Social Media Marketing FAQs

Social media is an effective marketing tool for brands and organizations of any size. Even if you’ve had a dedicated social media presence for years, it’s sometimes hard to evaluate ROI, determine strengths and weaknesses, or accurately track social media’s role in driving conversions. As critical as it has become for brands of all sizes and operating in all vertical’s, even experienced teams have lingering questions about social media marketing’s history and core tenets.

The Most Common Social Media Questions, Answers

Our social media marketing FAQs are meant to offer answers to those big, existential questions about social media, including why you’re on these platforms in the first place.

Social Media Basics

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing, or SMM, is the on-going process of promoting your brand, products, and services on some of the world’s most popular social media platforms. Social media combines organic promotion, community, advertising, and lead generation.

When was social media invented?

Social media evolved from online forums, some of which date back to the early 1980s. These online communities grew quickly through close personal connections and near-constant engagement, even when personal identities were anonymous or limited to basic information.

What was the first social media platform?

Six Degrees, which debuted in 1997, is widely considered the first social media platform because it allowed users to create dedicated profiles and add friends. These two features were important precursors to Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook, which would come several years later.

How many people use social media?

There are over 5.2 billion social media users worldwide, accounting for 63.9% of the global population. More than 200 million additional users hopped on social media between mid-2024 and early January 2025.

What demographic uses social media the most?

Younger adults and teens tend to use social media more frequently and for longer durations per day. Social media use varies by platform, age, race, and other factors. YouTube is the most popular social media platform across demographics, with even older adults using the platform regularly.

Social Media Platforms

Traditional social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and many more. While you likely already know about these traditional platforms, there are some niche ones that are worth being aware of as well.

Is YouTube social media?

YouTube is considered a social media platform because it shares all the core characteristics of other sites, such as:

• A dedicated, personal account
• The ability to like, follow, or subscribe to other accounts
• The option to post, comment, and interact with other users
• Advertising and promotions

Is Reddit social media?

Reddit facilitates user interaction, content publication, and community building. It does have some unique features, such as the tight-knit and sometimes anonymous “subreddits” where most interactions take place. It also relies on users to “upvote” and promote content that they find valuable or interesting.

In many ways, Reddit is one of the last true social media platforms, while sites like Facebook and Instagram increasingly focus on content consumption (mostly videos, thanks to TikTok) rather than user interactions.

We have a handy guide for advertising on Reddit, in case your brand is considering dipping a toe into those waters.

Is Pinterest a social media site?

Absolutely. Pinterest is a popular, photo-based social media platform with over 550 million monthly active users worldwide. Nearly two-thirds of Pinterest users are in the United States, followed by strong user counts in Brazil and Mexico.

Social Media Strategy Questions

You know what social media is, now let’s talk about your approach and marketing strategy.

What is social media marketing strategy?

Social media strategy connects your business goals to your social media priorities. Once you define how social media fits into your overall business strategy, you can make important decisions on tactics, such as:

• What social platforms do we need to focus on?
• What social platforms are not a priority?
• What sort of content performs well on these platforms?

What should be included in a social media strategy? 

Your strategy should serve as a source of truth. As you create posts or allocate resources, a strong social media strategy is a crucial gut check. Include information that:

• Defines social media “buckets,” or content themes
• Records core demographics and customer personas
• Establishes brand values that should be represented on each platform
• Shows clear goals and the key performance indicators (KPIs) that illustrate progress

How much should I spend social media marketing?

It depends on your business goals and needs. A social media consultant or agency will likely provide a personalized estimate based on the scope of your social media strategy needs, the number of social platforms and what other marketing services may be involved.

What is social media management?

Social media management is the active, ongoing effort to create and publish content, interact with other users and accounts, grow your follower count, and maximize your presence on specific platforms. Many brands combine in-house social media management with outsourced social media support through an agency (hey, hi!) or a contractor.

Should I be deleting negative comments on social media?

No, it’s recommended that you don’t delete negative comments on social media because it can give the appearance of dishonesty and untrustworthiness. Instead of deleting negative comments, it’s recommended that you respond to them with professionalism, clarity, and positivity. Apologize for any issues or mix-ups, offer to discuss the problem in a direct message or email, and assure anyone reading the negative review that you’re committed to doing better in the future.

Is social media marketing worth it?

Social media offers brands access to billions of potential customers to increase brand awareness and stay in front of past customers. It also provides an unparalleled way to target specific demographics and build trust and community, all at a fraction of the cost of a 30-second TV spot. Plus, more users shop via social media today than ever before, making it a key place to win conversions.

What metrics should I measure in social media?

The social media metrics your company uses to measure success or identify opportunities should align with your business goals. These are common metrics used to measure social media marketing performance:

• Impressions – Are you growing the number of people who see your brand on social?
• Engagement – Are people joining the conversation and sharing your posts?
• Mentions – How often are people talking about your brand?
• Social Referral Traffic – How many people click through to your website?
• Followers – How many people are in your immediate social networks?

To get the clearest picture of how social media is benefiting your company, look at social media metrics alongside those of other channels. For example, are leads from social media referrals more qualified than those from paid media?

We have a guide to determining your social media KPIs and calculating ROI to help you crunch the numbers.

How effective is social media marketing?

Social media remains one of the most cost-effective marketing channels, and it continues to play a central role in raising brand awareness, building customer loyalty, generating leads, and expanding business operations. It’s important to note that not all platforms offer brands the same opportunities; choosing the right channels will improve your return on investment, which is why auditing your channels helps determine where to invest your time and energy.

What social media platforms should I be using?

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype about new social media platforms, but every social channel you adopt requires time, energy, and budget to meet your business goals effectively. To start, choose one or two that make the most sense, and really capitalize on them by making frequent, high-quality posts. Read our blog about choosing the right social media platforms for your business to see more specific tips.

How can I increase my followers?

When your social media properties are managed appropriately, you’ll see growth through targeted boosts or ads, carefully crafted copy, highly shareable resources, and captivating imagery. We believe in the value of gaining quality followers and qualified traffic, meaning your new followers should be members of your target audience – not just anyone with a Facebook account. Avoid buying followers or using other questionable tactics, as it’s unlikely to help your business. When a social media account has vibrant, consistent, and engaging content, quality followers grow naturally.

How effective is video on social media?

Very. Your company’s social media strategy should absolutely include video, especially for platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Every mainstream social media channel can support video assets, and 81 percent of businesses use video marketing to boost brand awareness and sales. Try to incorporate a mix of live and produced (scripted and edited) videos into your social media strategy. These days, you can create social media–worthy videos with just a smartphone and an editing app – and there are free apps out there to help with this. If you’re looking for a more professional-grade video, perhaps with an optimized landing page, hire an agency like ours that offers video marketing and production supported by other digital content experts.

What is are common issues with social media marketing plans?

• Many businesses fail to curate content specifically for each platform. While cross-posting on Facebook and Instagram may be convenient, we recommend at the very least optimizing your posts’ descriptions for each platform.
• Another common issue we see is the improper use of hashtags on each platform. By optimizing your content for specific platforms, you align with user expectations. This makes your brand appear proficient in social media, which is a form of social proof.

How has social media changed marketing strategies?

Social media is now an integral part of an effective digital marketing strategy. Many brands use social media for top-of-funnel marketing and then leverage paid social advertising to drive middle-of-funnel or bottom-of-funnel efforts. It has heavily influenced design and video strategies, as users today expect information to be delivered very quickly. For example, videos that can be understood while muted are popular now, as people want to consume that content while in public.

Should I outsource my social media?

There are several good reasons why outsourcing social media management works for brands. Work with a dedicated social media agency that offers strategic guidance, reliable and accurate reporting, high-quality content, and a consistent, professional presence across your most important channels.

Why should I invest in social media marketing?

At the very least, social media is great for increasing brand awareness and building a community of prospects. At most, social media can be a major revenue driver. It’s a facilitator of conversation, and it’s one of the best ways to make an audience feel like a part of your brand, which drives purchases. Finally, audience targeting is a great reason to invest in social. Boosted posts and display advertising are great ways to launch a retargeting or brand awareness campaign.

How much does social media marketing cost?

Above all, social media costs you time. It’s important to spend time creating your assets, writing description copy, and participating in community engagement (answering comments, sharing content to your story, etc.). There are true costs associated with social media marketing if you pay for professionally designed assets, hire an agency to manage your channels for you, or utilize advertising or boosting capabilities. Cost varies drastically by vendor, and you get what you pay for if you go too cheap.

It might be best to break down the cost of social media marketing into a few buckets:

• Social media strategy – Costs can vary, but starting your renewed social media efforts with an audit or professional guidance will save you money in the long run!
• Social media content creation – Whether internal or outsourced to an agency, you’ll need to invest time and resources into design, video, and implementation. 
• Social media tools – Social scheduling platforms like Buffer and Hootsuite can save time, but you’ll likely need a paid plan to get all the features you need. The average cost for social media marketing tools like these is usually around $200 per month, but pricing varies.
• Social media boosting and ad budget – Grow your account, increase brand impressions, and drive conversions with a dedicated paid media budget. We’ve got some folks who can help with that! To help you focus your efforts on the aspects of your social media platforms that deliver the highest return on investment, we recommend auditing them. We offer a free social media audit checklist to help you identify your top priorities.

What is the best social media scheduling tool?

The most popular social media publishing tools are Buffer, Loomly, Later, Hootsuite, and Sprout. These platforms share many features, such as:

• Multi-channel posting
• Drafts, revisions, and publishing settings for teams
• Multiple users
• Media libraries
• And more

In many cases, pricing is the key differentiator. Check out our Hootsuite vs. Buffer vs. Loomly comparison to see which is best for your organization!

What is social listening?

Social listening is the proactive monitoring of consumer sentiment about your brand, products, services, and industry on social media platforms. Most social media tools offer social listening functionality, allowing brands to find real user feedback, make product or service adjustments, and, when appropriate, respond to comments directly.

Social listening is an increasingly important part of raising brand awareness and managing brand reputation across the digital landscape.

What’s the difference between boosting a post and an ad?

Boosting a post will serve it to a wider audience, while ads offer more strategic targeting and a range of options that may better align with your goals. We recommend dividing your social media budget between boosting and ads, though the exact split will vary by brand, campaign, and other factors.

Check out our guide to boosting posts and creating ads on Facebook.

What are social media pixels, and how do they work?

Websites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and others use pixels to tally user behavior and improve performance for advertisers. Pixels are small snippets of code that send data to reporting tools to track conversions, pageviews, and how users interact with content.

When you use a social media website, pixels track your unique user ID that sends data only when you take a specific action. It doesn’t track users in the same way cookies store information about website visits or interactions.

Have any advice on managing social media marketing?

An effective social media marketing strategy involves many moving parts. We recommend using a planning tool like our free social media calendar to keep all your assets in one place. There are other options available, like Oneupweb’s Condario calendar, which can include design, content, and other execution support. You may also benefit from social management tools like Loomly or Sprout Social, which allow you to automate future posts.

Get More Social Media Support

If you want social media strategies and management that’s backed by extensive experience, customized for your brand, and built around your ROI goals, consider working with Oneupweb. Explore our social media marketing services, or contact us today to see how we can help.