Choosing the Right Social Media Platform for Your Target Audience
While social media platforms were still being underestimated in the 2010s, they are now a key component of any marketing strategy. With platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and others, the options are nearly endless. So where is your target audience actually active?
Before randomly selecting platforms and launching campaigns, it’s crucial to define your target audience precisely. Then, with audience-focused strategies, you can concentrate on the channels that provide the greatest benefit. Each platform appeals to a different demographic. While Facebook is used predominantly by those over 50, younger audiences spend most of their time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. LinkedIn is primarily used for professional networking, and X (formerly Twitter) is frequented by journalists, politicians and activists to comment on current events and global affairs.
This article outlines which social media platforms you should keep an eye on in 2025.
Facebook – The Aging Giant
In Austria, around 5.4 million people still use the world’s largest social network, which equals about 62% of the total population. Almost 52% of users are women. Facebook’s user base is aging¹, about half of the users in Austria are 35 or older.
The high user numbers on platforms like Facebook have also had political implications, as seen during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. A data analytics firm evaluated millions of Facebook profiles and enabled Donald Trump’s campaign team to deliver targeted ads to potential voters.²
Facebook is no longer just a place for status updates or birthday wishes. Many now use the platform primarily for Facebook Marketplace, which has become a popular alternative to sites like willhaben or eBay Kleinanzeigen. Whether it’s furniture, electronics, or clothing the marketplace is a go-to source for secondhand items.
Facebook Groups also remain important. While the traditional newsfeed is losing relevance, local communities, niche interests, and hobby groups continue to draw users to the platform. Many Austrian municipalities also use Facebook to stay in touch with residents.
Whether for swap meets, support groups, or sharing ideas among like-minded individuals: Facebook remains a place for connection, even if it’s happening more behind the scenes.
Instagram – More Reels, More Carousels, More Users
Instagram appeals to a broad demographic, especially younger users. Around 27% of 18–24-year-olds and approximately 30% of 25–34-year-olds in Austria have an Instagram account and use it regularly3. As of early 2025, Instagram had roughly 3.25 million active users in Austria, equaling about two-thirds of the population4. The gender split is roughly even.
Reels are among Instagram’s most-used features and are increasingly styled after TikTok. While the platform originally limited videos to under 90 seconds, the maximum duration was extended to three minutes in early 2025. In addition to aesthetic content, short, fast-cut, entertaining videos that tap into trends are now common.
Still, Instagram isn’t aiming to become a video-only platform. Since early 2023, carousel posts have gained visibility. These multi-image posts are popular for sharing information or tips. Instagram is also emphasizing Collabs – a feature that allows joint posts from multiple accounts, boosting reach. Broadcast channels are gaining traction too, enabling brands and creators to send exclusive updates directly to their audience, similar to WhatsApp Channels.
These features help brands engage their target groups more effectively.
TikTok – Loved, Hated, and Now More Relevant Than Ever
TikTok is mainly used by Gen Z and Millennials. Its core audience skews young, particularly teenagers and young adults aged 16–24.
Everything is shared on TikTok – from DIY tutorials to funny cat videos. Whether amusing, informative, or simply bizarre, almost anything can go viral. Some users share opinions on current issues, others post glimpses into their lives or create artistic edits. POV videos are especially popular, portraying scenes from a specific point of view.
Currently, AI-generated content is trending – but not in the form of deepfakes. Instead, users create “Day in the Life” clips set in different eras or fictional worlds. From medieval peasants to mythical beings – it’s all represented. One POV video about the Black Plague in 1351 reached over 25 million views.
Even news formats like Zeit im Bild operate a TikTok account5, which is crucial for reaching younger audiences and building future viewer engagement.
In early 2022, TikTok announced support for videos up to 10 minutes long. The platform is now testing uploads of up to 60 minutes in some regions – a major shift from its original focus on short-form content. If this update becomes permanent, TikTok could compete more directly with YouTube, the go-to for long videos.
Carousel-style image posts are also becoming a standard format on TikTok.
LinkedIn – The Growing Platform for Effective B2B Marketing
Owned by Microsoft for several years now, LinkedIn is a key B2B marketing platform with nearly a billion global users. Decision-makers and professionals use the network for business development and strategy.
Advanced targeting by job title, industry, and location enables companies to reach specific audiences effectively. While LinkedIn is smaller than Instagram, it’s highly valuable in the B2B space.
LinkedIn Ads ensure that promotional content reaches the most relevant users, resulting in more effective campaigns and higher ROI – provided advertisers understand the platform’s quirks and budget for higher costs compared to Meta or Google.
LinkedIn also supports company pages and industry-specific groups, fostering professional dialogue.
In an era where personal connections matter, LinkedIn has become an indispensable tool for B2B social media marketing, helping brands deliver their messages with precision.
X – Battling Fake News
In Austria, X has a smaller user base than other platforms. Still, it’s worth mentioning due to its reach among 18–34-year-olds6, who typically have higher education levels7. As of February 2025, around 1.47 million Austrians use X.8
The platform has long been used by journalists, activists, and political figures to share news. In Austria, top accounts once included ORF journalist Armin Wolf and Falter editor-in-chief Florian Klenk – both of whom have since deactivated their profiles. Many former users from journalism and activism have become less active or switched platforms.
Since Elon Musk’s takeover in October 2022, the platform has undergone major changes. In July 2023, Twitter was rebranded as X, replacing the bird logo with an “X.” The name change received mixed reactions, as “tweet” had become a common term.
Under Musk, X introduced a “For You” algorithmic feed, similar to TikTok, as well as new features like long-form posts, monetization, and audio/video calls. His goal is to turn X into an “everything app” like WeChat9.
Looser moderation and reinstated banned accounts have raised concerns about misinformation and hate speech. Some companies have since reduced or ended advertising on the platform.
Still, X remains relevant in sectors like media, politics, and tech. It’s useful for breaking news, crisis communication, customer service, and community engagement – though mindful use is more important than ever.
YouTube – Long, Short, or Both?
YouTube reaches a broad audience, including users of all ages. However, certain groups are more active, for example, men aged 25–3410. Austrians spend an average of 48 minutes per day11 on the platform. Targeted audience analysis can help maximize reach.
For several years now, YouTube has supported short videos of up to 60 seconds, known as Shorts. Since their 2021 launch, Shorts have gained significant traction and often outperform longer videos in reach.
YouTube actively promotes Shorts across both the Shorts tab and regular feeds. In September 2022, YouTube announced that Shorts would be added to the Partner Program starting in February 2023. Eligible creators now earn 45% of ad revenue from Shorts, while YouTube keeps 55%.12
Many long-form creators use Shorts to expand their audience and direct traffic to their main videos. The combination of deep-dive content and short-form reach allows businesses to grow their presence effectively.
Pinterest – Shopping, Trends & Vision Boards
Pinterest is steadily growing and now has 553 million active users worldwide13, 70% of whom are women. The platform appeals to users interested in lifestyle, fashion, food, travel, DIY, and other creative and visual topics. Gen Z is playing an increasingly important role on Pinterest, now making up 42% of monthly users.14
Instead of traditional pinboards, Gen Z often uses Pinterest to create vision boards for visualizing goals or as personal style guides15. Pinterest also plays a major role in their shopping habits – the most common use case is product discovery and purchase inspiration.16
Although the male user base is growing, Pinterest still skews female. As a visual search engine, Pinterest is popular among businesses for driving website traffic. In Austria, 2.5 million people use Pinterest – more than TikTok and X8.
Audience Orientation – The Key to Social Media Marketing
Globally, TikTok may offer the easiest route to viral reach. However, in Austria, Instagram and YouTube remain the most used platforms. YouTube, with 17.6 million users, is among Austria’s most visited web services. While Facebook is less relevant for younger audiences, Groups are still highly active – making Facebook an important channel for businesses.
The top priority should always be understanding and defining your target audience to achieve maximum reach among potential customers. Regularly reviewing user numbers and demographics across major social media platforms is a smart way to tailor campaigns effectively.
In an upcoming post, we’ll explore how to build campaigns and structure content to suit different platforms.