In 2023, 84% of people with access to the internet use social media. That equates to a staggering 3.8 billion people. Social media has become such a large entity that companies are able to deploy effective and cheap strategies to increase their brands awareness and lead generation potential. This ultimately helps their company grow in size and revenue. In this blog we look to answer the question, what is the best content for each social media platform?
What social media platforms are most popular?
Before we explore the type of content you should be posting on each platform to maximise your chance of success, we wanted to highlight the largest players within social media.
Take a look at the graph below from Statista:
Graph in millions*
As seen from the graph, Facebook currently leads the way in terms of active users. It is closely followed by YouTube, which is the second largest search engine after Google. Instagram and TikTok, both very visual applications sit around the 1000 million active users mark, whilst Twitter (Now X) is at the bottom of the list on 326 million. LinkedIn, which is considered the best professional social networking platform current has 250 million active users.
So, what is the best content for each social media platform?
In January 1996, Bill Gates wrote a famous essay titled “Content is King”, which was published on the Microsoft website. In his essay he wrote:
“Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.”
In 2020, it has never been truer – content certainly is king. This is due to the emergence of inbound marketing practices and the wealth of information now readily available for the online consumer. To truly take advantage of social media and the free marketing possibilities is presents to its user, it is essential to create content that wows the user of that platform.
So, what is the best content for each social media platform? Below we explore the best content for each of these platforms:
- Youtube
Facebook is the most widely used social media platform in the world and has been since 2009. Its popularity is seen across all age demographics and across both male and female users.
On Facebook, the best type of content to publish is:
- Short videos
- Blog posts and curated content
Video posts on Facebook get 59% more engagement than any other form of content. This greatly outshines other forms of visual content including images. When producing video content, best practices involve creating something that is short. According to Newswhip the best performing videos in terms of likes, shares and views are around one to two minutes long. Great ideas for videos on Facebook include blog summaries and how to videos within your industry.
The second-best performing type of content on Facebook is blog posts and curated content. This can include your own blog posts or posts from high-quality content creators within your niche. Try and keep these posts as educating and entertaining as possible.
YouTube
YouTube is a dedicated video sharing platform owned by Google. It is now the second largest search engine in the world behind Google itself. It was created in 2005 by three former PayPal employees.
On YouTube, the best type of content to publish is:
- Videos
This one may have seen obvious! YouTube is a dedicated sharing platform for videos. For your content to do well you must focus on creating high-resolution videos that entertain, educate, and engage your targeted audience. Try and keep your videos as short as possible whilst including as much as you can.
On YouTube, it is especially important to consider the niche that you are operating within. Your niche will determine the style of video that you create. For example, a tabloid news channel would present quite different videos to a children’s educational channel. Take into consideration your target audience and produce content that they will enjoy.
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social network service owned by Facebook, which encourages its users to share and interact with other through visual content. Was initially launched in 2010.
On Instagram, the best type of content to publish is:
- High-resolution photos
- Stories/Reels
- Quotes
High-resolution photos are what Instagram users love. Images in 1.91:1 ratio fit the Instagram publishing guidelines perfectly and display on the Instagram news feed very well. Sharing high-resolutions images that relate to your audience will help increase likes and engagement around your company.
Stories and Reels are relatively new features to Instagram. Although they can be images Stories and Reels allow the content creator to produce short videos that can be instantly shared with their following. These short videos get exactly organic engagement and allow the creator to deliver a message in a fun and easy to consume manor.
Visual quotes also do very well on Instagram. If you can create content that includes a relatable quote within your market, you are likely to get likes and increased engagement. We recommend that you do not only post quotes and use the above 2 content styles to mix up your posts.
Pinterest is an image sharing and social media service designed to enable saving and discovery of information using images, animated GIFs, and videos, in the form of pinboards.
On Pinterest, the best type of content to publish is:
- Infographics
- Step-by-step photo guides
- GIFs
Infographics have a high engagement rate on Pinterest. Unlike Instagram, Pinterest ideal image size is 735 by 1102 pixels – this is essentially a vertical A4 shape. This size and shape makes it easy to share and view infographics. Like Instagram however, the users on Pinterest react well to visually pleasing content. Making your infographic easy to understand whilst pleasing on the eye is essential.
Step-by-step photo guides also have a high engagement rate on Pinterest. If you can clearly illustrate to your user how to complete a task, you are onto a winner.
Lastly, we have GIFs. A GIF is an animated image. With users often collating their favourite images into a pinboard, GIFs are perfect to enhance their user experience and ultimate add a little extra to their board. GIFs are often created around trends within a market and are sometimes referred to as memes. If you can find a topic that is hot news and create an original, well-thought-out GIF it is certain to do well.
Twitter is a microblogging and social networking site where users voice their opinion through short messages known as tweets. They can also post images and videos in the hope of gaining likes and retweets. 63 percent of all Twitter users worldwide are between 35 and 65.
On Twitter, the best type of content to publish is:
- News
- Blog posts
The most common reason why people use Twitter is to keep up with news, according to a survey of over 3,000 people by the American Press Institute. Twitter is the perfect platform to reach a large audience quickly. The news can be present in the form of an article, infographic, or video.
Users of twitter also like long form, informative blog posts around topics they have interests in. This is like news however it may not be as reactive with current affairs. Creating a blog or article that is in detail and informative will give you the best chance of high engagement.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the internet. It can be used to find the right job or internship, connect, and strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career. Of the 500 million total LinkedIn users and 250 million monthly active users, only 3 million share content on a weekly basis – just a touch over 1% of monthly users.
On LinkedIn, the best type of content to publish is:
- Professional content
- Company news
As LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, professional content gains great exposure and engagement. It also has the potential to gain great organic reach across the social platform. Professional content may come in the form of articles within your niche, case studies, market research or sales decks.
Content around company news also performs very well on LinkedIn. Due to the professional nature of the platform, users often use LinkedIn to stay informed on companies within their niche or within an industry they may buy products or services from. Company news can come in the form of a simple worded post or it can come in the images and videos. Keeping your audience informed also helps personalise your business. LinkedIn makes it easy focus all of this news through the use of a business page. Check 07 Heaven Marketing out below:
So, what is the best content for each social media platform?
Finding the right content for the right social media platform is vital to create an engaged audience that is interacting with your posts. To summarise what content you should be using:
- Facebook – Short videos, blog posts and curated content
- YouTube – Videos
- Instagram – High-res photos, Stories/Reels and quotes
- Pinterest – Infographics, Step-by-step photo guides and GIFs
- Twitter – News and blog posts
- LinkedIn – Professional content and company news
Conclusion
To succeed across these diverse platforms, it’s essential to tailor your content strategy to each site’s specific characteristics and audience preferences. By doing so, you can effectively connect with your audience, enhance your brand’s online presence, and drive meaningful engagement. Remember, the key to social media success lies in understanding these differences and leveraging them to create compelling, platform-specific content that resonates with your target audience.
For further insights and guidance, we invite you to explore our blog at 07hm.co.uk/blog. Here, you’ll find a wealth of information tailored to the needs and challenges of SMEs navigating the digital landscape. Additionally, if you have specific questions or need personalised advice, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email at info@07hm.co.uk or telephone on 01702 410663.
