Social media has become an essential marketing tool for business growth, helping brands connect with audiences, boost visibility, and drive sales.
However, not all social media platforms are created equal, and choosing the right one can make all the difference.
With so many options available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Each platform serves a different purpose and audience, meaning what works for one business may not work for another.
To help you make an informed decision, businesses must carefully consider their goals, target market, industry, content style, available resources, and budget.
In this guide, we’ll break down six major social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest—to help you identify which one aligns best with your business needs and growth strategy.
The Social Media Lineup
There are six major players in the social media game.
Choosing which one(s) work best for you depends on the features and audience you are looking for.
If your goal is brand awareness, Instagram or TikTok may be ideal.
If lead generation is the priority, LinkedIn or Facebook might be better suited.
Founded in 2004, Facebook is the OG social media.
It is one of the oldest and largest social networks, with billions of active users.
While it started as a social networking site for college students, it has now evolved into a comprehensive platform for businesses, communities, and advertising.
- Best For: Businesses that want to build a strong online community, share diverse content (text, images, videos), and engage with a broad demographic.
- Key Features: Facebook Groups, Marketplace, targeted advertising, live streaming, business pages, and event promotions.
- Ideal Industries: Any service-based businesses, real estate, hospitality.
- Considerations: Facebook’s organic reach has declined, so paid ads may be necessary for effective engagement.
Launched in 2010, Instagram is like Facebook’s younger and cooler sibling.
It is a visual-first platform, meaning its focus is photo and video.
It appeals to younger audiences (millennials and younger) and supports brands with strong visual storytelling.
- Best For: Businesses that rely on aesthetics, lifestyle branding, and direct consumer engagement through visuals and interactive features.
- Key Features: Instagram Stories, Reels, IGTV, shopping integration, influencer marketing, and in-app messaging.
- Ideal Industries: Home design, landscapers, remodeling, cleaning services, etc.
- Considerations: Consistently posting high-quality visuals and engaging Stories is key to success.
LinkedIn is the go-to professional networking platform.
At LinkedIn, it’s less about entertainment and more about business.
This platform is mainly used for career building, industry insights, and B2B marketing.
- Best For: Businesses targeting professionals, B2B companies, and those looking to establish leadership in a particular industry.
- Key Features: LinkedIn Articles, professional groups, job postings, business networking, and targeted advertising.
- Ideal Industries: B2B services, recruitment, consulting, finance, education, and healthcare.
- Considerations: Content should be professional, informative, and value-driven to engage industry professionals.
TikTok
TikTok is still less than 10 years old and has quickly become the main hub for viral content.
Originally launched as Musical.ly—a platform focused on dancing and lip-syncing videos—it has since evolved into a powerful tool for influencer marketing and is increasingly being used as a search engine, especially among younger audiences.
The platform thrives on trends, challenges, and entertaining content, and while its user base skews younger, it remains highly engaged.
- Best For: Businesses that can create entertaining, creative, and authentic video content to connect with younger audiences.
- Key Features: TikTok For Business, influencer collaborations, branded challenges, and a strong algorithm for viral reach.
- Ideal Industries: Anyone can use tiktok, but it is particularly useful to businesses with plenty of visual content like before/after results, time-lapse videos, quick tutorials, etc.
- Considerations: Success requires consistent engagement with trends and creativity in content.
YouTube
YouTube was founded in 2005 and is now the world’s second-largest search engine behind Google.
This is the best platform for long-form video content for education, and marketing of your business.
- Best For: Businesses that can create valuable, educational, and entertaining video content to engage audiences over time.
- Key Features: YouTube Shorts, monetization options, live streaming, and SEO-driven discoverability.
- Ideal Industries: Plumbing, HVAC, electrical, lawn case, appliance repair and other home services.
- Considerations: High quality and engaging video content requires time and resources but offers long-term content visibility.
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform where users find and save inspiration for various projects and purchases.
It serves as a digital vision board, helping people turn their ideas into reality and guiding them through every stage of the planning and decision-making process.
- Best For: Businesses with visually appealing products or services that benefit from long-term content discoverability.
- Key Features: Pinterest Pins, Shopping integration, visual search, and algorithm-driven reach.
- Ideal Industries: Home design and decor, DIY, landscaping, gardening, cleaning services, etc.
- Considerations: Content should be evergreen and optimized for searchability.
How to Choose the Best Platform for Your Business
Selecting the right platform to showcase your business is crucial.
The best platform for you depends on your goals, target audience, industry, content type, resources, budget, and time commitment.
Use this step-by-step guide to ensure that your efforts align with your business objectives and maximize your returns.
Step One: Consider Your Industry and Content Type
Some industries naturally align with certain platforms.
For example, if you offer commercial HVAC services – LinkedIn might be the best place for B2B connections.
However, if you’re looking to help homeowners remodel their kitchens, Pinterest boards might be a great place to showcase your work.
Consider what others in your industry have done, and what type of content would be easy for you to create consistently.
Step Two: Define Your Business Goals
It’s important to align social media efforts with overall business objectives.
Are you looking to drive website traffic?
Instagram might be best for that.
Do you want to help homeowners with DIY repairs?
TikTok may be a great platform.
If lead generation is the priority, Facebook might be better suited.
Each platform has a purpose, make sure your goals are aligned with that purpose.
Step Three: Understand Your Target Audience
Research where your target audience spends most of their time.
Young homeowners might be on TikTok while older business owners are likely on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Know who you are looking for and you’re more likely to find them.
Step Four: Evaluate Your Resources and Capacity
Some platforms require frequent updates (TikTok, Instagram Stories), while others allow for long-term content sustainability (YouTube, Pinterest).
Do you have someone on your team who is creative and engaging?
Do you have the time to manage your social media content and post daily?
You want to choose a platform that matches your team’s ability to create and manage content consistently.
Step Five: Set a Budget
The use of most social platforms is free, but that doesn’t mean there is no cost involved.
Most platforms favor businesses that invest in ads. Facebook and Instagram offer advanced ad targeting, while LinkedIn ads can be costly but effective for B2B.
There’s also the cost in services, time, video equipment and editing software.
Getting Started
Choosing the right social media platform for business growth depends on your goals, audience, industry, and resources.
Start with one or two platforms and make a content plan.
As you begin to post and attract followers, track key metrics to get some insight into your performance.
This will help you to refind your strategy and post more of what works without wasting time on what doesn’t convert.
By understanding each platform’s strengths and aligning them with your business needs, you can build a powerful social media strategy that drives engagement, sales, and long-term success.
If you’re interested in getting a little help with your social media strategy, book a Discovery Call!
