Every online entrepreneur wants to know the top social media platforms for getting traffic. Social media is something that almost all of us use now days on a daily basis. I was looking at some statistics today about the use of social media and I was blown away with what I found. Here are just a few of my findings:
Social Media Statistics Worldwide
Note: All statistics and information throughout this tutorial are current as of 2022.
- Over 50% of the world’s population use social media sites.
- 4.55 billion people currently use social media worldwide.
- The average user uses about 7 different social media sites.
- The global average for the amount of time each person spends on social media is 2 hours and 24 minutes.
- Over $40 billion dollars was spent on social media advertising last year.
Just those few statistics there tell us that as online business owners we need to be marketing on social media. We also need to be finding our target audience there. With 4.55 billion people using social media you can safely bet that your target audience is on at the very least one of them.
Social Media Apps
In recent years, social media apps have become increasingly popular. What are they used for? How do you use them? Are they expensive? Should an online entrepreneur use them?
Social media apps are used to connect with friends and family, share photos and thoughts, and stay up-to-date on current events. The most popular social media apps include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Each app has its own unique features. For example, Facebook is best for staying in touch with friends and family, while LinkedIn is perfect for networking with other professionals. Instagram is great for sharing photos and videos, while Twitter is perfect for short updates and news stories.
Most social media apps are free to download and use. However, some of them offer paid subscription plans that provide additional features or services.
Most Used Social Media
First let’s talk about the most used social media networks. These are listed in order from the most popular and the research is based on US users. They are:
YouTube
Snapchat
TikTok
Top Social Media Platforms
Now according to my research based on the best social media platforms for marketing the list (the best at the top) looks like this:
YouTube
TikTok
Snapchat
Social Media Demographics
Now of course each of these social media networks has a different demographic. Therefore depending on what your business offers will depend on which one of these you will use. And you also need to factor in that each one gives different results for organic marketing and paid advertising.
Content Types
Something else to consider is that users of each social media site also prefer and respond to different content types. For example, Facebook has become the “meme hub” of the Internet, but while memes can be posted on Twitter, they don’t get a lot of response. Ensure you’re using the right content type for the right social media site.
Organic versus Paid Marketing
So, your first step should be deciding whether you’re going to be using paid advertising or organic marketing with any social media sites. Once you have decided on that, then look for the demographics of each social media site and see if they meet your needs. Take notes of the ones that will work for you and only focus on those. Forget the rest!
For example, an online business that sells trendy tshirts for young women would be a perfect fit for Instagram, TikTok, and SnapChat. I came to that conclusion simply by searching the demographics for the above mentioned social media sites. And for this particular product offer, paid advertising would work great for direct sales and brand awareness.
An online business that sells marketing software for online business owners would be a perfect fit for YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. This could be done by organic marketing and/or paid advertising both for direct sales and brand awareness.
Side Note: Keep in mind that most of the stats you see are for the biggest user groups. There are also other smaller groups, and other demographics so do thorough research on each social network. For example, on Facebook the largest age group is 25-34, but there are other age groups on there. Same for interests. There are the biggest interest categories, but there are also smaller interest categories. This is why it’s vital you do deep research on the demographics of each social media site.\
Social Media Strategy
So you’ve decided how and what you’re going to market on selected social media sites. Your next step is to develop a social media strategy for each of the networks. Start with one at a time, develop your strategy until you have a well-executed strategy rolling that’s getting you the results you need. Then move on to the next social media site and develop a social media strategy for it. Keep going until you’re using as many as you can. Remember that each strategy for each social media site will be different though because they each work differently.
I tell you all of this information to show that social media marketing either using the paid advertising part of it, the organic marketing part of it (or even both) is a great traffic strategy for most online businesses. These sites are full of billions of people and the chances of you finding your target audience on multiple of these sites are huge. You’re literally tapping into huge pools of people and in this day and time it’s vital for your business that you capitalize on them.
I know I’ve just poured a lot of information on you so, to help you put this all together here’s my advice. You need to do your own research yourself to back up any information you find on the internet. The information you find on the internet will be a big help, but your own research is what you need for exact answers.
Start by opening up a spreadsheet that you can note down all of the data that you find. Then, I highly recommend you start with some deep demographic research on each social media network. Perhaps start with the Pew Research Centre as they have a ton of stats about all things social media.
Also start searching all social media sites for words that your targeted audience would be using. This will allow you to truly see if your target audience is on any one social media platform. The more people you find that would be a good fit for your targeted audience on any on social network is a huge indicator you should use that social network. You can expand your search and learn about social media influencers in our article What is Influencer Marketing for Website Traffic?
Now of course your next steps are going to be going and actually using the social media networks that are right for your business. Just keep in mind all the other points I’ve made here and your journey in social media marketing should be very profitable!
