Social media influences modern culture and consumer behavior, so brands are pressured to stay relevant.
The 2025 Sprout Social Index reveals that 40% of consumers find it “cool” when brands engage in viral trends, while 33% consider it “embarrassing.”
Additionally, 27% of respondents say that participating in trends is only effective within 24-48 hours.
This data highlights the balance brands must maintain when engaging with online culture.
Generational Divide on Trend Participation
People’s views on brands that follow trends vary by generation. Gen Z, most active on TikTok and Instagram, often supports trend-following brands, while Boomers tend to disapprove.
This difference shows that brands need to understand their audiences.
Younger consumers may appreciate brands that engage in trends, as long as it feels genuine. In contrast, older consumers may require a more cautious approach to avoid alienation.
Success requires more than just being timely; authenticity and relatability are key.
Jumping on a viral meme or hashtag can seem forced if it lacks a clear connection to the brand. Brands should understand the cultural context of the trends they join.
A Balanced Approach to Trends
Engaging in trends can attract audiences and show cultural awareness, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Data reveals that consumers value originality and consistent engagement just as much as aligning with trends.
Posting solely to maintain visibility or jumping on every viral moment can weaken a brand’s identity and fail to connect with its audience.
Instead, brands should adopt a balanced approach, which includes:
Selective Participation: Identify trends that align with the brand’s values, voice, and audience interests.
Cultural Awareness: Understand the deeper cultural significance of trends to ensure participation feels organic rather than opportunistic.
Original Content: Enhance trend-based content with original, human-centric storytelling that builds trust and loyalty over time.
What This Means For Marketers
Joining trends can help connect with audiences, but it needs to be done carefully. Brands should consider the benefits of engaging with a trend versus the risk of seeming fake or out of touch.
To be successful, marketers should:
Focus on Relevant Trends: Use social listening tools to find conversations and trends that matter to their target audience.
Act Fast: Create quick workflows to take advantage of trends within 24 to 48 hours.
Stay True to Their Identity: Make sure all content, whether related to trends or not, reflects the brand’s core values and personality.
Looking Ahead
The 2025 Sprout Social Index shows how consumers feel about participating in trends.
About 40% support trend participation, while 33% oppose it. This divide highlights the need for careful decision-making.
Brands that value authenticity, cultural understanding, and quick actions will better connect with trends without losing their identity or driving away their audience.
Marketers must consider their audience’s preferences and online environment. When done correctly, joining trends can make a brand more relevant and help create lasting customer relationships.
Marketers worldwide know the importance of having a solid social media marketing strategy – and a key part of this is finding the best times to post on social media.
The old adage ‘timing is everything’ holds especially true in the world of social media, where the difference between a post that fades into obscurity and one that goes viral can often be just a matter of when it was shared.
With an always-growing array of social platforms hosting billions of users worldwide, it has never been more challenging to stand above the noise and make your voice heard on social.
To determine the best times to post on social media in 2024, we reviewed original data from leading social media management tools.
It’s important to note that the data from these sources present a variety of findings and suggestions, which underscore the fact that social media is an ever-evolving landscape. The most crucial thing is understanding the behavior of your own target audience.
Let’s dive in.
The Best Times To Post On Social Media
Source
Day Of Week
Time To Post
Sprout Social
Tuesday and Wednesday
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Local
Hootsuite
Monday
12 p.m. EST
CoSchedule
Friday, Wednesday, and Monday (in that order)
7 p.m. Local
Best times to post on social media: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Best days to post on social media: Monday and Wednesday.
Worst days to poston social media: Saturday and Sunday.
Determining an ideal time for posting on social media in general is complicated, as each platform is different, with unique users, features, and communities.
When deciding which social media platforms to focus on, you should think carefully about your brand’s target audience and overarching goals.
This explains why – when analyzing data from Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and CoSchedule on the best overall times to post on social media – we can draw some similarities but also see a variety of recommendations.
Weekdays emerge as a clear winner. CoSchedule and Sprout Social both highlight Wednesday as a good day, with Hootsuite and CoSchedule also highlighting Mondays as a strong day for engagement.
The most common time range among the sources is in the morning to mid-afternoon, with CoSchedule providing some very specific suggestions for post-timing.
Both CoSchedule and Sprout Social agree on avoiding Saturdays and Sundays.
While it’s experienced a shift in user demographics over recent years – now catering to older users – its popularity continues to climb, and its potential as a brand marketing tool cannot be disputed.
Regarding the best times to post on Facebook, all of our sources agree that weekdays are best. Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and CoSchdule all name Monday as a great day to engage on Facebook, along with calling out various other days of the week.
There is a general consensus that Sundays should be avoided.
The sources vary in their suggestions for optimal time slots, but generally speaking, early to mid-morning seems to be the most popular selection.
The Best Times To Post On YouTube
Source
Day Of Week
Time To Post
SocialPilot
Sunday
2-4 p.m. EST
HubSpot
Friday and Saturday
6-9 p.m. Local
Best times to post on YouTube: 2-4 p.m. on weekdays and 9-11 a.m. on weekends.
Best days to post on YouTube: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Worst day to post on YouTube: Tuesday.
As the second most visited site in the world and the second most used social platform globally, YouTube offers an unparalleled opportunity for brands and individuals to connect with audiences through video.
And with its continued expansion – by introducing features like YouTube Shorts, initiatives like expanding the ways creators can get paid on the platform, and its increasing popularity as a search engine – the platform shows no signs of slowing.
YouTube is no longer just a video-sharing site; it’s a robust marketing tool that empowers businesses to raise brand awareness and drive meaningful engagement.
Finding recent data on the best times to post on YouTube proved harder than for some other channels, so these recommendations should be taken with a grain of salt.
While HubSpot suggests Friday and Saturday are the strongest days to publish on YouTube, SocialPilot specifically calls out Sunday as the most engaging day – so it’s worth experimenting with all three.
SocialPilot doesn’t specifically name the worst day, but according to HubSpot, you’d be wise to steer clear of Tuesday.
Both sources suggest the afternoon as an effective time for posting during the week. SocialPilot specifies that publishing in the mornings on weekends (9-11 a.m.) is effective, so this is important to bear in mind.
The Best Times To Post On Instagram
Source
Day Of Week
Time To Post
Sprout Social
Tuesday and Wednesday
9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Local
Hootsuite
Wednesday
2 p.m. EST
HubSpot
Saturday
6-9 p.m. Local
CoSchedule
Wednesday, Friday, and Tuesday (in that order)
9 a.m. Local
Later
Monday
4 a.m. Local
Best times to post on Instagram: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Best day to post on Instagram: Wednesday.
Worst day to post on Instagram: Sunday.
From its origins as a photo-sharing platform, Instagram has evolved into one of the most popular social media networks in the world – and an indispensable marketing tool.
With billions of users – 90% of whom are following at least one business – Instagram has become a powerful engine for ecommerce, brand awareness, and community-building.
As a leader in the social media space, Instagram constantly provides new formats and features for users to try out – from Reels to Stories, user quizzes and polls, and more.
We consulted a handful of sources to determine the top posting times for Instagram and came away with a mixed bag of answers.
Wednesday appears to take the cake as the most consistently recommended day, with CoSchedule, Sprout Social, and Hootsuite all suggesting it.
Generally, our sources seem to lean towards weekdays as being strongest for Instagram engagement – with the exception of HubSpot, which recommends Saturday.
In terms of timing, the morning to midday hours seem to be your best bet, especially around 8 a.m. through 1 p.m. HubSpot and Later provide times that significantly differ from other sources, which suggests that effectiveness can vary based on audience and content type.
The Best Times To Post On TikTok
Source
Day Of Week
Time To Post
Sprout Social
Tuesday and Wednesday
2-6 p.m. Local
Hootsuite
Thursday
10 p.m. EST
SocialPilot
Tuesday and Thursday
2 a.m. and 9 a.m. EST
HubSpot
Friday
6-9 p.m. Local
Best time to post on TikTok: Inconclusive.
Best day to post on TikTok: Tuesday.
Worst day to post on TikTok: Inconclusive.
While it’s a relative newcomer to the fold, TikTok has quickly become one of the most beloved social platforms worldwide – and is drawing brands in increasing numbers.
With the average user spending nearly 54 minutes on the app daily, it’s hard to beat the hold that TikTok has among audiences. By optimizing your presence there, you can stand to generate some impressive returns on your marketing efforts.
So, what’s the best time to post on TikTok? The jury is out on this one – and it may take extra experimentation on your part to find the sweet spot that engages your audience.
Tuesday seems to rise to the top among the sources we consulted, with Wednesdays and Thursdays also getting recommendations. Generally speaking, it looks like midweek is a good time to test out your TikTok content, but there are plenty of discrepancies in the data.
While HubSpot named Friday as the best day, it also highlighted that Saturdays and Thursdays are strong for B2B brands, and Saturdays and Sundays work well for B2C brands.
Sprout Social found Sunday to be the worst performing day, while Monday and Tuesday are the worst days, according to HubSpot.
We also find a mix of recommended time slots, from early morning to mid-afternoon and also evening being suggested.
The Best Times To Post On Snapchat
Snapchat, the pioneer of ephemeral social media content (and the inspiration behind Instagram Stories), provides unique opportunities to reach younger demographics.
It differs from other platforms in how it works and the type of content that engages there. Snapchat typically centers around showcasing real-time experiences and authentic behind-the-scenes content versus polished marketing content.
This makes Snapchat an advantageous yet often underutilized tool in digital marketing. But it should not be overlooked, especially given that the platform continues to innovate.
While we have seen 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. cited as the best times to post on Snapchat in various secondary sources around the internet, we have found no recent original data to either confirm or refute this.
Given this, we would recommend testing out different times and days based on the behaviors and lifestyles of your target audience and then iterating based on your results (which is what you should be doing across the board, regardless!)
Businesses can leverage Pinterest to showcase their products and drive conversions, but also to grow and expand brand awareness and sentiment.
Success on Pinterest can be found through sharing brand-specific imagery, optimizing for mobile, and appealing to your audience’s sense of aspiration and inspiration.
Friday, alongside other weekdays, is consistently mentioned as a strong day among our sources. On the other end, Sunday is commonly named as the least effective day for posting on Pinterest.
When it comes to the most fruitful posting time on the platform, it appears that the late afternoon to early evening, specifically around 3-6 p.m., is optimal for best engagement.
The Best Times To Post On X (Twitter)
Source
Day Of Week
Time To Post
Sprout Social
Tuesday to Thursday
9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Local
Hootsuite
Monday and Wednesday
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST
CoSchedule
Wednesday, Tuesday, and Friday (in that order)
9 a.m. Local
HubSpot
Friday and Wednesday (in that order)
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Local
Best times to post on X (Twitter): 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Best days to post on X (Twitter): Wednesday and Friday.
Worst day to post on X (Twitter): Sunday.
X (formerly known as Twitter) has long been a place for marketers to connect and engage with their audience, join trending conversations, and build community.
The real-time nature of X (Twitter) differentiates it from other social platforms and allows for spur-of-the-moment and reactionary marketing moves. And with CEO Elon Musk’s big plans for the app, it’s undoubtedly a space to watch.
When looking for the top days to post among the sources we consulted, Wednesday and Friday are most often mentioned – with Sprout Social specifying Tuesday through Thursday.
Hootsuite nominates Monday and Wednesday as the top days, proving that weekdays reign supreme on X (Twitter).
Like many other platforms, Sunday seems to be the least effective day for post-engagement.
Looking for the best times to post on X (Twitter)?
Late morning, from around 9 a.m. to noon, seems to be the most recommended time – though, as always, this will differ based on your specific audience and the type of content you are sharing.
We always recommend testing and experimenting to see what works for you.
The Best Times To Post On LinkedIn
Source
Day Of Week
Time To Post
Sprout Social
Tuesday to Thursday
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Local
Hootsuite
Monday
4 p.m. EST
CoSchedule
Thursday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (in that order)
10 a.m. Local
HubSpot
Monday, Wednesday, and Tuesday (in that order)
9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Local
Best times to post on LinkedIn: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Best days to post on LinkedIn: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Worst days to post on LinkedIn: Weekends.
Though first and foremost a platform for professionals, LinkedIn has picked up steam in recent years, becoming a hub of engagement and a frontrunner among social media networks.
It’s also an essential tool for businesses that want to reach business executives and decision-makers, as well as potential candidates.
Done right, LinkedIn content can go a long way in building a public perception of your brand and providing deep value to your target audience.
Digging into the data, we can see that weekdays provide the biggest opportunities for engagement on LinkedIn, which is hardly surprising. Tuesdays through Thursdays are often mentioned as the top days, with Mondays also highlighted by Hootsuite and HubSpot.
All of our sources agree that weekends are less effective for LinkedIn posts.
If you’re searching for the right time, you might try your hand at posting from late morning to mid-afternoon, based on what these sources discovered.
But (and not to sound like a broken record) your results may differ based on your brand, niche, target audience, and content.
What Is The Best Time For You To Post On Social Media?
Finding the best times to post on social media requires a delicate blend of testing, experimentation, and personal analytics.
And it never hurts to start your journey with industry insights like the ones we’ve covered in this article.
By aligning your content strategy with your target audience and trying out different posting strategies – taking into account these recommended time slots – you will be able to determine what works best for you and significantly enhance your social media presence and engagement.
Sources of data, November 2023.
All data above was taken from the sources below.
Each platform conducted its own extensive research, analyzing millions of posts across various social networks to find the times when users are most engaged.
Sources:
Sprout Social analyzed nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles.
Hootsuite analyzed thousands of social media posts using an audience of 8 million followers. For its Instagram updates, it analyzed over 30,000 posts.
CoSchedule analyzed more than 35 million posts from more than 30,000 organizations.
SocialPilot studied over 50,000 YouTube accounts and over 50,000 TikTok accounts to compile its data.
HubSpot surveyed over 1,000 global marketers to discern the best times to post on social media. For its Instagram-specific data, it partnered with Mention to analyze over 37 million posts.
With 4.8 billion social media users worldwide – accounting for 59.9% of the global population – social platforms have become necessary hubs for gathering information, connecting with our friends and loved ones, and growing our businesses.
And social media users have grown to trust and rely on their preferred social networks for everything from real-time news and updates to lifestyle hacks, product research, and more.
For marketers, the world of social media represents an expansive area of opportunity – and every user is a potential customer.
With the right tools, resources, and a strong social media strategy, marketers can leverage social media platforms to boost awareness for their business, engage their target audience, and even nurture a loyal community.
But with so many different social media platforms existing today, it’s nearly impossible to be present on every single one – let alone excel in every space.
Success in social media marketing starts with choosing the right platforms for your brand. You need to identify where your target audience is spending the most time and where it makes sense for your brands to interact with them.
In this article, we’ll look at the leading social media platforms, giving a quick overview of what they are before exploring what types of businesses might find them most useful.
Top 11 Social Media Platforms Compared
MAU*
Revenue
Launched
Headquarters
1
Facebook
3 billion
$116 billion
2004
Menlo Park, CA
2
YouTube
2.5 billion
$29.24 billion
2005
San Bruno, California
3
WhatsApp
2 billion
$906 million
2009
Menlo Park, California
4
Instagram
2 billion
$51.4 billion
2010
Menlo Park, CA
5
TikTok
1.2 billion
$9.5 billion
2016
Culver City, CA
6
Snapchat
750 million
$4.6 billion
2011
Los Angeles, CA
7
Pinterest
465 million
$2.8 billion
2005
San Francisco, CA
8
Reddit
430 million
$670 million
2010
San Francisco, CA
9
LinkedIn
310 million
$12. 4 billion
2006
San Francisco, CA
10
Threads
120 million
Unknown
2023
Menlo Park, CA
11
X (formerly Twitter)
56.1 million
$4.4 billion
2003
Mountain View, CA
*Number of monthly active users worldwide
The Top 11 Social Media Apps By Monthly Active Users
MAU*
1
Facebook
3 billion
2
YouTube
2.5 billion
3
WhatsApp
2 billion
4
Instagram
2 billion
5
TikTok
1.2 billion
6
Snapchat
750 million
7
Pinterest
465 million
8
Reddit
430 million
9
LinkedIn
310 million
10
Threads
120 million
11
X (Twitter)
56.1 million
*Number of monthly active users worldwide
The Top 11 Social Media Sites And Platforms
1. Facebook
Screenshot by author, May 2022
Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA
Launched: 2004
Monthly Active Users: 3 billion
Founders: Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes
While Facebook might not be the exciting new platform it once was – and might have fallen out of favor with younger users – make no mistake: it’s still around, and more popular than ever.
Today, Facebook operates under the umbrella of Meta, Inc., which also owns platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.
In recent years, Facebook has undergone a demographic shift – yet its influence in the social media sphere remains unparalleled.
Industries such as financial services, ecommerce, retail, media, telecom, technology, and consumer goods continue to harness Facebook’s expansive reach to connect with consumers and grow their brand awareness – with newer sectors like gaming, entertainment, and automotive businesses also finding their footing on the platform.
If you’re looking to drive conversions, your best bet is to invest in Facebook ads – especially given the News Feed is increasingly suppressing business posts.
That said, there are still plenty of ways to generate organic engagement without investing in ads.
Consider joining (or building) niche communities with Facebook Groups, leveraging Messenger chatbots for personalized communication, or using live video to encourage real-time audience interaction.
YouTube continues to hold the crown as the dominant original video social media platform. It is currently the second most used platform, with 2.5 billion monthly active users.
The potential for reach on YouTube is unrivaled, with 89% of U.S. adults using the platform. Such engagement metrics are hard for marketers and brands to ignore.
From longform video storytelling to the recent introduction of YouTube Shorts, the platform’s TikTok rival, YouTube provides plenty of opportunities for brands to engage in visual storytelling and reach new audiences.
And according to the company, it’s a very powerful marketing tool. YouTube viewers say they’re 2X more likely to buy something they saw on YouTube, and 4X more likely to use the platform to find information about a brand, product, or service versus other social networks.
Whether you’re into beauty tutorials, gaming streams, education content, or DIY hacks, YouTube has it all. And for brands aiming to pivot into video-centric content marketing, YouTube is the platform to prioritize.
3. WhatsApp
Screenshot by author, May 2022
Launched: 2009.
Headquarters: Menlo Park, California.
Monthly Active Users: 2 billion.
Revenue: $500 million – $1 billion (2023) estimated
Founders: Brian Acton, Jan Koum.
WhatsApp remains the most popular social messaging app, way out in front of Facebook Messenger.
At first glance, brands might overlook WhatsApp’s potential, given its closed messaging nature. But consider that SMS has an average of 98% open rate compared to 20% for email.
It’s a captive audience. And, unlike SMS, WhatsApp messages are free to send.
For brands that want to improve their customer service efforts or connect directly with customers to answer their questions, WhatsApp has a ton of potential. It offers a uniquely direct and effective channel for interacting with your audience.
If you can crack WhatsApp, you’ll have a direct marketing channel to your audience.
Instagram is a social network where product-based businesses, influencers, and coaches can thrive.
Launched in 2010, Instagram quickly became the leading image-based, visually-rich social platform. Since then, it has only grown in popularity and reach, becoming a place for users to conduct and research every aspect of their lives.
The platform has also introduced new features that marketers can leverage to grow awareness, including ephemeral Stories, vertical-video Reels, and more.
Since introducing shoppable posts in 2018, the potential ROI for product-based businesses has been higher than ever.
Not only can B2B businesses connect with a massive audience, they can seamlessly transition followers from product research to purchase by linking product information and making sales – all within the Instagram interface.
And if your target demographic is under 35, Instagram is a gold mine: over 68% of Instagram users are under 35.
TikTok bills itself as “the leading destination for short-form mobile video” with a company mission to inspire creativity and bring joy. And evidently, it’s succeeding.
TikTok’s meteoric rise over the past few years has been unprecedented. In 2017, after only one year, the app became the fastest-growing app worldwide.
Its focus on short-form videos driven by audio and visual trends has taken the world by storm, with other platforms rushing to emulate it.
Despite attempts to ban TikTok in the U.S. and being banned in India, as of 2021, the app had been downloaded more than 3.5 billion times globally.
And while TikTok reaches users of all demographics, if your brand wants to connect with Generation Z, it should be your first priority.
In the U.S., it’s particularly popular among the 12 to 17 age bracket, who constitute about 17.7% of the user base.
Those users are highly engaged, too, with the average user spending nearly 54 minutes on the app every day – the longest amount of time of any app, ahead of YouTube at 48.7 minutes.
6. Snapchat
Screenshot by author, May 2022
Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA.
Launched: 2011.
Monthly Active Users: 750 million.
Founders: Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, Daniel Smith, David Kravitz, Leo Noah Katz.
If a younger audience is your target, Snapchat might be a platform worth considering. This social platform is a great place for connecting with millennials and Gen Z users.
Almost half of all users on Snapchat are 18 to 24-year-olds, showcasing its immense appeal to the younger generation.
The average Snapchat user spends 19 minutes per day on the app – not enough time to rival that of TikTok and YouTube, but still an opportunity window for brands to reach and connect with them.
Snapchat has a uniquely organic feel, with content that offers an unfiltered glimpse into everyday moments – so the platform is a haven for user-generated content, behind-the-scenes videos, exclusive offers, and influencer takeovers.
The platform has always maintained its commitment to real-time, ephemeral content, and it offers a sense of privacy to users that many other social platforms do not. For this reason, it’s a worthwhile tool for brands that want to authentically speak to a younger demographic who might be less interested in the broader approaches of other social networks.
And while it may not get as much attention as the likes of Instagram and TikTok, Snapchat is quietly humming along. Since launching its premium subscription service Snapchat+, the brand announced it has generated 5 million paying subscribers who are willing to dish out money for access to exclusive features.
7. Pinterest
Screenshot by author, May 2022
Launched: 2010.
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA.
Monthly Active Users: 465 million.
Founders: Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp.
Like Instagram, Pinterest is a social media platform that’s focused on rich visuals. From delicious recipes to home decor inspiration, wedding ideas, workout moves, and DIY-related content, Pinterest is where visual dreams come to life.
If your brand has an interest in visual storytelling, Pinterest is the platform for you.
Notably, 60% of Pinterest users are women. If your audience is predominantly women, that’s a compelling reason to invest time in social media marketing on Pinterest.
That’s not to say that men aren’t on Pinterest – male Pinners are up 40% year-over-year (as are Gen Z Pinners!).
What’s more, Pinterest has proven itself to be a powerful marketing tool. 85% of weekly Pinners have made a purchase from a Pin, while 80% have discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest.
8. Reddit
Screenshot by author, May 2022
Launched: 2005.
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA.
Monthly Active Users: 430 million.
Founders: Steve Huffman, Alexis Ohanian, Aaron Swartz.
Reddit heralds itself as “the front page of the internet,” and according to Alexa rankings, Reddit is one of the top 20 most-visited sites.
It has become known as the dominant digital watercooler, and replaced forums and chatrooms of yore to be the go-to place for connecting with likeminded communities and getting your questions answered.
Reddit has a unique blend of content and community, with more than 2.8 million communities, or subreddits, dedicated to every topic imaginable. Whether you’re in tech, fashion, gaming, or health, there’s at least one subreddit actively discussing your industry.
With so many niches, there’s a place for every brand and business to engage their audience – it’s a matter of finding the niches where your potential customers are active and diving in.
However, be warned: Reddit thrives on authenticity and genuine interaction. Users don’t typically respond well to blatant self-promotion, and marketing gimmicks will be met with sharp skepticism.
Brands should beware before wandering into any subreddit and trying to tout their products to community members.
It’s crucial to get the tone right from the beginning, as commentators won’t hesitate to call out and critique what they perceive as inauthentic.
Engage thoughtfully, contribute genuinely, and Reddit could be an incredible marketing tool for your brand.
9. LinkedIn
Screenshot by author, May 2022
Headquarters: Sunnyvale, CA.
Launched: 2003.
Monthly Active Users: 310 million.
Founders: Reid Hoffman, Konstantin Guericke, Allen Blue, Jean-Luc Vaillant, Eric Ly.
LinkedIn has been somewhat of a dark horse among social media platforms. While many may not initially have expected a career-focused social platform to take off, it has become one of the more popular and engaging platforms, with a vast and influential community of professionals.
The platform boasts over 180 million users holding senior roles, 63 million decision-makers, and 10 million C-level executives – making it a hotspot for those aiming to connect with folks who have the power to hire your company, stock your product, or partner with your brand.
And the platform isn’t just for networking – it’s an aspirational hub. Every week, 61 million people use LinkedIn to search for job opportunities – so it’s a smart place to market your brand.
LinkedIn is a very focused social media platform. Because of that, it has unlimited potential for connecting with an elite group of professionals who can make a difference for your business.
The newcomer to the block, Threads was created by the team behind Instagram and launched in July 2023. The text-based app was designed as a competitor to X (formerly Twitter).
It looks and functions quite similarly to X (formerly Twitter), though Threads requires you to have an Instagram account in order to sign up.
Threads initially made a splash in the social media space by quickly surpassing 150 million downloads and becoming the most successful social media platform launch in history.
Since then, it has struggled to retain users – but there is still plenty of promise for the future of the platform.
So, who should be advertising on Threads? It’s still early days, so the answer isn’t totally clear yet.
The good news is that Threads appears to be engaging users by leaning into its strategy to create a positive community space, and veering away from the highly politicized landscape that you might find on X.
If your brand is looking for an alternative to X (formerly Twitter) or is keen to try your hand at a new platform, Threads is certainly worth testing.
Its integration with Instagram means that you have the potential to build a following quite rapidly if you have a strong and engaged Instagram community.
Since being purchased by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in October 2022 for $44 billion, X (formerly Twitter) has been facing some major changes and hurdles.
It has lost approximately 13% of its daily active users – and the response to the platform’s rebrand from ‘Twitter’ to ‘X’ didn’t help things either.
With average users and brands both increasingly turning away from the app, some are heralding its potential demise – while others say nothing much has changed.
In spite of a clear understanding of what the future holds for the platform, if your business is related to entertainment, sports, politics, tech, or marketing, there are still opportunities to drive great engagement on this app – if you can find your audience there.
On X, brands have an opportunity to craft and hone their voice. There’s room to be clever and personable while still being informative and helpful.
Jump into threads, provide value, share your own content as well as others, and join the conversation. Just be sure to monitor the app and your audience to make sure your investment is paying off.
Which Platform(s) Should You Use?
The ubiquity of social media is undeniable.
From your teenage neighbor who wants to go viral on TikTok to your 86-year-old grandmother who’s using Facebook to track down long-lost friends, everybody has a use for social media.
Yet, when it comes to business, a one-size-fits-all approach to social media won’t work.
So, if you were hoping you’d reach the end of this piece, and find a simple, definitive answer on the perfect platform for your brand, you’re out of luck.
Every social media mix will be unique.
Each platform offers distinct features and functionalities, some which align more naturally with specific industries or marketing objectives.
Whether you’re looking to boost customer engagement, increase reach, or create unforgettable brand experiences, it all starts with getting clear on your goals.
Start by understanding your objectives, figuring out where your audience is most active, and then tailoring your strategy to resonate on those channels.
It’s all about making the right choices and finding authentic alignment in order to make use of this powerful marketing opportunity.
How To Transform Your Social Media Strategy With This Winning Formula For Success
In order to elevate your social media strategy with the perfect mix of user-generated content, improved content quality, and generative AI, you should:
Insight 3: AI Delegation – Pick The Right Social Media Tasks To Give To Generative AI
Knowing how to safely give tasks to AI is the key to reducing your social media manager’s timespend and freeing up their day to execute these expert social media insights.
“With AI, content creation will be accomplished with impressive speed and efficiency. Its benefits are genuinely inspiring.”
Generative AI cannot physically create the human touch required for social media campaigns that truly resonate with your potential customers. AI needs humans, and humans can benefit from AI’s speed.
How Do I Improve My Workflow With AI?
“AI tools can be gamechangers for marketers. They can expedite the brainstorming process with data-driven suggestions, optimize content for specific channels, and help automate content repurposing across various platforms.”
– Lindsey Gamble, Associate Director of Influencer Innovation, Mavrck
You can utilize AI tools to:
Automate routine tasks such as scheduling posts and monitoring social media metrics.
Generate copy for your social media content more quickly and efficiently.
Analyze user behavior and preferences to deliver personalized content to your audience and record their activity.
Even though AI can enhance your social media strategy, make sure to regularly review and adapt your social media strategy based on the insights generated by AI, combined with the expertise and intuition of your human marketing team.
Insight 4: TikTok & LinkedIn Will Be The Top-Performing Social Media Platforms Of 2024
Thanks to their high engagement capacity and evolving abilities, TikTok and LinkedIn should become your priority platforms.
“TikTok is still developing exciting new features and tools for creators, advertisers, and regular users. It will likely focus on ecommerce, generative AI, and search in 2024. It also remains the king of short video engagement.”
– Matt Navarra, Social Media Consultant & Industry Analyst
LinkedIn’s user base has grown to millions of professionals from diverse sectors, making it an invaluable resource for establishing and nurturing B2B relationships.
How To Use TikTok, LinkedIn, Meta’s Facebook & Threads, & X (Formerly Twitter) In 2024
This year’s trends in social media and their platform efficacy implore you to:
Establish new relationships with TikTok’s content creators.
Activate your LinkedIn profile.
Start conversations: Get your strategy ready for Threads.
Explore Instagram’s latest tools.
Be cautious about X investments.
Insight 5: Shift Your Social Media KPI Focus Toward Engagement + Shares To Monitor Authenticity
Engagement is currently a global trend in social media content.
True social media engagement, such as comments and conversations on shares, can’t be bought. This is a great marker for social media success.
For all you multi-hat-wearing marketers, think of it as link building and authority. The more shares and engagement on those shares you have, the better the content must be – according to updated algorithm logic.
“Qualitative metrics – more focused on people who book meetings based on content rather than just clicks or views.”
–Mandy McEwen, CEO and Founder at Mod Girl Marketing
Be sure to focus your social media management on creating content that inspires discussions and promotes comments and these five key types of social media engagement.
Insight 6: Reshape Your Social Media Strategy – Become A Visionary
So far, we’ve seen five great insights that can be incorporated into your next strategy.
But, what does that strategy look like? You can get the full strategy checklist in our ebook, but here is our high-level outline:
Insights 7 – 20: Want To Explore All Expert Social Media Tips For 2024?
To get the full details of each insight above, as well as 13 additional expert tips, download the full guide below.
The insights provided by our Visionaries, a diverse team of top voices in Social Media that have made this report possible, are everything you need to create a social media marketing strategy that dominates your competition and expands your social media presence.
