Which Social Media Works Best for SMB Self-Promotion?

Which social media platforms do small and midsized businesses (SMBs) use to promote their businesses? How effective do they rate them? To find out, Bredin recently surveyed 500 SMB principals.

Facebook is the most popular social media platform. Roughly two in three SMBs use it to market their businesses, regardless of size. For very small businesses (VSBs, with 1-19 employees) and small businesses (SBs, with 20-99 employees), Instagram is second. YouTube is third for VSBs, while TikTok is third for SBs. Other than Facebook, SBs use almost every social media platform much more than VSBs do.

For midsized businesses (MBs, with 100-500 employees), YouTube is second, followed by Instagram. Like SBs, MBs use most social media platforms much more than VSBs do.

The Social Media Platforms SMBs Use for Promotion

So how effective are these platforms for promotion? VSBs and SBs rate YouTube most effective. For VSBs, Pinterest is second, and Threads and TikTok are tied for third. For SBs, Facebook is second, followed by Instagram. MBs rate Snapchat most effective, followed by YouTube and Instagram.

How Effective SMBs Rate Social Media Platforms for Promotion

The takeaway for SMB marketers? Helping SMBs make the most of their marketing budget is a great way to burnish your brand halo. Giving SMBs tips and advice on improving their social media marketing performance makes them more likely to become, or remain, a customer of yours.

‍Looking for actionable SMB insight? Bredin’s global research gives you high-value insights to improve your go-to-market and product strategies. We also generate uniquely valuable data for high-impact content, PR, social, and sales support programs.