Platform Politics

We've all seen it. We have a favorite brand that we follow on every platform of social just so we can stay up to date on sales, new campaigns, new news, etc. We have liked them on Facebook, followed them on Twitter and Instagram and occasionally even enjoy their funny Vines. Then we notice something odd. Well, it may not be considered "odd," since so many brands are doing it, but you know what I mean. We notice that the content put on Facebook is strikingly similar to the content put on Twitter. Oh, that 's because it is!

Social media marketing is adapting from being just a last minute option for growing your business to being absolutely vital to staying up to date and relevant in the eyes of your consumers. With this comes the need for businesses to be educated on how to use each of the platforms to their highest potential in order to attract and retain customers and build their brand. So, I present to you, Platform Politics.

Facebook:
Facebook, despite the rise in several other platforms over the years, is still the most popular social media platform by a long shot. Here are a few things to focus on when using Facebook as platform for marketing:

• Track engagement: Facebook has some pretty awesome features that will help you determine the level of engagement you get with your posts. It will allow you to measure what content resonates with what customers. Want to continue to be relevant in the eyes of your best customers? USE THIS.
• Tag other pages: What 's better than benefiting from someone else's hard work? Just kidding. But tagging other pages relevant to your company can increase the number of people that see your brand. this basically opens up a hidden gold mine of previously unreachable users. 
• Use photos: Posting photos instead of or in addition to text has proven to increase engagement by 120%. BEWARE: Dumb cat pictures are dangerous. Use caution.

 Twitter: 
Though Twitter is second in popularity, it actually comes in fourth when it comes to usage. Here are some good ways to use Twitter for your business:

• Push offers: Consumers are more likely to follow a brand on Twitter than on any other platform. This is where they come to stay up to date. Take advantage of their curiosity and use this platform to advertise deals and offer coupons.
• Develop a personality: Use Twitter to build a human-like personality for your brand. Best practices include talking about trending topics, being cultured, and being entertaining. The best brands act like a real human would on Twitter, not some creepy robot.
• Community management: Twitter is best used when the brand is focusing on building a community of followers rather than just e-commerce.

Instagram:
As social media marketing goes, Instagram is the new guy. While extensive research has not been done, here are some tactics to keep in mind when using Instagram as a platform for marketing:

• Sharing: Encourage the people that buy your product of service to share their own experience. This will build your brand and increase your reach, as your brand will now be visible to your sharer's followers.
• Make a stand: Instagram allows you to create hashtags about anything and everything. Create a hashtag the resonates with your followers and the campaign could go viral.