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What Social Media Platforms Make the Most Sense For Your Business and Its ROI? 

What Social Media Platforms Make the Most Sense For Your Business and Its ROI? 

NEW BLOG POST | What Social Media Platforms Make the Most Sense for Your Business and Its ROI? | Dufferin Media | Digital Marketing

Improve Your Social Media Marketing with a Proactive Platform Plan and Winning Strategy.

Choosing the right social media platforms for your business is a critical decision that can significantly impact your return on investment (ROI). With so many platforms available—each catering to different audiences and offering unique features—it’s easy for entrepreneurs to feel overwhelmed. 

Should your business focus on the visual appeal of Instagram, LinkedIn’s professional network, or TikTok’s viral potential? The key lies in understanding your target audience, business goals, and the strengths of each platform. In this blog, we’ll explore the importance of being “social” on social media, the types of strategies, the selection of platforms, and how to evaluate and maximize your business’s ROI.

How Social is Your Business?

A brand’s ability to connect and engage with an online audience is more crucial than ever. Have you considered how “social” your business is? We live in a digital-first world, and brands that adapt to new applications and trends will be better prepared to succeed.

Business Owners Ask Yourself These Questions:

    1. Is your business leveraging social platforms to communicate your brand’s story and message? 
    2. Does your strategy create avenues to build meaningful relationships and loyal communities?
    3. Is your business an active and approachable presence online? Is your business a trusted industry authority?

Social media is not just about posting content—it’s about fostering conversations, responding to feedback, and being present where your audience spends their time. 

“Content is fire. Social media is gasoline.” – Jay Baer

Simply Posting on Social Media Platforms is Not a Strategy

Here’s why. Simply posting on social media without a clear plan is like travelling without a map—you may wander, but you won’t know if you’re heading in the right direction. 

A proper strategy involves defining specific goals, understanding your target audience, and creating content tailored to achieve measurable outcomes. It’s about consistency, alignment with business objectives, and leveraging platform-specific tools to maximize engagement and ROI. 

Posting alone is just an activity; strategy transforms that activity into impactful results. These results have the power to influence your ROI and better inform your social media strategy in the future.

Should My Business Post on All Social Media Platforms?

No, you don’t need to be on every social media platform to be successful. Instead, focus on the platforms where your target audience is most active. Quality and consistency matter more than quantity—it’s better to have a strong presence on a few key platforms than to spread your business too thin across many.

“Just as you don’t need to be on every single TV channel, I don’t believe a brand needs to be on every single social media in one big way.” - Shiv Singh | Dufferin Media | Digital Marketing | BLOG POST

“Just as you don’t need to be on every single TV channel, I don’t believe a brand needs to be on every single social media in one big way.” – Shiv Singh | @DufferinMedia

Social Media Strategies vs. Social Platform Strategies

Social media and platform strategies are essential for a business’s digital success. While they can be developed hand-in-hand, each strategy serves a different purpose and requires a distinct approach.

What is a Social Media Strategy?:

A social media strategy is a high-level, overarching plan that defines your business’s goals, target audience, and social media’s role within your broader marketing efforts. 

It focuses on your business’s goals— brand awareness, customer engagement, lead generation, or driving sales. The strategy outlines the tone, messaging, and overall content approach as it aligns with your business objectives. 

Think of the strategy as the map that guides your business’s social media activities.

What is a Social Platform Strategy?

In contrast, a social platform strategy dives into how to use each platform effectively. 

This includes selecting the platforms most suited to your audience, tailoring content formats to fit the platform’s strengths (e.g., short-form videos for TikTok or professional articles for LinkedIn), and leveraging platform-specific tools such as hashtags, paid advertising options, and analytics. 

A strong platform strategy also accounts for unique algorithms, trends, and user behaviours, to ensure your content stands out and resonates with audiences.

In summary, your social media strategy defines the “why” and “what,” while your social platform strategy defines the “how” and “where.” Both must work together to create a cohesive and impactful online presence for your business.

How Do I Select the Best Platforms for My Business?

Selecting the best social media platforms for your business starts with understanding your audience and objectives. 

#1. Start by identifying your ideal customer and where they spend their time online:

For example, LinkedIn is great for B2B businesses, while Instagram and TikTok work well for visually-driven brands. Facebook remains strong for community engagement, and Twitter (X) is ideal for real-time updates and industry conversations.

#2. Next, consider your business goals:

Are you aiming to build brand awareness, generate leads, drive website traffic, or sell products directly? 

#3. Evaluate your resources:

Including your team’s expertise and the type of content you can consistently produce. 

The best platforms for your business will balance effectively reaching your audience and enabling you to create and share high-quality, engaging content that delivers measurable results.

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The Top Social Media Platforms for Your 2025 Digital Marketing Strategy

Each platform offers unique features that align better with specific goals—for instance, Instagram and TikTok excel in visual storytelling, while LinkedIn is ideal for B2B marketing and thought leadership. 

A strategic approach—posting valuable content, engaging with your audience, and leveraging analytics—will help you achieve success without needing to be everywhere at once. 

#1 Facebook – 2.9 Billion Users

Facebook offers powerful tools to help small businesses connect with their ideal audience. 

  • Audience Insights leverages Facebook’s vast data pool to refine ad targeting, ensuring businesses reach the right people. 
  • Facebook 360 enables immersive, interactive experiences by allowing businesses to upload panoramic-style photos directly from a smartphone. 
  • Facebook Live provides influencers with a dynamic platform to engage with their audience in real time, fostering deeper connections and engagement.

#2. YOUTUBE – 2.49 Billion Users

YouTube offers several features to enhance audience engagement and interaction. 

  • YouTube Cards enhance interactivity by visually highlighting links to videos and playlists at specified moments during a video. 
  • YouTube Live provides a dynamic way to connect with viewers in real time, creating a more engaging experience. 
  • Additionally, after reaching 1,000 followers, users can utilize the Community Tab to share text, images, GIFs, and live videos, fostering deeper connections with their audience.

#3. Instagram – 2 Billion Users

Instagram offers a variety of features to enhance engagement and drive sales. 

  • Shoppable Tags allow users to click on products within images and navigate directly to product pages for easy purchases. 
  • Instagram Stories and Reels provide short, engaging videos with effects and enhancements, with Stories disappearing after 24 hours. 
  • Instagram Live enables real-time interaction, making it a powerful tool for audience engagement. With the ability to showcase photos, videos, graphics, and text, Instagram is an ideal platform for multimedia content.

#4. TIKTOK – 1 Billion Users

TikTok offers a range of in-app video editing tools, allowing users to customize background music, effects, speed, filters, and sounds for a more engaging experience. 

  • The React feature lets users record their reactions in a small window alongside the original video.
  • The Duet feature enables them to create side-by-side content, whether singing, dancing, or parodying the original video for fun and creativity.

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#5. Pinterest – 522 Million

Pinterest offers several features to enhance shopping and discovery. 

  • The Pinterest Lens enables Pinners to search items using visuals by capturing objects with mobile devices. 
  • Catalogues allow brands to upload their product inventory, turning items into Product Pins for easy browsing. 
  • Rich Pins come in four formats—product, Recipe, Article, and App Pins—each offering dynamic functions to enhance the user’s experience. 
  • Additionally, Shop the Look pins let Pinners click on specific items within an image and navigate directly to product pages for purchase.

#6. X, Formerly Twitter

X/Twitter offers several features to enhance engagement and interaction. 

  • Users can subscribe to curated feeds, known as Lists, to organize and follow specific content.
  • Twitter Polls provide an easy way to engage followers by allowing them to vote on a question with up to four answer choices. 
  • As the originator of hashtags, X enables brands to create custom hashtags to boost awareness and drive engagement.
  •  Additionally, Twitter Spaces offers a live audio feature, adding another layer of real-time connection with audiences.

What’s New in Social Media Platforms:

The social media landscape continues to evolve. New social platforms like Threads and BlueSky provide fresh opportunities for businesses and users alike.

Meta launched Threads, a seamless extension of Instagram that focuses on real-time conversations and fosters tighter-knit communities. 

BlueSky, backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, takes a decentralized approach, prioritizing user control and freedom in content moderation. 

Both platforms cater to the rising demand for innovative, user-centric experiences, offering businesses fresh opportunities to engage their audiences and stay ahead of social media trends.

Coming Soon to Social Media Marketing Packages – Content Scheduling to Threads and BlueSky. February & April, 2025!

What is Social ROI?

Social ROI, or social return on investment, is a metric used to evaluate a business’s social media efforts and gains compared to the resources invested. Traditionally, businesses measure the ROI of their marketing efforts with a calculation that links profit and revenue growth and compares that to their marketing efforts. 

In contrast, Social ROI goes beyond the traditional by focusing on the unique benefits that individual social media platforms offer. Benefits, such as increased brand awareness, customer engagement, and loyalty, link lead generation and sales to direct financial returns.

By measuring social ROI, businesses can assess which platforms, campaigns, or strategies deliver the highest impact. This information ensures that the social media investment is driving meaningful results that align with their goals. Measuring your business’s Social ROI becomes a vital tool for optimizing efforts and maximizing the effectiveness of your social media presence.

How Do I Measure My Business’s Social ROI?

To do this, start by defining clear goals that align with your business objectives. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, drive sales, or enhance customer loyalty? Once your goals are set, you can identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with each objective, such as engagement rates, website clicks, conversions, or follower growth.

Businesses often track quantitative and qualitative factors to calculate social ROI. 

Quantitative Metrics That Measure Social ROI:

    • revenue generated from social media campaigns
    • website traffic
    • conversion rates

Qualitative Factors That Measure Social ROI:

    • customer sentiment
    • brand mentions
    • audience interactions

Track these metrics using platform analytics tools like Facebook Insights, Instagram Analytics, or third-party solutions like Google Analytics. These tools can help you monitor campaign performance and attribute specific actions to your social media efforts, such as a sale or website visit. 

PROtip: To calculate ROI, compare the value of these results (e.g., revenue from sales) against your total investment in social media, including time, ad spend, and content creation costs.

Don’t overlook qualitative measures like audience sentiment, brand mentions, or the quality of interactions, as these provide valuable insights into long-term brand growth. Regularly analyzing and refining your strategy based on data ensures your social media investments continue to drive meaningful results for your business.

Dufferin Media Can Help You Build Your Social Media Marketing and Platform Strategies to Improve Your Business’s ROI!

Dufferin Media can help guide your business through developing, refining, and implementing a dynamic social media platform marketing strategy that engages, resonates, and ultimately converts your audience and improves your ROI.

With a deep understanding of industry trends and consumer behaviour, Dufferin Media can help your business transform its online marketing goals and objectives into a profitable strategy.

We will craft a social media strategy that incorporates a platform strategy tailored to your business needs and target audience preferences. By leveraging social media and platform strategies, we can boost your brand’s visibility, drive sales, and foster customer loyalty.

TAKE OUR QUIZ! What Digital Marketing Package Is Right For You?

Specialists in Social Media, Graphic Design, and more!

The professionals at Dufferin Media excel in social media marketing, management, and more! With our expertise and dedication, your business can establish a strong online presence with a competitive digital marketing strategy that stands out and generates leads and conversions.

Get in Touch with a Dufferin Media Digital Marketing Specialist today!

 

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