Guess what the top used social platform in America is.

YouTube.

Local franchise owner, local business, marketing mind… are you placing your message in the right media channel, or just following the crowd?

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The data shows…

According to Pew Research Center’s “Americans’ Social Media Use 2025” study, based on a survey of 5,022 U.S. adults conducted from February 5 to June 18, 2025:

1. YouTube remains the most widely used social platform among U.S. adults at 84%.

2. Facebook follows at 71%.

3. Instagram reaches 50%.

4. TikTok reaches 37%.

For local franchise owners, local businesses, and marketing minds, this is a media reality check.

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The Strategist’s POV

This is a reminder to prioritize in order to maximize your efforts. If your goal is broad visibility, local awareness, and repeated exposure, YouTube and Facebook still deserve strategic weight.

Instagram helps with what I like to call your digital storefront. TikTok is where you educate or entertain. That is the mindset. It supports momentum. This part is your interpretation, and it works well as strategy language built on top of Pew’s usage data.

But if you are trying to move real people in real markets, remember this: social media is only one communication method. It is one slice of the media mix pie consumers are exposed to in their day-to-day lives.

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The real work is knowing how to place the right message in front of the right audience, through the right communication method, at the right time in their lives.

Work with me.