The essential guide to social media platforms for your small business

As a small business owner, you have more ways to get customers than just creating a website. The sheer variety of options for digital marketing alone can be overwhelming. Use this social media guide to discover ways to reach your target audience, build brand awareness and get better results from your marketing efforts.

Start with a social media marketing strategy

Social networks are designed to be highly engaging. That’s why it’s easy to while away an hour or two on social media platforms and wonder where the time went. As a small business owner, you probably can’t afford to spend hours on social media platforms each day. Social Media Strategist Omnia Kamal shared a post on LinkedIn explaining how businesses can apply a powerful 5-5-5 strategy to build a successful online social media presence. Her first step is to figure out five platforms to focus your attention on.

The ideal five social media platforms vary from business to business. The key is to determine which networks your current and potential customers frequent. More than likely, they are using the most popular social media sites, which is why we list them first. However, you may find more success with a specialized social media platform geared toward your business vertical, like Goodreads for book lovers. That’s why we’ve included a sampling of niche social media platforms, as well.

Most popular social media platforms

Here are the most popular social media platforms, ordered by the sheer volume of active users. Take a look at the average advertising prices listed, but keep in mind that you can always run a strictly organic social media campaign without paid ads. Building an organic following on social media generally requires a lot more time and effort.

When and if you decide to give paid advertising a try, here are four things to know:

• Ad prices are known to rise when competition increases.
• Many social media platforms use an auction process where you bid on audiences, keywords and kinds of ad placements.
• Some platforms have a minimum amount to spend when you run an ad campaigns.
• Occasionally, platforms offer discounts for new ad campaigns, so don’t be timid about asking for one.

Facebook

Facebook started out in 2004 as a social networking site for Harvard students and two years later opened its membership to anyone over 13 years old with a valid email address. Today, Facebook connects friends and families around the world who share and like posts filled with news, memes, photos and videos. Businesses can leverage Facebook’s localization feature making it easy for users to find groups, fundraisers, events and businesses near them. For example, you may want your Facebook ad to only be visible to people near your shop.

There are several ways to get customers from Facebook. If you have limited time, focus on optimizing your company’s Facebook page first. Post content like photos of your products, staff and company events. If you have special sales promotions like Black Friday or Small Business Saturday, announce those sales on Facebook.

As you get more followers on your Facebook page, you may start to receive comments from potential customers. Look at these as leads, just as valuable as phone calls to your business, and respond swiftly.

• Users: More than 3 billion¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 68 percent of U.S. adults use Facebook²
• Average paid advertising costs³:
• Per click—$0.97
• Per 1,000 impressions—$7.19
• Per like—$1.07
• Per action—$5.47
• Monthly ad spend—$200-$1,500
• Organic social: On your personal Facebook page, encourage your friends to follow and like your business page. Update your company Facebook page regularly. Join Facebook groups dedicated to topics of interest to your customers so you can make helpful comments, but be careful—most groups have strict rules against self-promotion.

YouTube

YouTube is one of the world’s most popular websites for viewing and sharing videos. Millions of viewers turn to YouTube every day to find answers, amuse themselves, learn about trends and be awed by happenings around the globe. This makes YouTube a great space to promote your business. Today’s smartphones make it easy to create your own videos, so you don’t have to hire a professional videographer if your budget is tight. Because YouTube is owned by Alphabet, YouTube ad campaigns use Google metrics to help you track the success of your ads.

• Users: 2.5 billion¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 83 percent of U.S. adults use YouTube²
• Average paid advertising costs³:
• Per click—$3.21
• Per 1,000 impressions—$9.68
• Per view—$0.10 to $0.30
• Monthly ad spend—$200-$1,500
• Organic social: Create a channel for your businesses, post videos, engage with fans, and be patient because it can take months or years to build up a large following.

Instagram

Instagram is a very visual social media platform that lets you present a mix of content to give customers a feel for what makes your business unique. From single photos or graphics, to 3-minute video reels, to stories, carousels, and live real-time conversations, there are plenty of options to captivate and educate your audience. Even though Instagram removed the option to follow hashtags in December 2024, don’t forget to add a branded or SEO hashtag, like #RotaryPhone. Users can still search by hashtags, so make yours memorable.

• Users: 2 billion¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 47 percent of U.S. adults² use Instagram
• Average paid advertising costs³:
• Per click—$3.56
• Per 1,000 impressions—$7.91
• Monthly ad spend—$200-$1,500
• Organic social: Post content often on your company page.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp, a pun of What’s up?, began as a low-cost SMS messaging alternative that can use a mobile phone’s Wi-Fi® internet connection rather than the phone’s data plan. WhatsApp users can send and receive texts, photos, documents, videos, location, and both voice and video calls. Personal messages and calls are secure with end-to-end encryption, meaning only you and those you’re communicating with can read or listen to them. Because it’s available in 160 countries, WhatsApp is particularly popular with those who have friends and family members living around the world.

• Users: 2 billion¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 29 percent of U.S. adults² use WhatsApp
• Advertising costs vary by market area and conversation category. For example, the rate for a marketing conversation sent to a customer in North America is $0.025, whereas an authentication conversation is $0.0135. Learn more about WhatsApp pricing.
• Organic social: Businesses can use WhatsApp to post stories, broadcast messages to followers, and even to directly converse with customers or potential customers.

TikTok

TikTok is the realm of funny, quirky, cringy, mesmerizing short videos—the kind you want to rewatch because you can’t believe what you just saw. Some TikTok videos highlight local restaurants and encourage others to try new things at new places, while others capitalize on a trend, like Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos that spark your senses with a tingling sensation. The most successful ones move you to share, collaborate, respond and even buy.

• Users: More than 1.6 billion¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 33 percent of U.S. adults² use TikTok
• Average paid advertising costs³:
• Per click—$1
• Per 1,000 impressions—$10
• Monthly ad spend—$200-$1,500
• Organic social: Post brief, trendy videos to your TikTok account and gain free exposure.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media platform for business professionals who want to keep in contact with former colleagues, showcase their work and educational experiences, seek employment or comment on shared posts. Some recruiters use LinkedIn to find new talent. Individuals and businesses can see if anyone in their network has experience or links to contacts in a company they are researching and ask for an introduction.

• Members: LinkedIn reports it has more than 1 billion members in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. According to Statista, the three largest countries are the U.S. with 250 million, India with 150 million, and Brazil with 81 million members.
• Popularity: 30 percent of U.S. adults² use LinkedIn
• Average paid advertising costs³:
• Per click—$5.26
• Per 1,000 impressions—$6.59
• Per paid message sent—$0.80
• Per open—$1.70
• Monthly ad spend—$200-$1,500
• Organic social: Join a variety of LinkedIn groups to engage with others in your field. Respond to members’ posts with validating feedback or a unique perspective, share industry news, and congratulate the achievements of your colleagues. Business executives who want to build authority in their industry can write and upload thought-leadership articles.

Snapchat

Snapchat is a visual social media platform where users, the vast majority of who are between 15 and 35 years old, create and share photos and videos with their friends and family. While it has fewer users than TikTok and Facebook, Snapchat is nearing the one billion mark. If your small business is already creating short video content for TikTok, consider reusing some or all of that on Snapchat to increase your brand awareness.

• Users: 850 million¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 27 percent of U.S. adults² use Snapchat
• Average paid advertising costs: According to the Snapchat website, the minimum spend per day for Snapchat ads is $5, but they recommend $20-50 per day when your campaign first launches so their system can determine the audience that is most likely to respond.
• Organic social: Businesses can create free public profiles and upload content on a regular basis to build a subscriber base and even sell products.

Reddit

Reddit is a forum that connects people with like interests in communities called subreddits. Pick a subject, any subject, and chances are there is already a subreddit addressing it. If a subreddit doesn’t exist, consider creating one and see if it takes off. Even though Reddit has paid advertising opportunities, it is seriously frowned on to only use Reddit as a way to shamelessly promote your own business.

• Users: 606 million¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 22 percent of U.S. adults² use Reddit
• Advertising costs: Contact a member of the Reddit Ads team for rates.
• Organic social: Regularly browse subreddits for issues that affect your business and respond with helpful information to build trust and your authority in the field.
• Good to know: Each subreddit comes with a set of rules, so familiarize yourself with them to avoid getting booted out.

X (formerly Twitter)

X began as Twitter in 2006 as an SMS text-based platform. A key differentiator is the character limit for status updates, still commonly called Tweets. Originally, Tweets were limited to 140 characters and increased to 240 characters in 2018. Those who don’t want to be constrained by 280 characters can purchase subscriptions that range from $3-$40 a month and write posts with as many as 25,000 characters.

• Users: 586 million¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 22 percent of U.S. adults use X²
• Average paid advertising costs³:
• Per click—$0.38
• Per 1,000 impressions—$6.46
• Per engagement—$1.35
• Per follower—$2.50 to $4
• Per download—$1.95 to $3.25
• Monthly ad spend—$200-$1,500
• Organic social: Businesses can use Twitter to make quick announcements, such as a daily special at a restaurant or updates on stock and hours. Some companies also use Twitter as a customer service tool to answer questions from customers.
• Good to know: X ads with links tend to have better click-through rate than other social media ads (for example, 2 percent for X versus .94 percent for Instagram).⁴

Vertical social media platforms

This is just a teeny sampling of vast number of special interest or niche social media apps. Think of it as a way to jump-start your creativity to search for apps in your field. If you can’t unearth any social media platforms you think will appeal to potential customers, ask your current customers to share their favorites.

Spotify Playlists

Best known as a music-playing platform, Spotify is a popular way to discover music, listen to podcasts and access audiobooks. Companies that sell music, music equipment and music services, such as lessons or production services, may find it valuable to connect with members of the Spotify community. If you run an establishment that uses music to set the vibes, encourage staff to share their personal Spotify playlists with similar music.

• Users: Spotify has more than 675 million users.
• Advertising costs: Contact Spotify directly to learn about advertising opportunities.
• Organic social: Consider creating a playlist related to your company. For example, a telephone service provider could share a playlist of songs about phone calls. Make it a collaborative effort and ask your customers to add songs.
• Good to know: Spotify music is only for personal use, so businesses aren’t legally allowed to play Spotify in their establishments.

Pinterest

Pinterest describes itself as a visual discovery platform. Users get inspired by Pins, which contain photos and videos about ideas and products to make their lives better, like travel destinations, beauty tips, arts and craft ideas, trending home décor items, and much more. If they see something they like, they can save it on a board to be shared with friends, or not. Pinterest boards are basically online vision boards, brimming with opportunities for businesses, like home décor shops.

• Users: 537 million¹ active users each month
• Popularity: 35 percent of U.S. adults² use Pinterest
• Average paid advertising costs³:
• Per click—$1.50
• Per 1,000 impressions—$30
• Monthly ad spend—$200-$1,500
• Organic social: Create content around a current trend and showcase how your product or service complements it. For example, an owner of a sporting goods store can post photos of the five best shoes for getting a competitive edge on the soccer field in advance of the FIFA World Cup tournament.

Goodreads

Goodreads, which was acquired by Amazon in 2013, is a specialized social network aimed at book lovers, who recommend, review and purchase books. If you are an author, own a book store or publish books related to your industry, Goodreads is worth considering. In addition, if you know your customers’ reading interests, advertising on Goodreads may be relevant.

• Total visits: According to Similarweb, Goodreads had 87.3 million visits in February 2025, the largest age group is between 25 and 34 years old, and most of its social traffic comes from YouTube, Reddit and Facebook (desktop).
• Advertising costs: Reach out to Goodreads for information on paid advertising opportunities and promotional programs.
• Organic social: Create groups to promote books around shared interests.

Yelp

Yelp is a directory of businesses, similar in concept to Yellow Pages. Users can also search for businesses by keyword in an area (for example, plumbers in Chicago). If you have a business that depends on local customers, like a restaurant or auto repair shop, Yelp is an excellent way to promote your business to both your community and people traveling in the area.

• Users: Yelp reports that each month more than 76 million people visit Yelp and that 82 percent of users buy or hire from a business they saw on Yelp
• Average advertising cost: Yelp reports that advertisers can spend as little as $5 a day.
• Organic social: Create a free business profile, called a Yelp Page, and encourage happy customers to leave reviews.

Houzz

Houzz is a community for homeowners and those providing home building, renovation and design services. Members can create idea books to store photos and use as inspiration for upcoming projects, as well as shop for products and find professionals. Don’t confuse Houzz, which is free, with Houzz Pro, a software-as-a-service tool used by home industry professionals to run their businesses.

• Users: Houzz has more than 70 million home design enthusiasts and homeowners and more than 3 million designers, builders and remodelers.
• Advertising costs: Businesses with Houzz Pro accounts can add an advertising package, starting at $499 a month. Visit the Houzz site to learn more.
• Organic social: Ask clients for permission to share before and after photos and post the most dramatic ones on Houzz.

Where to go from here

Choosing the right social media platforms for your small business is not an exact science. Use this guide to social media platforms to inspire you in developing marketing ideas. If you’re unfamiliar with one of these platforms, try downloading it and exploring for an hour or two to learn how users and other companies interact with it and get a feel for whether or not it will be a good fit for your business.

For guidance on developing a simple marketing plan for your small business, consider reading “The One-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand Out From The Crowd” by Allan Dib. This book is a helpful resource because it guides you through the entire marketing process step by step, including ways to use digital marketing. There’s a reason it has an average 4.7-star rating and nearly 11,000 ratings on Amazon.com.

References

1: Statista reported number of active users each month as of February 2025

2: Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2023

3: Nutshell blog post: What’s the Cost of Social Advertising?, which was last updated on March 14, 2025

4: AdRoll blog post: Social Media Ads Cost Breakdown: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and More, which was updated on July 31, 2023