Page Me, Beep Me, Tweet Me

    What's your favorite social media platform? Mine happens to be Twitter. I love the instant updates, trending topics, and connecting with my friends (old and new). Twitter is 60% 18-44-year-olds scrolling for news and laughter. Twitter is not the platform for creatives to create unique content but to share content with new followers, unlike TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram. Each platform allows users to connect with people from all over the world whom they may or may not meet. TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram are used to create content for personal and advertising. New content means short videos to go viral. Social media is a great way to connect, promote, advertise, and entertain. 

    Twitter is a microblogging site that allows users to connect with users worldwide, entertainers, influencers, and politicians. While Twitter isn't the most popular social site, it is excellent for instant updates on any topic you may follow. Twitter allows users to follow trending topics generated by hashtags, follow niche topics, listen to podcasts, join Circles, and tweet to their close friends. News outlets use Twitter to update important events because of its microblogging design. Creators use Twitter to gain more views, potentially becoming a trending topic.

    In my previous post, The Rise of Digital Media, I touched on the history of social media. We learned social media began with morse code and launched into the sites we know today. Social media isn't new by any means, but the way we use them are ever-evolving. Before [2010], we had no idea social media would become some businesses' primary source of advertising. The rise of social media popularity has caused companies to shift their marketing strategies. Businesses must now pay attention to viewer engagement which is how customers respond to a post. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok allow marketers to view customer analytics. (University n.d.) The analytics reveal customers' habits throughout an ad or page life and gives insight into when users view the page more often to increase visibility. These analytics allow businesses to know who viewed their pages (Age, Sex, and Location) and who watched their entire videos.

    Analytics will enable companies to understand when users visit their content the most. For instance, a 9 AM posting schedule may benefit ads targeted toward a stay-at-home mom, but a 6 PM posting schedule may be suitable for students. Target audiences may live in the same household but have different scrolling schedules. (University n.d.) The best part about finding a posting schedule is that most people's daily habits are predictable. Social media trends tend to change every hour, if not more frequently. It's sometimes hard to keep up, but as a communications specialist, it's imperative. Keeping up can seem daunting sometimes, but it's all worth watching your business grow. 

    If you casually scroll any site, you'll see what the world calls "Influencers." Influencers are endorsers of products from users who have high-impact followers or are experts in niche communities. Today the market is saturated with influencers from all backgrounds, but before 2014 celebrities were the only influencers, we saw on TV and the internet. Before social media took over the advertising world, celebrities would go to studios to perfect high-quality ads; with the advancement of technology, influencers can now take and edit content with their phones. (Chenn 2020) Researchers expect Influencer marketing to reach $16.4 Billion in 2022 and is now considered a key advertising strategy. The top platforms for influencer marketing are TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube because short videos are proven to be more popular. 93% of marketers have used influencer marketing. Most brands are opting to choose in-house influencers over agencies. (Santora 2022)

Photo from SmartInsights.com

    Remember watching TV and the ads for specific products were all the same. Today, influencers and advertisers can create different ads for different networks. Though users on Snapchat and Facebook may use the same product, specific ads can target other communities. For instance, Snapchat users may target the fun, younger crowd, while the Facebook ad may target those who have families. Knowing which platform to post certain content on will help you better understand your target audience. Advertisers on Snapchat have the opportunity to reach over 557.1 million people, with only 39% of users being between the ages of 18 - 24. (Hirose 2022) Twitter's potential reach is 486.0 million people, and statistics suggest that 7.8% of users are 13 years of age or older. 

Social media marketing can help with:

• Brand Awareness
• Engaging Communities
• Selling products and services
• Providing Customer Service
• Advertising to target audiences
• Tracking Ad Performace & Analytics

(Newberry and LePage 2021)

    Learning strategic planning for social media to become an influencer or to get viewers to notice your services or products is essential. 

• Create a strategy using an outline to decide your goals and measure progress. 
• Be specific about responsibilities, posting cadence, and business audience. 
• Know your target audience and competition
• Improve your profile, and find inspiration from others in the same business. 
• Create quality content
• Track your performance, and adjust your strategy accordingly. (Newberry and LePage 2021)

    Media strategies can help influencers, businesses, career seekers, and talented individuals waiting for their big break. Media strategies help you set goals, track performance, and make necessary adjustments. Social media strategies are much like networking. Imagine you were looking to land your dream career. How you would you do so? Gone are the days of resume printing, visiting job sites hoping to talk to someone, and calling them constantly to ask for an interview. LinkedIn is the place where career seekers and recruiters influence each other. If you can create viral content, influence others to try a new product, or increase sales from just media posting, you can land your dream career.

    According to Maryville University, 72% of adults in the U.S. use social media. The numbers prove the online and influencer marketing industry has the majority reach when advertising. If you use social media, make the best of it. Yes, chatting with friends and sharing funny memes is excellent, but social media has become a business. Pick your site, decide on the purpose and audience, visit other pages to see what does and does not work, prepare content, find the best time to post, and get started. 

References

Chenn, Jenn. 2020. What is influencer marketing: How to develop your strategy. September. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing/.

Hirose, Alyssa. 2022. 20 Snapchat Demographics That Matter to Marketers in 2022. July. https://blog.hootsuite.com/snapchat-demographics/.

Kemp, Simon. 2022. TWITTER STATISTICS AND TRENDS. August. https://datareportal.com/essential-twitter-stats.

Newberry, Christina, and Evan LePage. 2021. Media Marketing Strategy in 9 Easy Steps. October. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-marketing-plan/.

Santora, Jacinda. 2022. Key Influencer Marketing Statistics You Need to Know for 2022. August. https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/.

University, Maryville. n.d. The Evolution of Social Media: How Did It Begin, and Where Could It Go Next? https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/#marketing.