ID3AS Blog
Which Social Network is Right for Me?
All social media sites are not created equally. What works for one business might not work for another, this makes it incredibly important for you to choose which platforms make sense for your business. Each social media platform has its own algorithm, audience, expectations and culture, and requires individual attention and unique content for each post.
You might be wondering how your business should devote their time and resources most effectively across these outlets. The key is tailoring your content and your social voice to the expectations of the users.
Tailor Your Content
Between Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and dozens of others, learning all of these guidelines can be overwhelming. Not to worry! D3 can help you make sense of it all. Read on and learn D3’s insider info guiding you through tailoring your content and resources to capitalize on the correct platforms for your brand and yield a direct return on your investment.
Most Facebook users are between the ages of 25 and 54, giving you access to a large community who check their feed several times per day. Research shows that videos and live videos do best on Facebook, and receive even higher engagement when they are posted directly-- not via a YouTube link. Engagement is key for Facebook posting; this is the platform that you want to use to build a personal relationship with your followers. Explore more ways to boost social media engagement on our D3 blog.
Instagram is the place to really SHOW who you are! Best utilize this platform by posting your best-quality imagery and videos. Popular Instagram posts include; product photos, behind-the-scenes, user-generated content, and inspirational quotes. Your feed content should be consistent, but the stories option allows for more flexibility in your posting habits due to its short-term, 24-hour lifespan. Use Instagram Stories to promote blogs, announce limited time offers, share announcements, and more. Don’t forget to engage in conversation with your followers as this dialogue will allow you to better understand your audience and their wants. Encouraging your following to leave comments and share their questions and stories are also great ways to bring in user-generated content, saving you time while bringing authenticity to your brand.
The most common reason that people use Twitter is to keep up with the news; 40% use Twitter to find out breaking news, and 39% to keep up with local and global news in general. Twitter is a great outlet to share industry, company and product announcements and news stories with your followers. While the platform can be heavy with serious content, users also expect it to be a place for light-hearted and casual conversations. Lighten up the mood and peak the interest of scrollers with GIFs! They gained popularity on Twitter and are still widely used today. We suggest creating GIFs to accompany blog posts or new product launches and share them with your followers.
YouTube
Moving on to the second-largest search engine in the world! Not only is YouTube a great place to get found, but an impactful way to drive sales as well. Did you know that 57% of consumers say that product videos make them more likely to make a purchase? YouTube is a great search engine and popular amongst all generations. While Instagram limits your video content to just one minute, YouTube gives you much more time to expand upon your message. We still suggest keeping your content to the point, however, this means you can provide more detail, description and direction. With this in mind consider utilizing YouTube to share how-to videos, release new product information, and more!
LinkedIn is a professional, career-networking platform, and is most suitable for posting job listings and career information. Your Company Page on LinkedIn is a unique opportunity for potential candidates to gain more insight on your company, beyond what you include on your website.This includes company milestones, employee achievements, and open positions. Consider attaching a video or image to your post; posts with images on LinkedIn result in a 98% higher comment rate, and videos with a 75% share rate. Remember this platform can be humanizing for your brand as it reminds followers that real people work for you doing real work. Don’t shy away from showcasing that here.
Marketing to the New Generation
New social media channels are popping up daily; it can be overwhelming trying to keep up with where you should be spending your time and resources. Studies show that the new generation of young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 have more influence over their parents purchases than ever before. While they might not personally have the resources to go out to eat or to plan a vacation, this generation is known for being resourceful and influential- their opinions might just be the deciding factor between purchases.
It’s important to continue utilizing visually-driven sites such as YouTube and Instagram. Consider also checking out a few up-and-coming social platforms that your company can use to access a largely untapped market of buyers.
TikTok
TikTok is a new social network that puts video first, allowing users to post short videos, edit them, add music, and then post to their followers. Similar to Vine (R.I.P.), these videos are generally short skits or lip singing videos, and are comedic by nature. It is estimated that over 500 million users are on TikTok- making it a larger platform than Twitter and Pinterest. You can market on TikTok through original and influencer content. Influencers have audiences that are looking to buy, and when you partner with a powerful user like this you are able to reach a larger market and organically earn trust. Ask yourself if your brand aligns with this very young, comedic, and potentially lucrative platform, and maybe give it a try.
SnapChat
SnapChat as a social media channel has completely evolved from its early days. 60% of Snapchat users are under the age of 24, and they consume more than 30 minutes of content from Snapchat each day. For those who use the app, that number may even seem a bit low. Snapchat posts only last 24 hours so it is important to post to your story often without going overboard. This balance is delicate, because you want content to be fresh, but posting too much can lend users to skip straight through.To build brand awareness, we suggest that you create your own sponsored lens or filter for users to have fun while promoting your company or product. Snapchat is a new goldmine for businesses targeting millennials. Capitalize on this powerful, mostly free marketing tool should not be overlooked when working to gain a loyal following.
An increasing number of messenger apps are beginning to be used for marketing. WhatsApp is a free mobile app that allows users to chat with each other without standard messaging text charges. If your target audience is young, it’s likely that they are more comfortable using messaging for their day-to-day communication. When utilizing WhatsApp you’ll want to set a brand persona who will chat with users and build buzz around your company. Several brands have already tried marketing strategies on WhatsApp that were wildly successful. Companies such as Hellmans in Brazil utilized the app to inspire followers to think of their mayonnaise as an ingredient rather than just a condiment. They asked users to visit their website to submit their phone numbers along with a picture of the contents of their refrigerator. Hellman's then connected users through WhatsApp with real chefs who came up with personalized recipes using Hellmans and other ingredients from the users fridge and were taught how to cook through pictures, videos, and other WhatsApp features. How cool!
Understanding Your Platforms
WhatsApp along with the other featured platform and many more are a testament to the limitless potential your brand has to connect, differentiate, and grow via the internet. Being active on a social platform is like living in any community in the world. In order to be trusted and accepted it’s crucial that you display an understanding of that location’s culture. Social networks too-- when running a social account, adhering to the platform guidelines will build trust among followers, and being creative will help you stand out.
When you better understand where your business should allocate their time and resources, you will be able to capitalize on the correct platforms that will yield a direct return on your investment. Optimize your social media marketing strategy by deciding on the platforms that can best support your particular business objectives and audience and remember to be creative and have fun!