Who Stands the Most to Gain from Each of These Social Media Platforms?
Every year, the percentage rate increase of total global social media users is nearly double to the rate increase of total internet users – 13 and 7 percent, respectively. It means that of the total of 4.02 bn internet users, 3.19 bn use social media. What’s more, that difference is only getting smaller, year after year.
But out of the numerous social media platforms out there, only a handful draws the most crowd. And interestingly enough, however, is that each of them has its way of doing things. In this article, we’ll be focusing primarily on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by looking at each of these platforms’ peculiarities regarding marketing and PR uses, audiences, beneficiaries, specific industries, etc.
As the social platform that made it all possible, Facebook is still undefeated. In this year’s (2018) third quarter, alone, Facebook had 2.27 billion monthly active users – its highest numbers yet. It makes the platform great to reach and drive traffic to one’s website. It’s also more than adequate in driving views, engagement, as well as for increasing brand recognition, and reputation management.
For all the many areas where Facebook can benefit a business’s marketing initiative, it does, however, require some form of paid strategy, particularly in targeting, to have a short-term, visible impact. Nevertheless, paid advertising can become a slippery slope as it will sidetrack you from finding a long-term, sustainable strategy. At best, paid advertising should be considered as a temporary fix, not a long-term solution. Lastly, when it comes to Facebook, there’s also somewhat of an emphasis placed on content reach, rather than the total number of followers.
Baby boomers and millennials make up the majority of its users. As far as social media platforms are concerned, Facebook is the most well-rounded and versatile. It’s suitable for most industries and allows for most types of content format (blog, images, video, infographics, podcasts, etc.)
Twitter always had its way of doing things. With its 140-character format (now 280), Twitter users are in the now. News, trends, building relationships – that’s what this platform’s all about. Engaging with your audience is comprehensive and straightforward, but the platform can backfire on you if you don’t know how to handle it correctly. Negative feedback or criticism can sometimes run out of hand if not effectively managed.
Best use of Twitter, nevertheless, is for those who want to be part of the digital conversation regarding a particular topic or industry. Your brand’s reputation will also stand to gain from an active Twitter campaign.
Instagram is all about the visual aspect of things, making the content you post on it both aesthetically pleasing and of high-quality. It is for this reason why Instagram is great for brands, publishers, and influencers that predominantly work in the lifestyle industry. This industry includes fields such as health, food, travel, beauty, fashion, interior design, etc. And the reason why these fields work well with Instagram is that they have visually appealing products that they can post. Of course, this doesn’t exclude other industries that fall within the same criteria.
As for the target audience, Instagram performs particularly well with women (68% of total users) between the ages of 16 and 40. The platform is great for building brand awareness, relationships, and engaging with your community. It can also be for conversions and driving sales, but these are harder to measure.
Conclusion
These three social media platforms presented here (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) are not the only ones that have a tremendous impact on society and marketing. However, as a whole, they are among the most important. By knowing which platform is good at each task, you can make better and more informed decisions regarding which one will attain the highest ROI.
For more information on social media marketing and tips on driving better customer engagement, feel free to visit our website or contact us directly.
