Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

Another blog telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. You’re sick of these, right? Well, this one is different. Everyone tells you to figure out your audience, your brand, your voice, your industry and your product, but no one really breaks it down for you by social media platform. Until today.

Facebook

Facebook is one of the oldest surviving social media platforms out there. Unsurprisingly, it is one of the most populated and popular as well. In 2021, Facebook rebranded to Meta, which now acts as Facebook’s parent company and oversees Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger.

Facebook’s Demographics

Facebook is the most popular social media network for men and women aged 35-44. This isn’t surprising, as most of these users had a now defunct MySpace account and continued to use and favor the platform they grew up on. On top of that, Facebook is the least popular with women aged 16-24 with only 7.3% of users falling in this category. So if your demographic falls within this range, Facebook likely isn’t for you. Some other interesting demographics to consider include:

• 56.6% of Facebook’s ad audience are men
• 70% of US adults use Facebook
• 72% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans use Facebook
• Men aged 25-34 hold the biggest share of advertising reach on Facebook

In other words, if your audience is men, ages 25-34, then Facebook is likely a platform you should consider.

Most Successful Industries on Facebook

Like with all social media platforms, they favor some industries over others. Here are the ones that perform the best on Facebook:

• Small businesses
• Fashion
• Auto
• E-commerce
• Real Estate
• Restaurants

Twitter

Twitter is the 13th most used social media platform, with some 340 million users.

Twitter’s Demographics

The Twitter population is younger, wealthier, and more educated than the average American.

• 25% of U.S. Twitter users are males and 22% of U.S. Twitter users are female.
• Most of Twitter’s audience is 25 to 34 years old (38.5%.)
• Around 23% of U.S. adults use Twitter
• In the US, 46% of Twitter users report using Twitter daily.
• 27% Twitter users live in urban areas, while only 18% come from rural areas.

Most Successful Industries on Twitter

Here are the industries that perform the best on Twitter:

• Airlines
• Professional Sports
• Food Brands
• Fast Food Chains
• Gaming
• Fashion
• Perfumes

To sum it all up, if your audience is 25-35 years old, both genders, and in one of the both industries, Twitter is a must-have for you!

Instagram

Owned by Facebook (technically now called Meta), but it is a completely different platform. Instagram focuses on sharing photos and videos, which appeal to vastly different audiences than Facebook.

Instagram’s Demographics

As of 2022, the majority of Instagram’s audience are Millennial or Gen Z users. In fact, 18-34 year olds account for 61.6% of all Instagram users. In fact, it’s actually the most popular platform for Gen Z – yes, even above TikTok! The largest audiences on Instagram are India, the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, and Russia.

Most Successful Industries on Instagram

Here are the industries that perform the best on Instagram:

• Influencers
• Digital Creators
• Traveling
• Beauty
• Fashion
• Health and Fitness
• Lifestyle
• Parenting
• Music
• Photography

To sum it all up, if your industry excels in the visual and is primarily focused on selling to Gen Z and Millennials, Instagram is for you.

TikTok

Once known as Musical.ly, TikTok is a short-form, video-sharing app that allows users to create and share 15-second videos, on any topic. It’s relatively new, but fast growing and extremely popular among younger demographics.

TikTok’s Audience

Let’s take a look at the typical TikTok viewer.

• 57% of TikTok users are female and 43% are male.
• Roughly 43% of TikTok’s global audience is between 18 and 24 years old.
• 32% of TikTok users are aged between 25 and 34.
• 138 million monthly active users are from the US.

Most Successful Industries on TikTok

Here are the industries that perform the best on TikTok:

• Tech
• Food
• Gaming
• Media
• Sports
• Nonprofit
• Auto
• Fitness

To sum it all up, if your audience is 18-24 year old females who are interested in food, beauty, gaming, or any of the industries above, TikTok may be for you!

YouTube

YouTube is a free video sharing website that makes it easy to watch online videos. It is a popular place to advertise, sponsor, and share product information.

You tube’s Audience

YouTube is built for everyone, which is why it’s so different from all of the other social media platforms.

• 81% of U.S. adults use YouTube.
• 82% of U.S. male adults use YouTube.  
• 80% of U.S. female adults use YouTube.
• 95% of 18-29 year-olds in the U.S. use YouTube.
• 91% of 30–49-year-olds in the U.S. use YouTube.

As you can see, literally everyone is on YouTube. That makes is easy for you to appeal to a broad range of people.

Most Successful Industries on YouTube

Here are the industries that perform the best on YouTube:

• Tech
• Gaming
• Food and Drink
• Beauty
• Fashion
• Education
• Toys
• Entertainment

So, to sum it up, YouTube is literally for everyone. You’ll find success on this platform no matter who your audience is or what your industry is. If you need a little help settling on a platform, reach out to us at Helix House. We’ll be happy to help!