Social Platforms That Every Strategic Communicator Should (and Shouldn’t) Consider in 2025

As the saying goes, time is money. Strategic communicators — or small business owners managing their own social accounts — must be intentional about how they spend their finite resources.

Let’s dive into some of the pros and cons of the current big players within the social media landscape ➡️

• Facebook:

  • Good for reaching millennials, followed by Gen Z.

  • Over three billion active users in 2024.

  • Free built-in toolset for business and basic analytics.

  • Suffers from a low engagement rate (.2% average in 2024).

  • Data and privacy concerns.

• Instagram:

  • Higher engagement rate than Facebook at 3.5%.

  • Video content is prioritized among users across most platforms. Reels is where 50% of Instagram users spend their time.

  • Meta’s new upcoming app Edits will streamline the Reels editing process.

  • Largest age demographic is Gen Z.

  • Recent and upcoming algorithm and cosmetic changes may drive away users.

• TikTok:

  • 4.64% engagement rate in 2024.

  • Prevalent Gen Z user base.

  • TikTok Shop saw over a 225% increase in year-over-year sales during the U.S. holiday shopping season.

  • Frequently undergoes frustrating algorithmic changes for content creators and consumers.

  • May shutdown in the United States once presidential executive order concludes.

  • Data and privacy concerns.

• X (Twitter):

  • 335.7 million active users in 2024.

  • Only top brands receive a .102% engagement rate, which is a low number overall.

  • Some high-profile users are migrating to competitor platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon.

  • Animosity between users and X’s leadership.

• YouTube:

  • The second largest search engine.

  • Ads on YouTube reach an engaged user base.

  • 2.45 billion active users a month in 2024.

  • Hosts vertical videos on Shorts.

  • Has space for long and short form content.

• Snapchat:

  • Majority Gen Z user base.

  • 453 million active users in Q4 of 2024.

  • Prominent influencer/creator leaders through the monetization program.

  • Received recent updates for business and advertising tools.

  • Snapchat is perceived as a user-user platform, but has capabilities to host social activities.

There is no right universal answer for which social platform is best for every brand owner as business goals, audience demographics and available resources differ amongst each enterprise. Effectiveness comes from within, through deep research of internal factors and external circumstances. Applying this research is key to ensuring that the highest return rate is reached, best practices are followed and social media activities align with the brand’s identity, mission and publics.