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Social media has become one of the biggest channels for content marketing, with 79% of marketers buying paid advertising.
More than 53% of the world’s population is on social media, or more than 4.55 billion people, according to Kepios.
With these statistics in mind, marketing experts want businesses to understand how to leverage the power of social media within their own content marketing strategies.
The most popular social media channels used by businesses include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
But according to the Content Marketing Institute, the rules, audiences, and opportunities vary greatly from channel to channel, and are known to change without notice.
This can make social media a difficult beast, according to experts, which is why brands must have a plan and be intentional about which types of content are posted where.
Plastering a brand’s content across every social media network, trendy news site, and video platform is not a channel plan, says Jodi Harris, content strategy director at CMI.
Instead, a brand’s content marketing strategy should define the social media strategy, she says.
Each channel should meet certain goals and audience needs, and everyone on the team should clearly understand which types of content should be posted on each channel.
Here are some statistics and trends on each channel to help businesses understand how they may fit best into their own strategy.
- Video ads perform better than other ad formats on Facebook, according to DataBox
- 81% of businesses prefer video marketing on Facebook, according to Buffer
- Usage among teens dropped from 71% in 2015 to 67%
- 79% of marketers plan to continue investing in Twitter Spaces this year, according to HubSpot
- Tweets with hashtags get 100% more engagement
- Socially responsible ads perform 12% better than standard ads
Youtube
- 44% of marketers plan to leverage YouTube for the first time in 2022, according to HubSpot
- YouTube is the second most popular channel for businesses sharing video content
- On mobile devices alone, YouTube reaches more adults aged 18 to 24 than any TV network
- 64% of Instagram users are under the age of 34
- 83% of people use Instagram to discover new products and services
- 87% said they took specific action, like making a purchase, after seeing product information
- LinkedIn was voted the most trusted network in 2020
- It is the top paid and organic social channel for B2B businesses
- 82% of B2B markers report finding the greatest success on LinkedIn
TikTok
- The majority of U.S. TikTok users are between the ages of 10 and 19, says Statista
- 61% of marketers plan to increase their investment in TikTok marketing this year
- TikTok’s average engagement rate is high at all follower levels
Experts suggest brands familiarize themselves with each channel and its users to determine whether it fits with their voice, goals, and persona.
The first step to determining which social media channels to use is to build a solid content strategy, if a brand doesn’t have one already.
Businesses often will hire a content marketing manager and social media manager to help with their goals, or they work closely with a content marketing agency that assists with all aspects of the strategy, from research to web design and content creation.
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