Week 2A: Intro to Social Media

The majority of social media platforms are geared towards personal use; they have to be in order to attract an active and engaged user base. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and even Youtube need an active user base to bring in profit. Brands will, in turn, pay the platform to advertise to those users and utilize the social media platform to engage with their customers and followers, but they have to first have an active base of users on the platform who are there for personal use. A great example of this is Instagram; Instagram is viewed by the public as a social media platform to share personal photos and experiences with their friends and family. That is the primary appeal for many people joining Instagram. However, it is also a key tool for brands to reach a millennial audience and speak their language, since that demographic is highly engaged on Instagram. Reddit is one example of a social media platform who's community heavily rejects brands using it for business. However paid campaigns and advertisements on the platform can still be successful for reaching a college aged, male audience.

The best social media platforms for business all depend on who you are trying to reach, and what action you want them to take. In my experience, Instagram is the best for sales conversion; The hyperlink (swipe up) feature is really unparalleled for driving sales as it gives the user a direct action to take to buy your product. It's also great for engaging with a millennial audience, particularly if your business or product is highly visual (fashion, art, home decor ect.). Facebook is great for brand awareness; the "share" feature makes it easier to reach a wide audience and have a viral campaign. It's also great for reaching moms and older customers. Twitter isn't the best for driving traffic, but can really help turn customers into true fans of the brand and build brand integrity through engagement. Wendy's, Burger King, and even Netflix have done a wonderful job of truly understanding the "culture" of Twitter and utilizing it to become relatable, comedic brands that connect with a younger audience.

The majority of platforms geared towards personal use are also great for business, depending on what brand image your business is trying to present and the action you want the customer to take. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are great examples of platforms that are primarily for personal use, but if utilized properly can transform a business. Each platform has it's own culture, it's own unspoken rules, and it's own customs. It's very clear when a brand enters a social media platform and has not hired a social media manager who understands the platform and it's user base. This is very alienating for a user or potential customer. While a business and a personal user will definitely engage with the social media platform differently, and are on the site for different reasons, it's critical to understand the culture of each unique platform and integrate your brand into that culture to grow your business.

Comments

  1. Hi Sierra,
    I totally agree with some of the points you are making. The whole appeal of social networking is attracting an engaged user base which gives it value for companies seeking to engage with their customers. I never viewed Instagram as being the best for sales conversion but your hands-on experience really opened my eyes to it.

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  2. Hi Sierra,
    I agree that social media is more for personal use and for people to connect with one another on a different level. I also think that social media in a way can be a negative thing because people start to compare themselves to other people and wish they had the life they do and that can lead to depression and other feelings. I do think social media is a good tool for business because everyone is one social media now a days.

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  3. Hey Sierra,
    I agree with you 100% on your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram. I never really thought about the different sub-cultures of the different platforms and any unspoken rules to each, that opened my eyes a little bit. I haven't been able to develop a liking for reddit that much and I'm curious on more of your thoughts about that platform.

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  4. Hi Sierra,
    I totally agree that social media needs to have active users to make a profit; since businesses want to use those platforms to promote their business through ads. But as in Instagram allows sponsored post. Sometimes that social media influencers are paid to talk about brands/businesses in a positive way.

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  5. Hey Sierra,

    I enjoyed reading your post because it made me realize that social media is used for more than I thought it was. Social media having an audience is definitely important for businesses to be successful in growing their brand and the platforms need both personal usage and business usage to be used affluently. Social media influencers have grown immensely over the years and it wouldn't have been possible if businesses didn't want to reach a greater audience.

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  6. Great points, and I enjoyed reading your posts. You seem to be on top of all the social media sites, so I am learning from your blogs.

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