We have analysed the social media presence of the 100 fastest growing SMEs in Germany. This is based on the Handelsblatt ranking of the top 100 SMEs. We analysed which platforms the companies use, how they perform in terms of followers, likes and engagement rates, and whether the potential of social media is already being exploited. The data comes from Social Blade, a platform for public social media statistics. The result: almost all companies rely on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, while TikTok plays a minor role. B2C companies are more active on social media than B2B companies.
Instagram, Facebook and YouTube dominate – TikTok remains a niche player
The analysis shows: While Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are widely used, only a minority of the companies analysed use TikTok. 88 of the 100 companies analysed are present on Instagram. Of the top 20, only Cliq Digital (German streaming service for films, audiobooks, music and games) does not have a profile there. Facebook is used by 73 companies, YouTube by 82, while TikTok plays a minor role with only fourteen active companies. Only six companies have no social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. LinkedIn and Xing are present as B2B platforms in almost all of the companies analysed.
Reach vs. engagement: high follower numbers do not equal interaction
Companies with a lot of uploads on Instagram often have a greater reach on Instagram (more followers) and also have a lot of likes on their Facebook pages. However, the engagement rate (ER) on Instagram can be relatively low. For example, the spirits company Mast-Jägermeister has 476,777 Instagram followers and 6.3 million Facebook likes. Yet its engagement rate is only 0.53%. The situation is similar for companies such as DocCheck, Schwalbe Holding, Lautsprecher Teufel and LaVita. On the other hand, there are companies whose engagement rate is well above average. 25 of the 100 companies surveyed achieve an engagement rate of more than 3% on Instagram, 12 of them even more than 5%. Atoss Software (9.86 percent), Elmos Semiconductor (11.97 percent) and AFT Automotive (9.96 percent) have particularly high engagement rates1.
YouTube: Huge potential still untapped
14 companies have more than 300 YouTube uploads. Horsch Holding (agricultural machinery) is in first place with 838 uploads and 27,000 subscribers. Oculus Optikgeräte follows in second place with 768 uploads (6,290 subscribers). Amazonen-Werke H. Dreyer (agricultural machinery) is in third place with 536 uploads (38,800 subscribers). However, the number of uploads does not necessarily correlate with the number of subscribers and therefore reach: the KLS Martin Group, a medical technology company, achieved over 28 million views on YouTube with 387 videos (89,300 subscribers). Mast-Jägermeister had 61 uploads and 5.5 million views, while Schwalbe Holding had 252 uploads and almost 14 million views on YouTube. The two companies with the most views on YouTube are Amazonen-Werke H. Dreyer (agricultural technology) and the KLS Martin Group.
TikTok: Only 14 SMEs actively use the platform
There is a clear trend among the fourteen companies with a TikTok presence: more uploads mean more followers and likes. The leader is Stabile Messgeräte Gustav Ullrich with 900 uploads, 91,200 followers and 1.3 million likes, followed by Lautsprecher Teufel in second place with 374 uploads, 100,700 followers and 522,700 likes. DocCheck came in third with 302 uploads, 58,300 followers and 297,800 likes.
Total reach at a glance: 13 companies break the 100,000 follower mark
The total number of followers for all the social media presences analysed shows that 13 companies have more than 100,000 followers across all platforms considered, including Mast-Jägermeister, Lautsprecher Teufel and Duravit (sanitary technology company). In addition, B2C companies, mainly from the food and spirits sector, have a greater reach than B2B brands.
Matthias Lange, founder and CEO of Localyzer, comments on the study:
Our analysis shows: While Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are widely used, very few SMEs use the TikTok platform. Although video formats have huge potential, they are often not used by the SMEs analysed. YouTube is proving to be an important visibility channel for some companies, especially niche and B2B companies. In 2024, the demand for video campaigns on Localyzer increased by over 70%, while the number of ATV campaigns tripled. This shows that the trend towards more video marketing is intensifying and that video is no longer just for the big brands.
1 Addendum: Companies with fewer uploads and fewer followers may have a more engaged following, as interactions per follower are often more intense. In addition, accounts with less engagement may post more 'generic' content that does not encourage enough engagement. The relationship between upload frequency, followers and engagement is complex and not always linear. Although less frequent but more targeted posts can generate more interactions, absolute numbers such as likes and reach play an important role, especially for high reach accounts.
About the survey
Localyzer analysed the social media activities of the 100 fastest growing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2024. The platforms used (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Xing and others) and performance data such as number of followers, likes and engagement rates were analysed. The analysis is based on company websites and social blade data. Although some of the SMEs analysed have a social media account, they are not listed on Social Blade because they do not have a profile name. Of the 84 companies with a YouTube presence, two are not listed on Social Blade. In addition, 34 of the 100 companies have a TikTok account, but only 14 are listed as active on Social Blade. 87 companies have a Facebook page, but only 72 are active, i.e. listed on Social Blade. Analysis period: 17 to 28 February 2025.
