Marketing Across Social Media
This is the age of social media. If you are not putting concerted effort toward reaching new and existing customers via social media, you are not giving your business its best opportunity. Social Media Marketing is a critical component of any marketing strategy for any business regardless of its age or industry. However, not all social media platforms are the same. In this article we will help familiarize you with the expectations that each platform comes with. In addition, we’ll provide helpful tips and ideas on what kinds of content you should be creating and promoting via each platform.
The Same but Different
When tackling social media, it is crucial that you not only look at social media as a whole but at each individual platform as its own autonomous market. This means that while much content can be promoted universally, there are key distinctions that need to be made when adapting any piece of content for a different platform. In other words, it is important to look at each of these autonomous platforms in terms of what kind of connection they are designed for and how you can best meet the needs and expectations of the platform with the content you are putting out.
Facebook is one of the platforms friendlier to long form content. While you have the ability to post entire blogs or articles in the space of a single post, it is important to remember that large swaths of text are unlikely to attract much attention in the grand scheme of things. In order to stand out on Facebook, utilize images and videos that catch the eye of your audience. Lead with bold visuals that draw people in and anchor them with the written content you have available.
In addition, Facebook is a great platform for live communication. Utilize Facebook Live in order to create real-time conversations and interactions with your audience. Use this to platform incoming products, introduce new employees, and highlight key services. These Live’s don’t have to be very long either, even a few minutes can help draw much wanted attention to your business.
Instagram is an almost entirely visual platform. The subject of the image or video matters with greater importance than on Facebook. Additionally, the quality of the visuals you are uploading matters just as much. Your images on Instagram are competing with thousands of other eye-popping visuals and graphics, so make sure that you are putting out relevant images with high resolution and interesting designs.
Make sure to also take full advantage of the tools Instagram offers you. This includes generating more frequent content via stories (also a great place to “Go Live”). These posts don’t have to be as high quality as a regular photo but can help drum up engagement via polls, music, and prompts. Make sure to use specific hashtags in order to dial into the audience you think will want to see your content and find it the most relevant.
Twitter/X
Whereas Facebook is perfect for flowery language and long exposition, Twitter/X is quite the Opposite. This platform relies on brevity and the ability to quickly communicate an idea without going overboard on verbiage. Twitter/X is also focused much more on direct comments and engagement. You want to create posts that people can quote and/or reply to. This means you should focus on creating open ended content that encourages users to ask questions, share opinions, and further engage with.
Graphics are also important on this platform, so make sure to utilize GIFs, images, and videos that are attention grabbing. These small touches and visual distinctions can ensure that your content does not get lost in the endless scroll. Utilizing distinct visuals is also a great way to drum up conversation and drive engagement.
If Twitter/X is informal and Facebook is semi-formal, think of LinkedIn as the formal platform. Here you want your content to be as professional as a suit and tie. This tool is geared primarily towards professional networking between both individuals and businesses. This is the place where your long form content has permission to shine.
Due to the professional nature of the platform, there is a greater expectation and acceptance of long form content such as paragraphs or entire blogs. This is your opportunity to flex the brainpower behind your business and to create engagement by diving deep into the topics affecting your industry, new product lines, and other concepts that require greater insight than a take of a few sentences.
YouTube
Content Quality is equally important on the video platform YouTube. Make sure that your content is high quality both in terms of picture and sound. Grainy, shaky footage coupled with staticky, or disruptive audio is a quick way to ensure that your content gets buried behind something with higher production quality. If you plan on creating a lot of video content for your YouTube channel, make sure to invest in a recorder other than your cellphone to help ensure users get the best sound that your voice has to offer.
TikTok
TikTok follows many of the same general quality rules that YouTube does. However, the focus on this platform is with short-form content. Anything that is longer than a minute or two goes against the flow of most content available through the platform. This is a great platform to utilize popular trends on. Take note of what styles of video or viral trends are occurring and find ways that you can either involve your employees or your products and services.
Conclusion
No two social media platforms are created equally. In order to best utilize them all you need to best understand them all. Take the time to view the pages of your competitors and industry adjacents in order to understand what kinds of topics, styles, and mediums perform best for your business. While certain videos and articles can find success across multiple platforms, keep in mind that your delivery for these posts may need to look different as you upload to different sites and apps.
Featured Image:
Image by Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay
