It should come as no surprise that I’ve long believed in the power of Facebook for business, and that if promo pros had to be on just one social media platform, Facebook was it. With its vast network of users, SEO potential, relationship-building groups, and seamless ability to integrate ads into your marketing strategy, Facebook allows you to reach your audience no matter what corner of the virtual world they exist. And I still strongly believe in it.

What may come as a surprise, however, is that few people in 2023 seem to agree with me, and that if they could choose just one network for their business, it would not be Facebook.

By a significant margin, promo pros prefer LinkedIn, both through polling and direct contact.

On Jan. 9, I posted a poll on Twitter that ran for one week asking, “If you could use only one social network for your business, which would it be?” This is how users responded:

For an upcoming article, I'm looking for answers to the following question:

“If you could only use one social network for your business, which would it be and why?”

Please take the poll and comment if you're option isn't here.

— ASICentral (@asicentral) January 9, 2023

Nearly half of the respondents voted for LinkedIn, with Facebook and Instagram coming in a distant second and third, respectively. Twitter rounded out the top four with less than 10% of votes.

Posing the same question to numerous promo pros, including the editors at ASI, I was surprised to find that most people also chose LinkedIn, with Instagram getting an honorable mention, and TikTok – surprisingly – getting some love. Facebook, however, did not receive one endorsement.

The following are excerpted quotes on why the networks were preferred.

LinkedIn

“While LinkedIn may be the ‘least fun’ of the social platforms, it is the most professional. LinkedIn’s posting culture is business-focused. The content feels more trusted, educational and research-based. Rarely do you see acrimonious battles about religion or politics (thank goodness).”
Danny Rosin, Brand Fuel (asi/145025)

“As we all move around over the years, LinkedIn is the platform we update to stay connected professionally across all industries with friends and colleagues. Your connections are a digital rolodex that updates itself.” Natasha Rawls, The MRL Group (asi/71746)

“Based on my specific social goals, I would use LinkedIn. The people I’m trying to reach are on the platform to learn more about their industry and to connect with other professionals. Therefore, on LinkedIn they’re more likely to engage with branding content.”
Savannah Dmytriw, Team ASG

“From the perspective of a B2B small-business owner, I would go with LinkedIn. People are on there for business reasons. They’re there to make professional connections and advance their own professional goals/objectives. As such, on LinkedIn, the audience tends to be in a more receptive frame of mind to what you and your business do. This leads to getting more reach, engagement and viable attention/connections – more bang for your buck, so to speak – than on other platforms for the average business owner/business person.”
Chris Ruvo, ASI

“I think LinkedIn is where businesspeople, especially in the promo industry, need to be these days. The platform became indispensable for professional networking during the early days of COVID – and LinkedIn has added plenty of features that make it more attractive for people to connect and learn from each other. It’s not just a digital resume anymore.”
Theresa Hegel, ASI

“LinkedIn is great for friendly engagement with peers and potential clients – you can do pre-call research on leads, share thoughtful content with others in your market, congratulate people on achievements and anniversaries and make new connections. And it’s overall a positive place, unlike some of the other social media platforms.”
Sara Lavenduski, ASI

Instagram

“Instagram is hands-down my first choice for a heap of reasons. I have robust targeting options, CTA capabilities, insights and conversion potential. I like LinkedIn but there’s no click-through CTA that I can use quite like Instagram. It also packs the merrymaking visual punch that you need to stand out. It’s quick, to the point and doesn’t have to be a polished ad agency finish to be authentic and captivating. There’s still so much potential to make a splash and be different on the platform when scoping our industry influence.”
Britney Godsey, Gold Bond Inc. (asi/57653)

“I would choose Instagram because of the broad audience that lives on the network, the video content aspect and how interactive it can be! Not only does the Instagram audience include our clients and future clients, it also includes our employees and potential employees. The video (Reels) section of Instagram is the future and does extremely well in our industry showcasing products and styles.” Taryn Estrada, alphabroder (asi/34063) 

“Instagram is an effective tool for any business to boost brand awareness and increase engagement with customers. Here are three reasons why I personally lean on Instagram daily: 1) It’s the easiest way to target (and re-target) our audience; 2) It allows us to engage with customers where they spend their time; 3) It allows us to build long-term relationships with our customers and gradually turn them into loyal followers, or even brand advocates.”
Jenna Quaranta, KNOSS Apparel (asi/65487)

TikTok

“There are so many ways to get playful with TikTok. We’re such a fun and creative industry. TikTok is full of nuggets of goodness and is where so many people are living right now. Most young people will check out a restaurant in a new city on TikTok vs go to the restaurant’s website. It’s quick, catchy and right to the point.”
Joanna Gottlieb, Axis Promos (asi/128263)