There are so many ways to advertise these days, so many platforms to advertise on. But just because there are so many options doesn’t mean you should use every single one. Success depends greatly on your business, organization, and campaign goals.
Rather than dive unknowingly into a campaign on each platform to see what works and what doesn’t, you should know what makes each platform different and what each offers in terms of advertising benefits. For example, if you want to reach younger audiences, a campaign on Instagram or Snapchat would work better than a campaign on Facebook or LinkedIn. If you want more ad format options, Facebook has more variety than LinkedIn or Pinterest. As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider.
Before we talk about which platform is best for you, first consider these questions:
- Know your goals or objectives. What do you want to achieve through your social media campaign? More web traffic, engagement, or conversions?
- Know your audience and its behaviors. Are you targeting men, women, or both, teenagers, music lovers, or fashionistas?
- Know the focus and offering of each social platform. For example, Twitter’s focus is trending topics and real-time news snippets. Instagram and Pinterest, on the other hand, focus primarily on visual, lifestyle, and DIY content. Facebook is more about friends and family, whereas LinkedIn is about networking and career development.
- Know your budget. Some social media platforms require a minimum spending budget, so be aware of how your budget compares. You also need to know how much you are able to spend on ad creative because some platforms require more work than others.
Now that we’ve covered the pre-logistics, let’s look at each social media platform to see which aligns best with your goals.
Use Facebook If…
- You need to create ads in bulk and frequently A/B test
- You want access to a wide array of ad formats, such as Dynamic Ads, Canvas Ads, and Carousel Ads
- Your focus is sharing knowledge
- Your focus is sharing lifestyle content
- You want to promote how-to videos that show your product or service in action
- You want extensive audience targeting capabilities
- Your primary audience ranges from young to older demographics
- Your message is family-oriented
Use Instagram If…
- You run an e-commerce business
- Your business relies heavily on visuals to sell products or services
- Your primary audiences include Millennials and Gen Zs
- You want to share company updates
- You want to share behind-the-scenes footage
- You like the Stories format
- You want the targeting capabilities of Facebook
- You want to sell products directly through the platform
Use Pinterest If…
- You run an e-commerce business
- Your target audience is primarily women
- Your focus is sharing lifestyle content
- You want to use creative and visual inspiration to reach your audience
- You want to drive traffic to your website
- You want to sell products on the platform
- You own a small brand, and you want to reach your audience organically
Use LinkedIn If…
- You own a B2B business, and you want to reach industry professionals
- Your focus is networking
- You’re interested in sharing industry and career development news
- You want to target audiences based on job title, industry, or interests
- You want to use video ads to increase engagement or drive lead generation
Use Twitter If…
- You want to share short-term promotions
- You want sales that are timely
- You want to share company updates
- You’re interested in starting real-time conversations
- You plan to stay up-to-date and engage with trending topics
- Your focus is customer service
- You’re good with hashtags
- You want to reach your audience organically
Use Snapchat If…
- You run an e-commerce business
- You want your business to be perceived as authentic, spontaneous, and silly
- Your business relies heavily on visuals to sell products or services
- You don’t plan to use much text in your ads
- Your primary audiences include Millennials and Gen Zs
- You want to share company updates
- You want to share behind-the-scenes footage
- You like the Stories format
- You want to sell products directly through the platform
Which Platform to Choose?
Although social media advertising requires some trial-and-error, you shouldn’t go into it completely blind. Plan the things you need to know and the things you need to try. Be ready to switch to a different platform if something you thought you researched fully doesn’t work out. It’s all a part of the growing process, and as with all processes of this sort, the end result will be worth it.
