It Pays to Be PickyAbout Your Social Media Platforms. 

cc: Jason A. Howie - https://www.flickr.com/photos/40493340@N00

What Are Platforms?

Chris Marr, Content Marketing Academy

How Many Exist?

There are Over a Thousand Platforms

The Big 3All, One...Or None?

FacebookFacebook Primary Purpose: Builds brand loyalty and reputation.

Establishes your business as an authority through interesting content and informational posts.

Unique Attributes: Reaches a variety of segments of an audience with one post. Offers opportunity to create ads to drive traffic to your website/blogEncourages dialogue and depth with a customer baseIdeal for sharing personal stories, testimonials, detailed information

about your businessAverage Age Range of Users: 25-45 years oldGender of Users: 60% female, 40% male

InstagramWhen Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in April 2012, the photo-sharing app had about 27 million total registered users. Instagram has now surpassed 400 million MAU in September 2015. The app currently adds more than 10 million MAU each month.

Twitter Twitter Primary Purpose: Shares breaking news and quick updates,

promotes new products, content, or brand contests, collects instant feedback from your audience.

Unique Attributes: Serves people looking for quick info, company news, and immediate response to questions about products or eventsFocuses on dialogue creation and starting conversations with customersKnown for its hashtag (#) communication functionalityBest platform for PR/publicity purposes when traditional media does not

respond Average Age Range of Users: 18-29 years old Gender of Users: 50% female, 50% male

Pinterest Pinterest Primary Purpose: Acts as an online scrapbook, showcases products,

and displays brand essence through inspiration boards. Unique Attributes: Generates leads and drives traffic to other content (or back

to your website)Visually promotes and highlights products/services through imagesProvokes immediate or future Call-to-Action (CTA) responsesAllows you to micro-target your search with clearly defined categoriesMost businesses find that Facebook helps strengthen relationships once initially

established. If you want to grow an audience around promotions and sales, Twitter or Pinterest has the quickest impact.

Age Range of Users: 18-35 years old Gender of Users: 80% female, 20% male

Which Are Rising Stars?

When Should You Jump On?

SnapchatSnapchat, one of the earliest and most successful "ephemeral," or disappearing, message apps, evolved into a medium for live storytelling, with curated user video and produced segments from leading online publishers.

Lesser-Known Stars

Social networks and their associated messaging, ranked by monthly active users, include some lesser-known services also made the cut.

Emerging Platforms

Blab (https://blab.im/ ) Blab is a video chat app that allows group interactions with up to four people that anyone can watch in real-time. Users can create their own talk shows, conduct interviews and debates or simply hang out with a group of friends. Viewers can post comments or ask questions.

Slack (https://slack.com/ ) Another popular new messaging tool, Slack, which reached 2 million users in 2015, is expected to keep growing. Slack found a niche in the market by focusing on business users fed up with sorting through a glut of email. It offers a more streamlined messaging app interface for communicating with groups of colleagues. It can also be used for conferences and is loaded with features like an automatic archive of all conversations.

Periscope (https://www.periscope.tv/ )2015 was a breakthrough year for live-streaming, and its continued growth is likely to be a dominant theme in 2016.

To Niche or NOT?

Explore the niche social media landscape. You might discover that it’s an absolute waste of time and there is zero ROI. Or, on the other hand, you might find a world of untapped potential and dozens of warm leads. It’s worth doing some exploring.

Forget the millions of followers and fans.Here, it’s all about a targeted audience:

Anchor - Social Media Platform focused on Audio Untappd – Beer lovers Kaboodle – Think Pinterest Behance – Creative professionals Care2 – Green lifestyle GoodReads – People who love reading Meet Pips – Forex traders Ravelry – Knitters and crocheters Gentlemint – Pinterest for dudes

The best way to find your niche social site is to google it.

cc: Lotus Carroll - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11248435@N04

Source: Kissmetrics Blog

Why Be Picky?

...And How Can You Lose if You Aren't?

The keyword in social media is ‘social’Most understated and forgotten portion of the equation. Not unlike good public relations, businesses should use social media as a source of ‘2-way communication’ with their audience, regardless of the platform.

This means that in addition to posting articles, videos, and other relevant posts you want your audience to ‘Like’ and ‘Share’, you need to interact with them.

How often should I post to my social networks?• Facebook: 1-2 times per day or 6 times a week• Twitter: 3-4 times a day or 20 times a week• Pinterest: 2-3 times per day or 10 times a week

Hy-Vee’s Command Center

Hyvee: http://www.branddrivendigital.com/inside-hy-vees-social-media-command-center/ cc: Lotus Carroll - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11248435@N04

ESPN War Room

cc: Lotus Carroll - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11248435@N04

ESPN: http://www.adweek.com/news/television/inside-espns-social-media-war-room-during-most-tweeted-sporting-event-ever-158819

Marriott’s Content Studio

cc: Lotus Carroll - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11248435@N04

Marriott: https://contently.com/strategist/2015/11/05/were-a-media-company-now-inside-marriotts-incredible-money-making-content-studio/

TIME IS NOT FREE! The average amount of time spent by small businesses on social media per week? 6 hours and counting.

What's the No. 1 Driver?

Be Where Your PEOPLE Are. cc: Lotus Carroll - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11248435@N04

Is My Audience There? Be where your audience Is.

Be Where Your PEOPLE Are. cc: Lotus Carroll - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11248435@N04

Defining your target audience and knowing where to find them is

the foundation to navigating the non-stop maze of social media.

cc: Lotus Carroll - https://www.flickr.com/photos/11248435@N04

Which Platform Best...

1. Tells your story2. Achieves your goals3. Reaches your audience

Don’t choose randomly. Be intentional.

S.P.E.A.R.S = STRATEGIZEP = PLANE = EXECUTEA = ANALYZE, ATTRIBUTE, ADJUSTR = REVIEW ROI, RELATE RESULTS, REPORT

S = STRATEGIZEFirst Ask WHY? Then Ask WHO? Finally Ask

WHAT?

STRATEGIZEWHY = Goals, Objectives and MetricsWHO = Audience Types and TargetsWHAT = Content Topics and Types

STRATEGIZETHE WHY

STRATEGIZE: WHYGoals, Objectives and Metrics

Why do you want your business to be “on social media?” Because It’s NOT free. What are the goals of your overall

integrated marketing program? How will social media marketing (SMM)

help achieve your marketing objectives? What metrics will you use to determine the

Return On Investment (ROI) in relation to your social media efforts?

WHY: Goals Brand Awareness through to Brand Resonance

(Who are you, what are you, what about you, what about me and you?) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Leads Generation and Nurturing Sales Conversion from Prospect to Customer Customer Service, Retention and Loyalty Cross-selling and Upselling Brand Affinity, Community and Ambassadors Employer Branding and Talent Recruiting

WHY: Objectives

FAME = Become known through thought-leadership; establish credibility; stay top-of-mind with expertise BRAND = Establish, protect or promote the brand ALLURE = Prospect for leads and generate sales SERVICE = Conduct Service and Fulfillment

Companies successful with Social Media typically set one or more of these

Four Common Social Media Objectives:

WHY: MetricsMeasuring Your Social Media Efforts: FAME = How Influential Are You/Your Brand?

(Retweeted, commented on, forwarded, posted, pinned, etc.) BRAND = Are You Broadening Your Reach?

(New fans, mentions, likes, video viewership, website/email click-through rates) ALLURE = Do You Convert Awareness To Action?

(Material downloads, bringing through sales funnel, data capture, inquiries.) SERVICE = What is Your “Customer Sentiment?”

(Creating/assisting brand loyalists/ambassadors. Track customers who give refer your company; how often they answer questions and give tips on your behalf; balance of

positive, negative and neutral comments over time.)

WHY: Metrics What can SMM REPLACE? What can SMM AMPLIFY? How can SMM REDUCE COSTS? How can SMM ENHANCE RESULTS? How can SMM EXTEND TIMELINE?

ROIThrough Social Media Marketing (SMM) Integration

STRATEGIZE: WHOTHINK WHY? AGAIN.

Think about your marketing GOALS. Your WHO must align with your WHY Which audience(s) will best help achieve your marketing goals and objectives on each platform? (Such as establishing thought-leadership, brand awareness, customer service, lead generation, etc.)

Answer Four Questions.

1. Where is my audience?2. Where is my audience active?3. Where is my audience searching?4. What niche social media sites are

right for me?

WHO: Audience TypesThe types of audiences you could be looking for include: Current clients or customers Potential clients or customers Associates of current/potential clients or customers Potential employees Vendors, suppliers Affiliate businesses and distributors Journalists and editors Bloggers, thought-leaders and key influencers

WHO:Identifying Key InfluencersFree monitoring tools to track who’s talking about and who has a voice in subject areas and keywords associated with your business: Right Relevance (http://www.rightrelevance.com/ ) Buzz Sumo (http://buzzsumo.com/ ) Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics/) Social Mention (http://www.socialmention.com/) Delicious (https://delicious.com/) Board Reader (http://boardreader.com/ ) Pulse (https://www.linkedin.com/today/)

“Buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They are based on real data about customer demographics and online behavior, along with educated speculation about their personal histories, motivations, and concerns.” - HubSpot

WHO: Understanding Customer Targets

Buyer PERSONAS Help You…

Select keywords and topics for website, Google AdWords (https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner) and social media.

Create ad copy and messages that resonate.

Determine the content types to use (video, text, etc.)

Choose social media channels – where are they?

WHO:Finding Customer Data1. National Consumer Data: http://www.census.gov/ 2. Des Moines Area Data: http://www.desmoinesmetrodata.com/ https://www.desmoinesmetro.com/en/economic_development/statistics/economic_indicators/ 3. Pew Social Media Reports: http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/

WHO: Finding People on Facebook Keep an eye on the “suggestions” that pop up on your news stream. Use the “find people” tool on Facebook by inputting your email address to find all

those people in your address book that are using Facebook. Use the “search function” on Facebook for finding fan pages in your subject area

and browse other fans there. When using the search function, filter your results to drill down to the people you’re looking for.

Use the “search by employer function” to find people affiliated with companies. After connecting with some key influencers, browse their friends and connect with

people that way. Check out your competitor fan pages for insights.

WHO:Finding People on Twitter Use the “who to follow” feature on Twitter. Use search.twitter.com (https://twitter.com/search-home) allows a wide criteria

range to search on, including location. Also use to find the key influencers in your industry and browse their follower/following lists to find great people.

Twellow (https://www.twellow.com/splash/) is the Twitter equivalent of the Yellow Pages, a directory sorted by occupation.

Tweepz (http://tweepz.com/) helps you find people by location. NearbyTweets (http://nearbytweets.com/) helps you find people nearby. Check out #hashtags used in your industry or being used for live chats and events

related to your business to find people to follow. Great list of Twitter mining tips:

http://www.businessesgrow.com/2014/07/14/social-media-network/

WHO:Finding People on LinkedIn Use “LinkedIn Search Box” to find names of people you’ve already identified by

name. Also make the most of the “advanced search” feature. You can also search for people using their email addresses

Use the search box to search for keywords that will be included in profiles. Make the most of using OR or AND in these searches to include a few keywords (OR allows you to look for any one of those terms in the profile, AND allows you to look for a number of words).

Join groups that fit your interests or industry. Once you’ve been accepted as a member, browse the member lists and find people with shared interests you want to connect with.

Unlike Twitter, you can’t simply choose to connect with people on LinkedIn - they need to give their approval. If someone is connected to you through someone you’re connected to, request to be introduced to them.

WHO: Finding Audience Sources

1. Finding Your Audiences Across Social Networks: http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/online-marketing/social-media-and-online-networking/finding-your-audiences-on-social-media 2. Finding Your Audience (Focus on Twitter): http://www.businessesgrow.com/2014/07/14/social-media-network/

STRATEGIZE: WHATTHINK WHY? ANDWHO?

Think about your marketing GOALS Your WHAT must relate to your WHY Think about your target audience(s) Your WHAT must resonate with your

WHO

WHAT: Content TopicsCONTENT SHOULD RESONATE WITH BUYER PERSONAS:

EDUCATE THEM ENTERTAIN THEM ENGAGE WITH THEM EMPATHIZE WITH THEIR PROBLEMS

CONTENT SHOULD RELATE BACK TO BUSINESS STRATEGY: BRAND VISION, MISSION AND VALUES MARKETING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

WHAT: Content Topics

What “topic

buckets” will you arrange your created and curated

content under?

WHAT: Content Topics

“When it comes to social media, remember, you ARE what you talk

about.”

WHAT: CONTE

NT TYPES

WHAT: Content TypesCreate New Content based on your target audience(s):

What social media platforms are they on and what content type(s) work best on those platforms?

What social media content do they engage with the most? (Such as video, photos, slides, audio, text with

questions/contests, Infographics, etc.)

Repurpose Existing Content into types appropriate for social media platforms and based on target audience(s).

A Successful STRATEGY

Depends on the PLAN

As with any strategy, success depends on planning and the resources, commitment, talent and tools you put behind it. Prepare and regularly maintain monthly rolling social-

media marketing calendars. Give it time – a meaningful enduring impact will take time

to develop. Learn from your mistakes – constantly adjust them as

well as emerging best-practices.

P = PLANFirst Ask WHERE? Then Ask WHEN? Finally

Ask HOW?

PLANWHERE = Platforms/ChannelsWHEN = Frequency, Days and Times HOW = Tools, Process and People

PLAN: WHERETheStrategy(WHY, WHO, WHAT)

Impacts theWhere

WHERE: The PlatformsThe Platforms

Main: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram

Niche and Specialty Platforms: Houzz, Pose Other Platforms: Tumblr, Vine, Swarm, Snapchat

Which are Best for Your Business? Considerations: Type of Content, Business, Goals

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/james-debono/827961/which-social-media-platform-right-your-business

WHERE:How do voice and conversations vary by Platform?

WHERE: Pros and Cons

WHERE: Think Audiences

Are your TARGET AUDIENCES (The Who) there?What are the BEST PLATFORMS to reach

your prospects, customers, other key audiences?

WHERE: Content Matters Think about your CONTENT (the What). The WHAT impacts the WHERE.

What platforms are your CONTENT TOPICS and TYPES best shared on?

Are you able to provide the preferred content type consistently?

WHERE: Putting It All Together

PLAN: WHENMonthlyand Weekly Frequency, Days, and Time(s) of Day

WHEN: FREQUENCY

WHEN: DAYS

WHEN: TIMESTheWho(Target Audiences)

Impacts theWhen

PLAN: HOWTheTools, Process andPeopleTo Execute the Plan

Bottom line: “Don’t feel pressured to be

on every platform. Start with the one that connects

you with the right audience, aligns with your business’s needs, and one

you can regularly manage." - Kimberley

Powers, Vertical Response

cc: kdonovangaddy - https://www.flickr.com/photos/36801167@N02

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/aag/2015-07-11/quick-and-dirty-guide-10-social-media-platforms-newbie

http://www.cio.com/article/3014362/social-networking/15-social-networks-with-the-most-active-users-in-2015.html#slide11http://wpcurve.com/social-media-platform-for-business/http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/social-media-your-business-choosing-the-best-platform/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websiteshttp://www.jeffbullas.com/resources/ https://blog.kissmetrics.com/which-social-accounts-matter/ https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/social-media-strategy http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/social-media/ http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/online-marketing/social-media-and-online-networking/finding-your-audiences-on-social-media https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics-for-business/

Sources: