A substantial majority of German businesses – 80 percent – maintain at least one profile on a social media platform, according to a new survey released today by Bitkom, the German IT industry association. This represents a consistently high level of engagement, mirroring the 77 percent reported in 2023.
Facebook remains the most popular social media platform for German companies, with 48 percent establishing a presence. The professional networking platform Xing closely follows at 47 percent, alongside YouTube (43 percent) and LinkedIn (36 percent). Instagram is utilized by 35 percent of companies.
Local online communities and platforms also play a significant role, attracting 30 percent of businesses. Usage of X, formerly Twitter, has decreased slightly to 27 percent, a 5 percentage point drop from the previous year. TikTok is present for 22 percent of companies surveyed.
The primary motivations for corporate social media engagement are brand awareness – cited by 85 percent of respondents – and increasing the visibility of products or services (81 percent). Improving corporate image is a priority for 72 percent, closely followed by providing effective customer service for 70 percent.
Social media is also a key tool for recruitment, with 62 percent of companies leveraging platforms to attract potential employees. Competitive analysis is undertaken by 37 percent and one-third (34 percent) utilize social media for improved internal communication. Notably, the survey indicates that no companies are utilizing social media without defined objectives.
The findings are based on telephone interviews with 602 companies employing 20 or more individuals in Germany, conducted between the tenth and sixteenth calendar weeks of 2025.
