Do you need to be on every social media platform?
Key takeaways
You don't need to be on every social media platform. Focus on the platforms that are most relevant to your audience and business goals.
Creating content for one main platform and repurposing it across other relevant channels can help you make better use of your time and budget.
Social media works best as part of your broader marketing efforts. Regularly review what's working and adjust your approach as your business and audience evolves.
With so many social media platforms available, it can feel like your business needs to be active on all of them to reach potential customers. But being on more platforms doesn't necessarily mean better results. The key is knowing which platforms are right for your business and how to make the most of them.
Start with your target audience
Before deciding which social media platforms to focus on, think about who you're actually trying to reach and what problems they're trying to solve.
Consider their age, occupation, location, budget and stage of life, but also what they need and what influences their decisions. Where do they spend their time online? And where are they likely to research businesses like yours?
For example, a concrete placement company looking to win more work from builders might prioritise Instagram, where potential clients are already looking for subcontractors and researching products and suppliers.
A landscaping business looking to attract homeowners planning a new garden or outdoor renovation might focus on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest. Here, homeowners can browse completed projects, find inspiration for their own outdoor spaces and research landscaping businesses to carry out the work.
What does each platform offer?
Different social media platforms serve different purposes. Some are better suited to showcasing your work, while others are more useful for building relationships, sharing knowledge or reaching people who are actively researching products and services.
Here's a look at some of the main platforms and what they can offer your business.
| Platform | What it's useful for | Who you're likely to reach |
|---|---|---|
| A highly visual platform for showcasing projects, products and services through quality photography and video. Useful for building brand awareness, demonstrating your capabilities and attracting potential customers. | Homeowners, builders, trades, architects, designers and industry professionals researching businesses, products and projects. | |
| Sharing business updates, promoting services, reaching local communities, gathering recommendations and engaging through community groups. | Homeowners, local customers, community groups and people looking for recommendations or local services. | |
| Professional networking, sharing industry knowledge, building credibility and developing relationships with other businesses, suppliers and industry decision-makers. | Business owners, builders, developers, suppliers and professionals involved in purchasing and business decisions. | |
| TikTok | Informal, personality-driven short-form video, including behind-the-scenes content, educational videos, humour and business culture. Useful for reaching new audiences and showcasing the people behind your business. | Consumers across a range of ages, particularly younger adults, potential customers and employees. |
| YouTube | Educational content, tutorials, product demonstrations, project walkthroughs and longer-form videos that people can discover through search over time. | People actively researching products, services, businesses or solutions to specific problems. |
| Visual inspiration, showcasing completed projects and products, and directing people to your website. Particularly useful for design-led businesses. | Homeowners planning renovations, landscaping, interiors and other home improvement projects. | |
| Google Business Profile | Improving visibility in Google Search and Maps, displaying reviews, sharing business information and helping generate enquiries. | People actively searching for local businesses, trades, products and services. |
While Google Business Profile isn't technically a social media platform, but it's something we'd recommend every business sets up and maintains.
Create for your main platform, then repurpose
In an ideal world, you'd create content specifically for each social media platform. But when you're running a business, time and budget don't always allow for that.
Instead, we'd recommend choosing one main platform based on where your audience spends their time and creating your content for that platform first. For many of the businesses we work with, that's Instagram.
From there, you can repurpose that content across other relevant platforms. An Instagram reel, for example, could also work on Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok or YouTube Shorts. You might just need to adjust the caption, hook or edit to suit each platform, but the core message can stay the same.
Think beyond social media
Social media can play an important role in building awareness, showcasing your work and keeping your business in front of potential customers. But it shouldn't be the only way people hear about your business.
You don't own Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok or YouTube. Algorithms change, organic reach fluctuates and consumer behaviour evolves. The platforms people use, how they use them and where they go to research businesses can change over time.
That's why it's worth considering other ways to market your business alongside social media, whether that's through your website, email marketing, paid advertising, networking or signage. The more ways potential customers have to discover and learn about your business, the less reliant you are on any one platform.
Review what's working
Choosing which social media platforms to use isn't a decision you make once and never revisit. Your business will change, your audience might change, and the way people use social media will continue to evolve.
It's worth checking in regularly to see whether your social media is doing what you need it to do. And that doesn't always mean generating enquiries. You might be trying to get your business in front of more people, build relationships with builders or suppliers, or simply make sure potential customers are familiar with your work.
If you're not seeing the results you'd hoped for, don't automatically assume you're on the wrong platform. If that's where your audience is, it's worth looking at what you're posting, how often you're showing up and whether your content is giving people a reason to pay attention.
You don't need to be everywhere. You just need to make sure the time and effort you're putting into social media is working towards something.
