The Best Social Media Platforms for Your Brand

By now, most company founders and communications professionals know how important it is for a brand to be present on social media. Recent data has revealed that 4.76 billion people are social media users, which is more than half of the global population. 

Additionally, the average number of social platforms used each month by social media users is 7. So how do you choose which platforms to grow a following for your brand? Should your brand have an account on all social media networks or focus on just one or two?

The social media content and distribution strategy you go with ultimately depends on the type of company you represent and the industry it falls into. For example, healthcare organizations may have different goals for social media than software as a service (SaaS) companies or nonprofit organizations.

We dive into which is the best social media platform for businesses based on the categories below. Don’t see your industry listed? Send us an email directly to info@crimsonparkdigital.com for individualized recommendations.

 

Healthcare Organizations

Medical organizations and healthcare providers (HCPs) have unique needs when it comes to the goals of their social media marketing strategies. Now is the time for healthcare organizations to break into social media marketing! 

Historically these brands were slow to adopt social media as an arm of their marketing playbooks, but studies have shown that at least one-third of consumers use social media for health-related matters. 

Here are some questions to review before creating healthcare social media accounts:

• What does my brand provide?
• How can I improve our patient’s/customer’s experience?
• Who exactly am I trying to reach?

Healthcare organizations that are patient-facing require different digital marketing strategies than companies that sell medical devices to HCPs. 

 

Top social network to use for healthcare brands:  Facebook

With a robust advertising platform and nearly 3 billion users, Facebook comes out on top for healthcare marketing. Targeting campaigns based on location, age, and other demographics is a crucial step to experiencing success on this platform. 

Facebook allows healthcare brands to enhance the patient experience by showcasing testimonials and responding quickly to customer support issues (i.e. low ratings).

A recent Facebook Ads campaign that we managed for a healthcare client resulted in a $0.67 cost per click, for just one week’s worth of activity. Earning traffic for less than one dollar is a key performance indicator (KPI) many healthcare organizations should strive for.

 

Nonprofit Organizations

With limited time and resources devoted to digital marketing, some nonprofit organizations see social media advertising as a major pain point. But focusing on cultivating an audience and presence on just one or two social media channels could provide NPOs with welcome donations or leads.

Some things to consider when crafting a nonprofit social media strategy:

• What does our organization need from these efforts (i.e. donations, volunteer sign-ups, increased brand awareness)?
• What type of person are we trying to reach?
• Do we have a dedicated social media team member, or should we outsource this task to an experienced agency?

Social media marketing can be used by nonprofits to spread awareness about the cause they support and reach potential donors and volunteers.

Top social network to use for nonprofit organizations: LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a user base of nearly 800 million global professionals, more than half of who say they donate to nonprofits, and 60% say they are interested in volunteering. 

For nonprofits looking to break into social media marketing, this should sound like a gold mine!

One of our nonprofit clients experienced growth in engagement on LinkedIn that totaled over 190% in 2022 alone. This social network has an engaged audience of users who might care more about your cause than that of Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

 

 

B2C Brands

When companies market directly to consumers, it’s all about letting their brand and products shine. Today’s consumers open their social media apps several times throughout the day and make purchasing decisions based on what they see.

Some things to consider when crafting a B2C social media strategy:

• Is our goal to increase awareness of our brand, to grow our organic following, or to gain sales from users referred by what they see on social media?
• What are the age, lifestyle, and demographics of our ideal customer?
• Are we able to use our own channels, or should we consider collaborating with influencers?

Top social networks to use for B2C brands: Instagram + TikTok

The best social media platforms for B2C businesses are definitely Instagram and TikTok, especially when your target customers are Gen Z or Millennials. These individuals need several touchpoints before making a purchasing decision, and they use social media to research brands and see products demonstrated by influencers.

A combination of influencer marketing and brand awareness campaigns on Instagram and/or TikTok will surely generate desired leads for B2C companies.

We worked with a business-to-consumer company that experimented with running the same ads on both Facebook and Instagram, simultaneously. The Instagram ads resulted in an impressive $1.24 CPM (cost per one thousand impressions), whereas Facebook campaigns resulted in a CPM of $6.50. 

 

B2B Companies

Though less flashy, business-to-business social media marketing can result in achieving many of the same advertising goals while reaching a different audience. B2B marketing campaigns should focus on identifying and providing solutions to pain points for other businesses.

Some things to consider when crafting a B2C social media strategy:

• What problems does our brand solve for other brands?
• How does our target audience spend time online?
• What types of B2B content and information should we be distributing to our target audience?

 

Top social network to use for B2B brands: Facebook or LinkedIn

The best social media platforms for B2B businesses are either Facebook, and/or LinkedIn. Facebook’s robust advertising platform and impressively-sized audience make it a top contender for B2B social media marketing. Though B2B companies have historically been slow to adopt social media marketing, almost 100% of B2B brands report having some kind of brand presence on Facebook. This means if your B2B brand isn’t on Facebook, it should be at a bare minimum.

LinkedIn provides unique opportunities for B2B companies to reach their target audience. It also makes it easy to identify key decision-makers at companies that may find your product or services useful. Additionally, its use as a thought-leadership platform opens up social media content ideas that focus on educating, rather than selling.

One of our B2B clients used LinkedIn to distribute information about an event in a month-long content campaign. By the end of the month, this client’s audience had increased by 109%. The B2B content also resulted in a 270% increase in impressions and engagements, and a 400% increase in post clicks.

 

How to Create a Social Media Strategy

We have experience working with brands of all shapes, sizes, industries, and customer targets. Our clients have seen their social media engagement increase by over 96% in as little as one month. Our team of experts will craft a social media distribution strategy that is tailored to your brand, and that is guaranteed to work alongside your business goals.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Instagram good for nonprofits?

Nonprofits may find that Instagram increases their brand awareness when they are actively using the platform. Facebook and LinkedIn are also ideal channels for nonprofits to use for social media marketing.

What digital media is used in healthcare?

Social media platforms can be used by healthcare companies and providers to increase brand awareness, share information, engage with the public or their patients, and promote healthy lifestyles.

Are social media scheduling tools HIPAA compliant?

Sprout Social maintains several certifications for compliance and security that would keep sensitive information private. Healthcare brands should be cautious with what they share on social media to maintain HIPAA compliance.