Twitter or LinkedIn: Which Make Sense For Your Small Business?

Your business is diving into social media, so what about Twitter and LinkedIn?

Twitter and LinkedIn are very different platforms—one’s a firehose of information and the other is a professional network—they’re similar from the business owner’s point of view because they’re both useful tools for brand-building. In LinkedIn’s case, you’d do it with long-form content where you can give customers more reasons to trust you by sharing opinions and solutions for issues that matter to them. Twitter, on the other hand, is the place to be seen by the press who will then amplify you to their audiences.   

But could LinkedIn and Twitter really help you grow your small business? 

There are several key variables to consider, but the primary one (as always) is audience: who is your primary customer base, and how are they connecting with other brands and businesses on social media? 

Once you’ve answered that question, let’s apply your findings below to LinkedIn and Twitter’s users and see if they’re the right fit for your needs:

LinkedIn

While most social media channels serve multiple niches, LinkedIn’s a bit different: they’re known as the network for all things work-related. Their mission to “connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful” has made them indispensable to American businesses of all sizes, as well as to their employees.

Here’s who else is using the network:

• Number of monthly active users: 810 million
• Largest age group: 25−34 (58.4%)
• Gender: 48% female, 52% male
• 63% of LinkedIn users access the network weekly, and 22% daily

While B2C companies have had some recent success on LinkedIn,  your B2B relationships are where LinkedIn will benefit you. According to Sprout Social, “a staggering 79% of marketers say that LinkedIn is a prime source of new leads” for B2B brands and businesses. 

Unlike Twitter, where short missives rule the day (more on that below!), driving growth to your LinkedIn page is all about thoughtful post-crafting and mutual engagement between your business and like-minded others. Since its primary audience is more professionally geared, think of your LinkedIn posts more like the content you’d share in the workplace, vs. the more personal or intimate content that might come from a solo Instagram or TikTok account.

LinkedIn also can serve as a vital hiring hub. Not only is the platform a great place to network with other businesses, it’s also a prime place to find new workers: “each week,” say the experts at Sprout, “40 million people use LinkedIn to search for employment opportunities.” If you’re not already looking here for new talent, it’s time to start.

Twitter

The end of April 2022 has been a banner time for Twitter headlines: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s $44-billion bid to buy the platform was front-page news on April 25, and at the time of publishing this post, Twitter has accepted the offer, which was under review by federal regulators.

The New York Times reports that if it does go through, it will be the largest deal to take a company private in at least 2 decades. 

A lot is still uncertain—but for now, here’s what to expect from the primary users of this social media network, known for its short-form text focus and like/retweet engagement style.

• Number of daily active users: 211 million (up from 187 million)
• Largest age group: 18−29 (42%)
• Gender: 38.4% female, 61.6% male (no data on other genders)
• Time spent per day: 31 minutes

Building a Twitter following is all about voice. If your business had a personality, what would it be—and how would you communicate it? And importantly, how would you do it in a sentence or two, as the character count on the site maxes out at 280 characters per tweet?

One of America’s shining examples of a strong Twitter personality is the restaurant chain Denny’s, whose irreverent and meme-driven online persona gained the brand nearly half a million followers and a ton of industry press about the followers they get, which gets them more followers and more press and so on. They’re even selling their most famous tweet as an NFT for charity. 

Like LinkedIn, Twitter thrives on connection. It’s not just about creating and sharing media—you also have to interact, and often, to grow your imprint and understand why certain topics are trending (valuable information for you to reach potential customers). 

There are countless ways to build this engagement, but one that’s especially common—and helpful—is Twitter’s use as a customer-service arm for concerned or frustrated customers. According to Podia’s Rachel Burns, “Offering real-time customer support on Twitter has its pros and cons. On the one hand, customers expect it: 57% of customers who reach out to brands have a question, and 45% have an issue with the product or service.” 

Burns also points out, though, that providing this service on Twitter—however helpful—could lead to burnout for smaller businesses or solo entrepreneurs who may not have enough hours in the day. Before tackling this aspect of Twitter for your small business, ask yourself first: how quickly can I respond to customers? Perhaps bringing on a social media manager will help to build this branch of your social-media presence.

LinkedIn vs. Twitter: Which platform is best for my business?

Unlike the previous two posts in our series, which considered similar pairings of social networks (Facebook and Instagram are both Meta products, and YouTube and TikTok both thrive primarily in video formats), LinkedIn and Twitter serve 2 vastly different functions for a small business. 

You may find as a result that both platforms could aid in your growth, whether you’re looking for new employees and B2B clients (LinkedIn) or to learn more about what’s trending and why (Twitter). 

Read more about using social media for your small business.

Managing Social Media for Your Small Business: Getting Started

Managing Social Media: 3 Tactics to Connect With Customers

Do Facebook and Instagram Make Sense F=for Your Small Business?

YouTube vs. TikTok: Which is Better for Your Small Business?

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post does not, and is not intended to, constitute business, legal, tax, or accounting advice and is provided for general informational purposes only. Readers should contact their attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor to obtain advice on any particular matter.