- \n
- Facebook: 1.71 billion users<\/a><\/li>\n
- Google+: 300 million users<\/a><\/li>\n
- Instagram: 400 million users<\/a><\/li>\n
- LinkedIn: 300 million users<\/a><\/li>\n
- Pinterest: 100 million users<\/a><\/li>\n
- Snapchat: 100 million users<\/a><\/li>\n
- Twitter: 320 million users<\/a><\/li>\n
- Youtube: Over 1 billion users<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When you pay attention to both where your potential customers spend time online \u2014and combine this with an awareness of your company\u2019s core strengths and brand\u2014you can develop a strategic approach to online sales. Let\u2019s take a closer look at how various social media platforms can integrate with your sales strategy.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Which Social Platform is Right for Your Sales Pipeline?<\/b><\/h3>\n
Before signing up for an account, it\u2019s critical to learn the core uses and demographics of a given social platform. Here\u2019s an overview of 12 of the most useful social platforms for driving sales.<\/p>\n
Facebook<\/b><\/h4>\n
If your goal is to <\/a>build<\/a> community<\/a> among your consumer base, then Facebook is the place to be. It\u2019s especially good for facilitating conversations between brands and their users. Because it\u2019s the most popular social site with the most active user base, Facebook is also a valuable platform if you\u2019re trying to reach a broad audience. <\/a>User data<\/a> reveals that demographics span the full range of ages, gender, education, income level, and location.<\/p>\n
Facebook<\/p>\n
- \n
- Best for building a community<\/li>\n
- Among adult users,\n
- \n
- 74% went to college<\/li>\n
- 71% have some college experience<\/li>\n
- 70% graduated high school or less<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-002.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nInstagram<\/b><\/h4>\n
On Instagram, a strong visual identity and high-quality imagery are a must. The <\/a>site is growing like gangbusters, especially among <\/a>young, urban<\/a>users. The site pairs well with Facebook and\/or Twitter, which allows you to share text-based content that wouldn\u2019t be appropriate on Instagram.<\/p>\n
Instagram<\/p>\n
- \n
- Best for companies with great photography<\/li>\n
- Who are the photographers?\n
- \n
- 53% of 18\u201329 year olds<\/li>\n
- 25% of 30\u201349 year olds<\/li>\n
- 11% of 50\u201364 year olds<\/li>\n
- 6% of people 65+<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Of all online users,\n
- \n
- 29% of females use Instagram<\/li>\n
- 22% of males use Instagram<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-003.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nLinkedIn<\/b><\/h4>\n
LinkedIn is all about professional networking, which means your brand will appeal to users if you share <\/a>career and industry insights<\/a>. LinkedIn is also especially fruitful for B2B companies. Users tend to boast high education levels, high incomes, and a <\/a>nearly<\/a> even distribution<\/a> across age brackets.<\/p>\n
LinkedIn<\/p>\n
- \n
- Best for career and industry insights<\/li>\n
- Who\u2019s on LinkedIn?\n
- \n
- 23% of 18\u201329-year-olds<\/li>\n
- 31% of 30\u201349-year-olds<\/li>\n
- 30% of 50\u201364-year-olds<\/li>\n
- 21% of adults over 65<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-004.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nPinterest<\/b><\/h4>\n
Like Instagram, Pinterest is best for brands with a visual component. Just <\/a>slightly more adults<\/a> use Pinterest than Instagram, and Pinterest skews heavily toward women: Approximately <\/a>44 per cent of online women<\/a> use Pinterest, compared to only 16 per cent of men. The site also trends young, with 37 per cent of people under the age of 50 using the site. If your target demographic falls into these categories, then Pinterest can be a goldmine for engaging users.<\/p>\n
Pinterest<\/p>\n
- \n
- Best for highly visual industries or marketing<\/li>\n
- 42% of online women use the site, while just 13% of online men do<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-005.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nTwitter<\/b><\/h4>\n
Twitter is all about <\/a> trending topics and topical conversations. It\u2019s a great option for reaching urban and\/or suburban consumers: <\/a>25 per cent of Twitter\u2019s user base<\/a> resides in urban areas, while 23 per cent are in suburban areas. If you\u2019re attempting to cultivate a hip, active, and vocal brand, then Twitter is an exceptional platform. Like Facebook, it\u2019s great for facilitating conversation between consumers and brands.<\/p>\n
Twitter<\/p>\n
- \n
- Best for topical and timely conversations<\/li>\n
- Where do adult users live?\n
- \n
- 25% in urban areas<\/li>\n
- 23% in suburban areas<\/li>\n
- 17% in rural areas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-006.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nYouTube<\/b><\/h4>\n
YouTube is <\/a>all<\/a> <\/i><\/a>about video<\/a>, and is rapidly becoming a platform where brands can differentiate themselves as funny, creative, or unique. And withmore than 1 billion users<\/a>, YouTube has the potential to generate a truly massive audience. It\u2019s especially primed for capturing younger demographics: The site reaches more 18- to 49-year-olds than any cable network. But as brands catch on to the power of YouTube, the competition for all those eyeballs is high.<\/p>\n
YouTube<\/p>\n
- \n
- Best for compelling video<\/li>\n
- Over 1 billion users\n
- \n
- Almost 1\/3 of all people on the Internet<\/li>\n
- Everyday people watch hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube and generate billions of views<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- YouTube, and even just YouTube on mobile, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-007.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nMeerkat<\/b><\/h4>\n
While less well known, Meerkat commands an audience of <\/a>120,000 users<\/a> and growing. The platform <\/a>allows users to live-stream<\/a> video from their phones directly to their Twitter followers, so it\u2019s best for visual content. The platform is unique in that it <\/a>skews heavily toward males<\/a>: 78 per cent of users are male.<\/p>\n
Meerkat<\/p>\n
- \n
- Live-stream video from your phone to Twitter followers<\/li>\n
- 120,000 users<\/li>\n
- 78% male, 22% female users<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-008.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nPeriscope<\/b><\/h4>\n
Periscope is a direct competitor to Meerkat: It allows users to live-stream video from their phones to Twitter. The app is owned by Twitter, so integration is seamless. Periscope also has a significantly larger user base, with <\/a>10 million users<\/a> (1.85 million of whom use the app daily). Similar to Meerkat, the app skews toward males: <\/a>71 per cent of users<\/a> are men.<\/p>\n
Periscope<\/p>\n
- \n
- Twitter\u2019s app for live-streaming video from your phone to Twitter<\/li>\n
- 10 million users, and 1.85 million daily active users<\/li>\n
- 71% male, 29% female users<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-009.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nReddit<\/b><\/h4>\n
Reddit boasts approximately <\/a>36 million user accounts<\/a>, <\/a>9,800 communities<\/a>, and a <\/a>young<\/a>, active user base. (Eighty-eight per cent of users<\/a> visit the site multiple times a day.) It\u2019s also one of the most difficult platforms to penetrate due to its dispersed user base and because users are skeptical of self-promotion on the site. Subtle content marketing is the name of the game here.<\/p>\n
Reddit<\/p>\n
- \n
- Roughly 9,800<\/b> member-driven communities and forums<\/li>\n
- Approximately 36 million user accounts<\/li>\n
- 88%<\/b> of visitors go to the site multiple times per day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-010.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nSnapchat<\/b><\/h4>\n
What began as a private sharing app between friends has grown into an impressive platform for brand building. Snapchat allows users to <\/a>create captioned videos<\/a> and photos that disappear once they\u2019ve been viewed. The site\u2019s users tend to be young; <\/a>45 per cent of adult users<\/a> are between 18 and 24. The key to success here is creativity, humor, and being quick to the punch.<\/p>\n
Snapchat<\/p>\n
- \n
- Captioned videos and photos sent directly to other users that automatically disappear<\/li>\n
- 45% of Snapchat’s adult users are between 18 and 24<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-011.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nVimeo<\/b><\/h4>\n
Success on this <\/a>video-sharing site<\/a> requires polished, high-quality content. If your brand is highly visual, investing time and energy with this platform can be well worth it: With <\/a>160 million monthly viewers<\/a>, Vimeo has the potential to generate a large following.<\/p>\n
Vimeo<\/p>\n
- \n
- Video-sharing website<\/li>\n
- 160 million monthly viewers and 35 million registered users<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-012.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nVine<\/b><\/h4>\n
The <\/a>6.5-second looping video app<\/a> had its heyday a few years ago, but it\u2019s still a viable platform for brands and has launched a number of viral stars over the years. Vine is <\/a>particularly effective<\/a> for showcasing products, telling short stories, or simply sharing goofy content. With <\/a>28 per cent of adult users<\/a> between the ages of 18 and 24, it\u2019s important that Vine content be hip, engaging, and fun.<\/p>\n
Vine<\/p>\n
- \n
- 6.5-second-long looping videos\n
- \n
- Show off a new product<\/li>\n
- Demo a new feature<\/li>\n
- Tell a quick story<\/li>\n
- Or Share something fun<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- 28% of Vine\u2019s adult users are between 18 and 24<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2023\/10\/perfect-social-platform-013.jpg?strip=all&quality=95\")
<\/img> <\/p>\nThe wide array of social platforms available to salespeople means there is no one-size-fits-all approach to social media. Instead, building a successful online sales funnel requires identifying your brand\u2019s strengths and target demographics, developing high-quality content and a distinct brand voice, and being open to a process of trial and error as you discover the social platforms that boost your sales most.<\/p>\n
<\/h3>\n
Share “How to Pick the Right Social Platform to Grow Your Sales” On Your Site<\/h3>\n
- 6.5-second-long looping videos\n
- Roughly 9,800<\/b> member-driven communities and forums<\/li>\n
- Google+: 300 million users<\/a><\/li>\n
![<\/a>](\"http:\/\/www.adweek.com\/socialtimes\/wpcontent\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/04\/Screen-Shot-2015-04-15-at-6.55.37-AM-e1429481217411.png\"){kind=link}