The Best Social Media Platforms for Local Businesses in 2025
It’s 2025 — no matter what kind of local business you run, word of mouth is no longer enough. You need to be on social media to promote your products or services. The only issue? As social media continues its trend away from a few massive, centralized platforms to more splintered, niche options, it can be hard to decide which ones truly deserve your time. After all, there are only 24 hours each day, and you need to spend most of them doing something other than dreaming up engaging posts. Let’s dive into the best social media platforms for local businesses in 2025.
The Best Social Media Platforms for Local Businesses in 2025
A social media marketing strategy for your small business starts with a strong online presence. Once you identify your target audience, choose from the top social media channels geared towards your content. Here are a few popular social media platforms with the most monthly active users:
YouTube
Every hospitality or service industry business needs to be on YouTube. YouTube isn’t just a social media platform but also the second-biggest search engine on the web. You can post:
- How-to videos
- Behind-the-scenes glimpses of your team in action
- Tutorials
- Q&A sessions
Some of your traffic will come from people halfway across the world who want to know “how to replace roof shingles” or “how to give your cat a pill.” You can also direct current and future customers to your channel by posting videos on your other social media.
Facebook might have a reputation for being a little “boomery” lately. But, with over three billion people as active users, it’s still one of the best social media platforms to target. No matter your local business.
Facebook’s biggest strength is its uncanny ability to connect you with the people most likely to become your customers. Use it to share information about your services, products, and opening hours. Answer potential customers’ questions. Remind them that you’re there by posting engaging content, and think about using Facebook for targeted advertising, too.
Facebook groups are communities where people connect and share interests. FB Groups can be private or public and allow people to interact with each other’s content easily for:
- Learning
- Sharing
- Entertaining
Any retail or service brand focused on lifestyle, food, fashion, crafts, or beauty should still be on Instagram in 2025. Instagram is just as effective at serving your posts to people from your local community as Facebook is. About eighty-four percent of Instagram users browse the platform to find cool local brands.
Instagram is the only social platform your customers will constantly ask about. You’re losing out if you can’t respond to “What’s your Insta?.” Then, hand them a beautiful minimalist business card telling them where to find you.
Instagram is excellent for your social media strategy because:
- It’s free
- Includes direct communication to customers with comments, messages, and stories
- Has the ability to set up an Instagram Shop to sell product
- Location stickers and hashtags help people find your business
Post pictures, use Instagram Shopping to increase your sales, and get people excited with fresh stories that show what makes your business great. You’ll be glad you did.
LinkedIn isn’t the right social media platform for every local business. However, you need to be if you run a B2B marketing or consultancy company.
Posting insightful articles, musing about the future of your industry, and networking through comments and shares will pay off. Long-form content on this platform allows for more thorough information sharing. The only caveat? You can’t get away with posting fluff on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is the largest professional social network in the world. You must give it the professional attention it deserves.
TikTok
With TikTok’s legal future up in the air, there’s a bit of a question mark around the merits of investing time and money into curated short-form videos to post on this platform. But, if all else fails, you can always take the same content to Instagram or YouTube shorts.
TikTok is to Gen Z what Instagram is for anyone a little older. For now, you should have a presence there if you’re in the entertainment, restaurant, fashion, or beauty industry. Almost any local business can do well on TikTok.
Use it to post informative but fun tips about your niche, dispel myths, or hop on one of the current viral challenges.
Discord
Discord is a bit of a wildcard, but it deserves your attention if you own a local business related to:
- Crafting and Hobbies
- Gaming
- DIY
- Computers and technology
- Tutoring
- Agriculture
It is worth exploring. Primarily if your business sells products or services that your customers will likely have ongoing questions about.
Discord’s younger user base can benefit you even if most of your customers are older. It gives you access to a whole new market!
Use Discord to share discounts or special promotional codes and host live Q&A sessions and workshops. Get your local community interested in your niche by sharing tips, guides, and event invitations!
Emerging & Niche Platforms
Threads (by Meta)
An alternative to X, Threads offers a text-focused platform for engaging conversations. It’s great for sharing insights, updates, and interacting with customers in a more personal way.
Bluesky
A decentralized social platform that’s gaining traction, especially among privacy-conscious users. Being an early adopter here could give you an edge.
WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp is great for providing customer support, taking orders, and sending promotional messages. It offers automated responses, product catalogs, and even payment options.
Telegram
With private groups, broadcast channels, and customer support chatbots, Telegram can be a powerful tool for direct communication and exclusive promotions.
Nextdoor
Best for hyper-local marketing, Nextdoor connects businesses directly with their neighborhood communities for recommendations, events, and local promotions.
Local subreddits offer excellent opportunities for community engagement, Q&A sessions, and service recommendations.
BeReal
A rising platform that promotes authenticity. It’s great for showing behind-the-scenes moments in a candid, unpolished way.
Mastodon
A decentralized alternative to X, ideal for businesses that want more independent, non-algorithm-driven engagement.
What Else Should I Know?
The platforms we looked at here all work together pretty nicely. You can make a longer video for YouTube and then shorten it to a bite-sized TikTok snippet. Then, share both on Facebook and Instagram while writing a longer post covering roughly the same LinkedIn and Facebook topic.
If done right, this approach maximizes your social media presence and minimizes the time it takes to connect with your local community.
Monitor your social media channels and respond quickly to posts and comments. You can resolve customer service issues in real time by acknowledging concerns and following up.
This doesn’t mean that platforms like X, Threads, Bluesky, and even WhatsApp and Telegram aren’t also worth exploring. But, use five of these six, and you’re definitely off to a strong start that can boost your local profile while bringing in more sales!
Final Thoughts
Staying ahead in social media marketing means being flexible and adaptable. With constant algorithm updates and emerging platforms, it’s essential to keep testing what works best for your business. Track your analytics, engage with your audience, and be open to evolving trends to ensure your local business thrives in 2025 and beyond.
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