On Which Social Network Should You Share Content Most Frequently?

We’re often asked, “On which social network should you share content most frequently?” This is a worthy question, given that 72% of the American public used some form of social media in Q2 2019. 

Therefore, if you’re a small business owner, it’s crucial that you take your social media presence seriously. Failing to do so would ignore a large majority of your potential customer base.

As the founder of two full-service digital marketing agencies, I’ve helped countless small and medium-sized business owners grow their social media presence and develop a social strategy that results in long-term bottom-line growth. However, over the years I’m frequently asked which platform business owners should prioritize—so, I put together this short article to answer that very question.

Social Media for Business: A Look at the Numbers

You can’t answer the question, “On which social network should you share content most frequently,” without first taking a look at each platform’s underlying market share. If you look at the data in the chart below, you’ll notice that YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram (in that order) are the top three most widely-used social media platforms by the U.S. public. 

Source: Pew Research Center

That a platform is popular doesn’t necessarily mean you should prioritize it over others. For instance, millions of people use Facebook every day, but only a small percentage of those use the platform specifically to find more information about an upcoming purchase. Likewise, only a small percentage of YouTube’s 30 million daily active users are likely using the service to follow their favorite brands.

After a decade of social media management experience, here are my top three (and an optional fourth) pick regarding which social platforms businesses should post to most frequently:

• Facebook for Business
• Instagram for Business
• YouTube
• Pinterest (Optional for female-oriented creative industries)

Below, I’ll touch on why each of these platforms is imperative to your business’s success, and why each of them brings something unique to your brand’s social presence.

1. Facebook

If you could only post to one social media platform, Facebook would be the one. Regardless of which industry or niche you work in, Facebook is king simply because of its widespread user base. As of Q1 2020, Facebook has a monthly active user base of 2.6 billion people worldwide and total Facebook ad impressions rose 39% in 2019. Facebook is therefore the most widely-used advertising platform in the world, and it continues to grow year after year. 

Although Facebook has seen a significant usage decline among the Gen Z age cohort (i.e., those born after 1996), Facebook remains the most widely-used purely social platform on the web and continues to grow among those aged 35 and over. 

2. YouTube

YouTube is the world’s largest video platform and the most widely used overall social media network by the total share of the U.S. population. For this reason, YouTube is an invaluable asset for business owners looking to reach new audiences and establish their brand as a “thought leader” within their industry or niche. 

A key advantage of posting frequently on YouTube is that you can take advantage of Google’s advertising network, which is independent of Facebook’s. Plus, entertaining, value-added YouTube content has the benefit of potentially going viral which is less likely on Facebook and Instagram posts.

3. Instagram

Instagram is very widely used by those in the 18 to 24 year old demographic, which makes it a strategic asset for those producing content that caters to Gen Z and Millennials. Creating an Instagram account for small businesses doesn’t take long, and can connect you to a generation of younger consumers who want simple, photo-based content. 

An added benefit of posting regularly on Instagram is that you can repost to Facebook with the click of a button since Facebook is the parent company of Instagram. Therefore, you can “kill two birds with one stone” by posting photos and video content to the Instagram-Facebook joint platform and run advertisements concurrently on both.

4. Pinterest (Optional)

Pinterest is a fast-growing social media platform that is used predominantly by women between the ages of 18 and 49. This platform is popular for sharing artisan crafts and designed products, which makes it an excellent option for crafters and small business owners who want to tap into an audience dedicated to this niche. 

Conclusion

In this article, I hope to have shed some light on the question “On which social network should you share content most frequently?” Ultimately, the answer will depend on what kind of niche market your business occupies. However, my general top four picks (in order) are Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. 

For most business owners, managing multiple social media platforms simply takes too much of their valuable time for them to invest fully in the task. That’s why it’s always best to seek out the services of a social media marketing agency that provides social media strategy and content marketing services. By entrusting a team of professionals with your social media management, you can focus on core business operations where your efforts are needed most.