Are some social media better than others for marketing? You bet.
Since the dawn of social media, marketers have been looking for ways to use the popularity of socializing and networking websites to promote messages to targeted audiences. But are all social media created equal when it comes to marketing your business? No. Each has its own set of features and unique attributes. Each caters to a different audience with a different core demographic. As such, the way people interact with social media varies from site to site, and from audience to audience. So then, which is the best social media for marketing?
A recent article on Social Media Examiner outlined four major research findings about how people interact with social media, and what content works best on each network. Their lessons boil down to four primary points:
1. People spend more time on visual networks. Image-based networks like Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram are gaining users like crazy (more than 10 million in 2012). Facebook’s news feed changes have consistently emphasized visual content, and users are getting more savvy about posting pics and videos. As a result, people spend much more time on Facebook than any other social media – in fact, more than all the other social media combined.
The takeaway: Images are essential to marketing on social media. Really, you should try to include an image in every post. And videos do very well. Videos posted on YouTube (a Google product) show up prominently in search.
2. Google+ Is SEO Gold. The Social Media Examiner article goes into more detail on this point, but I’ll boil it down for you as simply as possible: Google+ is Google’s social media. Google dominates online search with an overwhelming majority of the search market share. Content on Google+ is directly connected to Google’s search engine. Draw your own conclusions form there.
The takeaway: Every business should maintain a presence on Google+. It doesn’t have to be your primary vehicle for online communication, but make sure you’re on there, posting regularly and putting some effort into optimizing your profile and your posts.
3. Facebook News Feed Update Makes Page Content Harder to See. In January 2014, Facebook updated its news feed algorithm with the goal of putting more relevant content on your news feed. The result is that posts from your friends get preference, and posts from business Pages play second fiddle.
The takeaway: Since it’s harder to push your business Page content to your audience through the news feed, you need to work a variety of strategies to get the word out. Focus on posts that engage users – contests, questions, giveaways, exclusive offers that require feedback. Though there’s been some debate about the efficacy of sponsoring posts on Facebook (paying to push your posts to a larger audience), there is a place for this strategy in your overall Facebook marketing plan. Just make sure you get some expert consultation from an experienced Facebook expert, since this can be a waste of money if not done well.
4. LinkedIn Works Best for B2B. This is probably no shock to anyone who’s ever been on LinkedIn. The social media that started as a business-to-business networking site is, not surprisingly, the chosen forum for businesses looking to market to other businesses, as opposed to consumers. Behind LinkedIn for B2B marketing are Twitter, YouTube and SlideShare.
The takeaway: LinkedIn is firmly entrenched in the B2B marketplace. If you are communicating at a business-to-business level, go to where other businesses are listening.
For more details on these topics, plus some nifty charts, check out the full Social Media Examiner Article.
