Uncovering the Different Types of Social Media Marketing Platforms

Social Media Marketing

Jess Ailion 15 February 2023

Are you interested in learning about the different types of social media marketing platforms? Then you’re in the right place. Social media is at the forefront of daily life in the digital age. Over 58% of the global population are currently using social media and that number is on its way up. If you build a successful social media marketing strategy, that percentage can represent more than social media users; it can represent potential customers for your brand too. 

Billions of people use social media to find out information, discover new brands, be entertained, connect with friends, and more. Different social media platforms serve different purposes and are used in different ways by different types of users. While some are video focused, others are text focused, and while some are popular among teenagers, others are more popular among users over fifty. Although this is an incredibly simplified description, it emphasizes the point that the social media platforms you use for your marketing campaigns should be considered carefully. 

Avoid wasting time and money marketing on social media platforms that your customers and potential customers aren’t using, and invest into the ones they are. To help you understand which platforms these may be, we’ll uncover the different types of social media marketing platforms, including the most popular ones in 2023 and for businesses. 

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is the process of using social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, to promote your business, products, or services. It’s a great way to reach potential customers and build relationships with existing ones. With the right strategy, you can increase your customer base and drive sales.

Social media marketing offers several benefits, such as:

• Low cost of entry: it’s free to create a social media profile for your brand and to post content. The content you post does not have to be expensive to be successful. This makes it an affordable option for businesses of all sizes. 

• Increased brand awareness: social media marketing allows you to reach a wide audience, increase the visibility of your brand in a space where your target customers are already hanging out, and strengthen your branding. It also provides somewhere for potential customers to find information about your brand, products or services in addition to your own website. It can help potential customers find your brand organically. 

• Improved customer engagement: you can interact with customers directly on social media, giving you the opportunity to build relationships and gain valuable feedback. 

Overall, social media marketing can help you take your business to the next level.

Different Types of Social Media Marketing Platforms

Now that you know what social media marketing is, let’s take a look at the different types of social media platforms. Here are the six types of social media platforms:

• Social networking sites: these are popular sites like Facebook and Twitter, which allow users to connect with each other and share information. 
• Video-sharing sites: these sites, such as YouTube and TikTok, allow users to upload and share videos. 
• Photo-sharing sites: these are sites like Instagram and Pinterest that let users share photos and videos with their followers. 
• Microblogging sites: these sites, such as Tumblr and Twitter, allow users to post short messages and links to other websites.
• Social bookmarking sites: sites like Reddit and StumbleUpon let users save and share links to websites they like.
• Review sites: sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor let users review businesses, services, and products. 

Before you decide which ones to work into your social media marketing strategy, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of each. For example, social networking sites are ideal for building B2C relationships, whereas video-sharing sites are better for high engagement rates (as video is one of the most effective forms of marketing). They also offer a strong platform for showcasing products effectively. However, creating videos is time-consuming and potentially more expensive than writing copy or taking photos. 

Now that you know the different types of social media platforms, let’s discuss the most popular ones in 2023.

Most Popular Social Media Platforms in 2023

Let’s take a look at the most popular social media platforms in 2023. Here are the top eight:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Snapchat
• Pinterest

Each one offers unique benefits and features that can help you reach your marketing goals. 

Social Media Platforms for Businesses

When it comes to social media platforms for businesses, the most popular ones are:

• Facebook: with over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms. It’s a great platform for businesses to engage with their customers, promote their products and services, and build relationships. 
• Instagram: with over 2.3 billion monthly active users, Instagram is another excellent platform for businesses to showcase their products and services, connect with their customers, and strengthen their branding. 
• Twitter: this is often used by businesses to directly engage with their customers, respond to feedback, share updates, as well as other promotions. It has over 390 million monthly active users. 
• LinkedIn: this is a popular professional networking platform with over 875 million registered users. As such, it’s primarily used as a B2B marketing platform. 
• TikTok: this platform is primarily used by businesses to connect with new audiences (as it’s a relatively new platform popular among different types of users, Facebook users, for example), share user-generated-content, and to hop on board with current trends and challenges that form part of popular culture. 
• YouTube: as a video platform, businesses generally partner with video content creators as part of their YouTube marketing strategy. It’s a great platform to sponsor videos in a way that feels as authentic to the video creators as possible. It has over 2.5 billion monthly active users, making it ideal for promoting products and services. 

These are just a few of the most popular social media platforms for businesses.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many social media platforms available and each has its own unique features and user communities. It’s important to understand how these different platforms work before creating a social media strategy for your business. Trying to be active on all social media channels is not sustainable in the long run. 

Carefully consider which platforms make the most sense for your brand and focus on creating quality content for those channels. This will help you save time and resources while still engaging with current and potential customers online. 

It’s also important to remember that social media platforms continue to grow and change. Therefore, understanding how each one can be used to reach your desired audience is an evolving process too. You must consider your business’s goals and objectives in combination with the newest updates, features, and societal trends that impact each social media platform. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Jess Ailion

Jess is Moburst's Content Marketing Manager who came to us all the way from the UK. After studying English Literature, she found herself writing about all things mobile marketing. When she's not spending her time writing, you can find her cooking for her friends or exploring new places.

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