, you feel have to be on all platforms, which is not the case. If you’re struggling to figure out which social media platforms you should be on, I compiled a list of demographics, data and a few thoughts on the various social media platforms out there.
TikTok
TikTok
- Monthly Users: 1.8 billion
- 60% of users are female, 40% are male.
- TikTok is estimated to have pulled in $500 million in revenue from the U.S. alone in 2020
- Our account: @lovespringfield
What Content Does Well
- Product reviews
- Social media challenges
- Dance videos
- Dialogue reenactments
- Cute animal videos
- Making artwork or packing orders
- Satisfying or calming videos
- Humorous reactions
- Voiceovers
- Tutorials
- An original series
Our Take
Wow, where to even begin with this one! TikTok is a pretty new animal in the social media world and it’s up for discussion whether businesses should be on it or not. While the age demographic is lower, TikTok is still a very influential platform.
Books, home decor items and various products have gone out of stock due to people making videos about products they love. TikTok is also about brand awareness. TikTok accounts that have blown up recently are brands like Duolingo and Scrub Daddy, aka a language learning app and a sponge company. Who would’ve thought brands like those would be successful on such a visual platform? Due to a few risky decisions and using trending audio on the app, people are recognizing these brands more and more, and the same could happen for your business.
We recently started a series on our TikTok called “Let’s Tour Springfield, Missouri” where we visit different businesses and places in the Springfield area. In under a minute we share the highlights of where we are and what you can do there, and it’s been a big hit so far.
If you’re looking to get your brand recognized or showcase your business in a fun and creative way, TikTok is for you.
- Monthly Users: 1.4 billion
- 58% of users are female, 42% are male.
- Instagram is estimated to have pulled in $17.4 billion in revenue from the U.S. in 2020.
- Our account: @lovespringfield
What Content Does Well
- Posts featuring influencers
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Images that show you engaging with the community
- Sharing user-generated content on your own page
- Actionable advice and tutorials
- Low saturation images
- Landscapes and nature photography
Our Take
Our handle @lovespringfield has found the most success on Instagram with our users. We reach out to our followers and Springfield locals for user-generated content that we can share. This type of content always performs well for us because people share their content with their friends and family to show their photo(s) were chosen.
If your business is visual or you have a lot of behind-the-scenes content, Instagram is the platform you should focus on.
- Monthly Users: 2.9 billion
- 44% of users are female, 56% are male.
- Facebook is estimated to have pulled in $86 billion in revenue from the U.S. in 2020.
- Our account: I Love Springfield, Missouri!
What Content Does Well
- Videos related to your business
- Seasonal blog posts
- Current events
- Quizzes and trivia
- Posts answering the audience’s questions
- Challenge posts
- Stories and heartfelt content
- Free resources
- New businesses
Our Take
Some people say that Facebook is dead, but we disagree. Facebook is where we get most of our social traffic to springfieldmo.org and it hasn’t slowed down yet. We find the content that is most successful for us is sharing seasonal blog posts about the Springfield area, information about local or new businesses and events.
If your business is event-heavy, or you have great blogs and stories to tell, Facebook is where you should be.
- Monthly Users: 397 million
- 29.6% of users are female, 70.4% are male.
- Twitter is estimated to have pulled in $3.7 billion in revenue from the U.S. in 2020.
- Our account: @SpringfieldCVB
What Content Does Well
- Questions
- Industry news
- Blog posts
- Event details
- Photos or gifs
- Trending topics
- Tips
- Witty or funny information
Our Take
Twitter is one of the least used platforms on this list, but don’t let that discourage you. Twitter has been insanely popular for brands like Wendy’s, McDonald’s and, of course, your favorite celebrities. With a much smaller character count than the other platforms, your message needs to be intentional. We’ve found the most success on our account by sharing event details, blog posts, photos of Springfield, and the occasional witty comment or two.
If your business is all about events and specials, you have lots of blog posts to share, or you have humor to share with the world, Twitter is where you should be.
- Monthly Users: 480 million
- 77.1% of users are female, 14.8% are male, 8.4% are unspecified.
- Pinterest is estimated to have pulled in $1.6 billion in revenue from the U.S. in 2020.
- Our account: @springfieldcvb
What Content Does Well
- Recipes
- DIY content
- Lists
- Home decor
- Clothing inspiration
- Products people can buy
- Blog posts
- Travel destinations
Our Take
Pinterest works very much like Google or Bing: it’s a search engine. People use it to find inspiration for aspects of their life whether it’s home decor, wedding planning, homemade Halloween costumes or their next best pie recipe. They also use it to plan their vacations and travel stops, which is great for us.
Pinterest is pretty cut and dry for us. If your business is very product-heavy, you focus on recipes, or you have lots of blog content to share, Pinterest is definitely for you.
Final Take
Do you have to be on all social media platforms? Absolutely not! Some platforms work better for some businesses rather than others, and some may not even be worth investing in at this time. It’s all about what works for you.
Next Steps
- Compare the demographics of your business with the demographics of the social media platforms above.
- Observe what content you currently have or could get and what would align best with those social media platforms.
- Brainstorm a few ideas or go on social media to see what content works for others.
- Get to work on your own social media strategy!
