Social Media Quick Reference Guide‏

6:04 AM August 24, 2017

Businesses of all sizes, small one-person enterprises to multinational brands and corporations are riding the social media wave in a bid to capture attention and engage with targeted audiences.

Who can blame them? According to Hubspot, online professionals list social media as one of their most important sources for generating business leads. On top of that, social media marketing costs only a third of what other traditional lead generation channels require.

 

Source: Hubspot’s State of Inbound Marketing

No wonder over 97% of marketers participating in social networks, with 80% claiming to have generated more website traffic as they reach out and connect with more than 73% of adult online users active in these social channels.

Source: QMEE’s Online in 60 Seconds Infographic

But with so many social networks available online, many businesses are left in confusion as to how they can choose the right social network that would work best with the type of business, market and targeted audiences they have.

This is why we are creating this Social Media Quick Reference Guide, to provide businesses with a comprehensive overview of the more popular social media channels available. This guide can help you make the right decision, avoid second-guessing, and choose the right social media channel that can deliver the results for your business.

1. Facebook

 Facebook ranks high at the top of the social media pedestal, with over 1.44 billion monthly active users, 64% of which use this platform every day, creating as much as 2.46 million posts every minute. Truly, Facebook is the strongest force to reckon with in the social media world and is undoubtedly one of the most powerful digital marketing tools available.

• Target Market

• Any demographic market can be targeted – even your grandmother
• A widely diversified user base that includes all sorts of consumers, brands, and businesses online.

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• Businesses can use Facebook as their social media springboard for connecting with their target audiences from its wide and highly diversified user base
• The key to success relies on how you can effectively develop long-term relationships with potential customers
• Bluntly and directly selling, promoting or pushing your products will not work. It’s how you connect and engage with real users, real people.

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• Text posts with photos generate 120% more engagement, 53% more likes, 84% more clicks and 104% more comments
• Keeping posts below 250 characters generate 60% more engagement
• Longer posts generates poor engagement
• Optimum post frequency is twice a day at seven days a week. Too many posts on business pages will turn off 28% of targeted audiences
• Posts on Thursdays and Fridays generate 18% better engagement rates

• Paid Advertising Channels
• Facebook offer paid Promoted Posts and Sponsored Stories for highly specific audience targeting
• Facebook’s advertising tool allows marketers to use effective calls-to-action that includes “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” “Shop Now,” “Book Now” and “Download”
• This social network also offers marketers streamlined ad buying where they can tailor ads according to specific marketing campaigns.
  

2. YouTube

With over a billion users watching hundreds of millions of hours of streaming video every day, YouTube is undoubtedly the strongest social media force when it comes to videos online. Many brands and businesses are riding the video craze and adding their media to the more than 300 hours of new online video uploaded – by the minute!

• Target Market

• Users come from all over the world, including the 75 countries where YouTube is localized and operating in more than 61 languages
• As much as 60% of viewers for a particular channel come from countries that are different from the creator’s home country
• The sheer volume of users and diversified user provide businesses a wonderful opportunity to reach out to a wider audience

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• Online users are naturally more receptive towards visual content, more so if the media used is video
• Videos that go viral can give businesses an opportunity to reach millions of viewers
• YouTube is a very powerful business tool that creators of viral videos become even more popular and influential than mainstream celebrities
• YouTube offers good channels the YouTube Partner Programme and has already awarded thousands of popular channels with six-figure cash outs each year

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• Videos that are 1.5 minutes or less generate more views and engagement
• Short videos are more effective in delivering your business message across
• Publishing new videos should be done once or twice a week on a regular basis
• Tutorials and demonstrations are preferred forms of video content over materials that are obviously promotional in nature

• Paid Advertising Channels
  

• As part of Google’s network, YouTube allows advertisers from its advertising network to integrate their ads in the sites user interface
  

3. Twitter

  With 255 million average monthly user, Twitter ranks fourth largest in terms of usage, with roughly 46% using the site on a daily basis. Twitter has unique features that make it an ideal platform for quick, real-time status updates and breaking news to targeted audiences.

• Target Market

• Twitter is ideal for online users who want quick but up-to-date news and tidbits about topics and trends they are most interested about which include showbiz, politics, sports, technology, news and current events
• People and businesses who rely on real-time information about other people and brands will find Twitter the most useful for their needs

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• The use of hashtags make it easy for followers and searchers to monitor trending topics and receive breaking news about people, brands or events they are interested in
• Businesses can tweet quick, up-to-date messages, call outs or questions to a large number of people, even through mobile phones using text messaging

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• The power of Twitter is in real-time and breaking news updates, so this can be done at multiple times each day. Studies from BufferApp indicate higher click rates on tweets sent out during commuting times
• Tweets and retweets that include photos results in better impact and engagement
• Tweets are limited to 140 characters, but studies show that shorter posts with less than 100 characters can generate better engagement by up to 17%

• Paid Advertising Channels 
• Twitter has paid to advertise called Promoted Tweets where ads following strategic targeting criteria are sent out to a specific demographic according to a maximum spend amount established
• Twitter also offers Promoted Accounts, which appear in the left-hand sidebar of the site together with suggested accounts algorithmically placed by the site
• Another advertising format is the Promoted Trend where instead of an account, a list of trending topics appear in the left-hand sidebar

4. Google+

  Out of its more than 540 million registered users, Google+ has over 363 million active monthly users. Interestingly, as much as 67% of these users are male. The average age of Google+ users is 28 with many working in technology or the engineering industry. Although some say Google came out too late in launching Google+, they showed a serious commitment that cost half a billion to make. Google+ has gained considerable ground among users, with the +1 button being hit by as much as 5 billion times a day. Every good SEO consultant knows the power of Google+.

• Target Market

• Because of its user base, Google+ is an ideal platform for targeting individuals, brands, and companies in a B2B style of marketing
• Businesses and marketers targeting the technical, engineering and other fields that offer high tech products, applications and services can get good leads from this platform

• Business-Friendly Attributes
• A core strength of Google+ lies in its full interconnection with Google’s other products, which include Gmail, YouTube, Hangouts, Communities, and Circles – giving businesses opportunities for a wider networking base
• SEO and Local SEO friendly. All of Google’s products are indexable and therefore good for your SEO and marketing campaigns.
• Google+ is also linked up to your business account which used to be called pages, making it easy to manage everything all from one place.

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• Posts that have 60 characters or less generate better engagement
• Optimum posting frequency according to Buffer Social is twice a day, one in the morning and one in the evening

• Paid Advertising Channels

• Google+ offers a single advertising format called the +Post Ads but this advertising platform gives businesses a bonus by showcasing it not only within Google+ but across the whole Google Display Network

5. Tumblr

  Tumblr is a powerful microblogging site that has been in existence since 2007. It gained popularity among millions of users now currently numbering at 420 million, owning 217 million blogs, churning out 113.6 million posts each day. This makes Tumblr a power player for content marketing and an effective part of any SEO campaign.

• Target Market

• User base is almost equally divided, with up to 51% of its US users indicating male genders
• Interestingly, as much as 36% of its users are parents
• This micro blogging site is popular among the 18-29-year-old age bracket. 66% of visitors are aged 35 and below while 39% are aged 25 years and below
• 31% of Tumblr visitors come from the US, 16.75% of which come from California

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• With the acquisition of Yahoo for $1.1 billion, Tumblr is poised for continued growth which according to forecasts from eMarketer will reach levels of up to 12.9 percent increase. Only Instagram shows a higher growth rate
• Businesses marketing to the 16 to 34 age group will find Tumblr a good platform to leverage, with 65% having a college education.
• Interestingly, as much as 35% of the total Tumblr user base have annual earnings of over $50,000.
• This means businesses using Tumbler are marketing to a group of educated people with the capacity to buy

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• Tumblr users love images, as much as 78% of the most popular posts have photos included
• It would be best to focus on a particular niche to capture a specific audience
• Videos are also popular but should be kept short and less than a minute to gain 40% better engagement
• A little humor on your posts and videos will make it more palatable and popular among users

• Paid Advertising Channels

• Tumblr offers a selection of paid advertising channels call Sponsored Posts, Sponsored Radar, and Sponsored Spotlight to generate better engagement among users. All these can be monitored through the Analytics accessible by microblog admins

6. Instagram

Owned by Facebook, Instagram has grown tremendously to 300 million users sending out 70 million photos and videos on a daily basis. It is a good platform to connect with a young user base more interested in visuals like photos and videos. If you’re looking to target Millennials, Instagram is the place to do it.

 

• Target Market
  

• Instagram has a young user base particularly the 18 to 29-year-old age group. As much as 53% of all internet users from this age group are using Instagram
• Mobile, mobile, mobile, Instagram is an app centered platform so it’s best suited to market to mobile users.

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• Non-business friendly with no open API to leverage. You can only post Instagram images on your website as a feed, which is not optimal as it directs traffic away from your site and to Instagram.
• Reports from VentureBeat highlighted that Instagram is actually getting 2% better engagement compared to Facebook and Twitter
• Businesses relying on visual content for their marketing campaigns can do well with Instagram

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• Visual content should express your brand, share experiences, highlight beauty, inspire action, and connect with your targeted audiences’ emotions
• Great, thought-provoking and compelling visual content is the main driver at Instagram. This includes photos and short 15-seconder videos which should be posted at least once a day for better engagement

• Paid Advertising Channels

• Instagram has a sponsored posts feature that operate on a CPM pricing model, which can be too prohibitive for small businesses considering a large number of users the platform has. Still, it is a good way to connect with highly targeted audiences that deliver results but remember your demographic here

7. Pinterest

Pinterest is another visually oriented site, think interactive pinboard where users can pin images from all over the web and even their computer. It was primarily created as a platform for housewives to share recipes and photos of stuff they buy, like handbags, shoes, dresses, and cosmetics. This is why Pinterest is very female-centric. Great for e-commerce SEO consultants to build links to products and categories.

• Target Market

• Up to 84% of Pinterest users are females. 21% are adults that live in the United States. It has a 4:1 female-male user ratio and is ideal for targeting a female-centric market
• Businesses focusing on products and services related to food, fashion, travel, home improvements, events, jewelry, decorations and other female-centric interests can market at Pinterest
• But beyond these interest points, Pinterest can also be a good platform of eCommerce related businesses relying on visual elements for marketing

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• Think great for e-commerce SEO campaigns
• Interestingly, as much as 88% of users actually purchased a product they have included in their pinboards – and are recommending to others
• While Pinterest only has 70 million active users a month, much smaller compared to the other social network giants, the platform can still generate better referral traffic than other networks

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• This means marketers should have postings done multiple times a day at strategic times where engagement is at its highest
• Pinterest focuses more on fresh and recently posted content, unlike other platforms that focus on popular content
• Visual content is a must for this platform and this includes photos, short videos, graphics, posters, infographics and other visually stimulating content

• Paid Advertising Channels

• Pinterest offers advertising channels for marketers including Promoted Pins, Rich Pins that feature optimized rich content, and Pit It Buttons. All these can be tracked through the user’s Analytics dashboard

8. LinkedIn

  LinkedIn has branded itself as the Professional Social Network because of its user base, composed mostly of professionals, entrepreneurs and business people. Started in 2002, Linkedin is one of the oldest social networks and now boasts up to 347 million registered users.

• Target Market

• Ideal for targeting professionals, executives and marketers in the B2B marketplace
• High tech industries, finance and manufacturing are among the dominant industry segments present
• Companies and headhunter agencies looking for skilled professionals are wise to use this platform
• As much as 39 million students and graduates are using LinkedIn

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• LinkedIn has a evolved from a mere portfolio site to a platform where businesses, corporations and professionals can connect
• It is a preferred choice among B2B marketers because of its user base and its more professional and serious athmosphere compared to other social networks

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• Articles and posts related to industries and business can attract engagement at LinkedIn and should be posted at least once per day
• Posts with appropriate images can generate better engagement by as much as 5x, however it is not a site for posting funny pictures and videos

• Paid Advertising Channels

• LinkedIn offers paid advertising channels which include Sponsored Update, Display Ad, and Direct Sponsored Content to generate better engagement from targeted audiences
• Ads that are updated weekly with new images and fresh content are rewarded with better placement and lower CPC – (BIG TIP)

9. FourSquare

FourSquare is an online community of 55 million users sharing 70 million tips and checkins of more than 7 billion. Twitter has partnered with FourSquare to include locations and check-ins. It now has two separate apps like Swarm that is primarily for tracking friends and the rebranded FourSquare for its usual recommendations and local search.

• Target Market

• There are already more than 2 millions business who have claimed their locations at FourSquare and are ready to connect
• The platform expands across 65 million places from around the world and is used by as much as 85,000 developers

• Business-Friendly Attributes

• FourSquare is good for connecting with local targeted audiences through its local search and discovery facilities
• Business can claim their locations through Foursquare for Business, giving them more visibility among targeted users
• FourSquare now has an improved location-based advertising system that can deliver targeted ads to users via their smartphones and mobile gadgets

• Effective Content and Post Frequency

• Short messages that include tips, recommendations and other interesting tid-bits about shops and establishements, supported by photos, are very popular in this platform

• Paid Advertising Channels

• FourSquare now offers the Pinpoint ad platform that is intended to deliver targeted ads to specific audiences based on their location and preferences

 

Source: BizReport

There are also new and upcoming social networks that are gaining ground among users that businesses and marketers should look into. One network is the ad-free social network called Ello. Others include Yik Yak, Tsu, Foodie, Jelly, Fitocracy, StyledOn and Strava.

There are many social networks each with their own unique attributes and features that businesses can leverage for marketing and out reach to targeted audiences. Just remember that the “social” in Social Media is about people, so to be effective in Social Media marketing is to be effective in reaching out, connecting and building relationships with real people within these networks.

Full Impact Studios is a full service digital agency with a strong focus on e-commerce development using Magento and marketing.

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