Social Media Marketing Platforms to Use in 2024

Keeping up with social media marketing trends can be a challenge for business owners.  Most business owners wear many hats and find it hard to make time for marketing, much less keep on top of the changes in the way their customers get information.  We turned to Social Media Examiner’s Industry Report to get a handle of what is new and trending in 2024.

Social Media Examiner (SME) surveyed business owners and identified the primary goals of using social media marketing as to:

1. Increase exposure
2. Increase traffic
3. Generate leads
4. Develop loyal fans
5. Improve sales

The industry report by Michael Stelzner focused on three primary social media platforms: Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. These platforms have seen a remarkable surge in user traffic, presenting an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to precisely target their audiences within specific niches. This increased traffic translates into greater accessibility for businesses, ensuring their platforms or advertisements reach the right people.

These platforms are evolving to favor short-form content, emphasizing the importance of consistent content creation to enhance brand exposure. Keeping up with a regular content schedule on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok is crucial to maintain and boost brand visibility. A positive aspect of these platforms is the content generated for one can seamlessly translate to the others without the need for significant modifications. This flexibility streamlines the process, enabling brands to efficiently distribute their content across multiple platforms.

With this being said Facebook, even though it has been on a steady decline, is still a heavy player in the social media market so maintaining the Businesses Facebook platform is important.

• Facebook usage is declining, yet it continues to dominate with 89% of marketers using Facebook regularly
• YouTube and Instagram are increasing
• TikTok is growing faster than any other platform

One take away from TikTok’s growth is that customers like to be entertained and have short attention spans. Tiktok content features short videos of 15 – 60 seconds. If you can create content that adds value while also entertaining your customers, you will attract new customers and keep existing customers on your site longer. This all leads to an increase in sales.

Benefits of Using Social Media Marketing:

Ultimately, most business owners want their marketing efforts to lead to increased sales.  If that is your goal, then you must be on Facebook.  Instagram and Facebook add the most to increased sales.  Short-videos and reels keep customer on your site longer, and sales increase the longer a customer stays engaged with your company.

LinkedIn and Facebook currently generate the most leads; however, TikTok is becoming an important component in attracting leads due to the “eye catching” aspect of TikTok ads.  In fact, 57% of consumers report that they make purchases after watching TikTok ads.

If you are marketing to consumers, Facebook is still your most important platform. But, you should also use Instagram and LinkedIn to reach customers.

For marketing to business customers, LinkedIn remains the most important platform, followed by Facebook and Instagram.

Ultimately, you need to know your customer base and understand what social media platforms your customers are using to get information.  Create content that provides value and engages your client, while keeping your videos and posts short and to the point.

The University of Mary Washington Small Business Development Center can assist you to develop your marketing plan and attract more customers. We can help you apply for business loans, sell to the government, and write your business plan. If you are already our client, contact your consultant to schedule an appointment.  If you are not a client, request free, confidential assistance by registering for advising.