Choosing the best social media platforms is one of the most important marketing decisions an SME can make.
In 2025, audiences expect relevance and consistency, not just more content. This refreshed guide explains how to focus your time and reach the right people, while showing where a Multi-Channel Marketer apprentice adds real value.
LinkedIn – Still the B2B powerhouse
If your clients are other businesses, LinkedIn remains the best social media platforms for building relationships and visibility.
In 2025, the best performing content includes:
- Helpful, educational posts (rather than promotional updates)
- Regular, consistent posting
- Team resharing for extra reach
💡Tip: Ask staff to interact with company posts, it multiplies impressions and engagement.
MCM apprentice impact: An apprentice can plan and post weekly content, analyse engagement in GA4 and test CTAs to improve conversions.
📖 Related read: Hire or upskill a marketer | SME guide
TikTok – Short form reach
TikTok remains one of the fastest-growing discovery tools for SMEs. Its short videos (and now searchable posts) helps brands show personality and build trust.
Focus on:
- Behind-the-scenes clips
- Product demonstrations
- Quick tips and FAQs
🎯Goal: Build awareness, not just sales
MCM apprentice impact: They can storyboard and film content, edit clips and link performance data from TikTok analytics to GA4 to measure impact.
Instagram – Authentic storytelling
Instagram remains essential for visual storytelling, even as algorithms shift towards Reels and carousels.
Use it to:
- Share results, team updates or customer success stories
- Use Stories and Reels for engagement
- Keep posts on-brand and visually consistent
MCM apprentice impact: Your apprentice can plan visuals, manage posting schedules and ensure brand tone is consistent across channels.
YouTube Shorts – Visibility that lasts
YouTube is still the second-largest search engine in the world. Shorts (videos under 60 seconds) now boost your overall visibility and SEO.
Use YouTube to host tutorials, product demos or Q&As that show real expertise.
MCM apprentice impact: They can optimise titles, tags and descriptions for SEO while linking performance data into GA4 for tracking ROI.
🔗Related article: YouTube SEO for SMEs
Facebook – Still strong for local and community reach
Facebook continues to work well for SMEs focused on local audiences and repeat customers.
Reviews, Groups and short videos drive visibility. Prioritise:
- Posts that spark comments
- Quick video updates
- Consistent posting
MCM apprentice impact: They can plan, schedule and measure campaigns, freeing your team to focus on customers.
How to choose the best social media platform for you
You don’t need every platform. Just ones that bring results.
Ask yourself:
- Where do my customers spend time online?
- What content performs best for my industry?
- How much time can my business realistically commit each week?
An MCM apprentice helps you plan and manage this effectively, keeping your brand visible while maintaining measurable ROI.
Build multi-channel success with 95% funding
Through the Multi-Channel Marketer (Level 3) apprenticeship, SMEs can hire or train a marketer with 95% of training costs funded by government support.
📞Book a 15-minute call – discover your funding options.
💌Sign up for updates – get NTG’s latest marketing guides for SMEs.
For even more insight, read the official GOV.UK guide to using social media for business.
