Chapter 13 - Intro to Social Media
Social media encompasses the creation, sharing, and interaction with content online. It involves a collection of platforms and sites that facilitate social networks, content generation and sharing, and the use of preferences to discover content.
*Stokes, Rob (2022). eMarketing: The Essential Guide to Marketing in a Digital World (7th edition). Cape Town, South Africa: The Red & Yellow Creative School of Business
Key Areas for Consumers
Overall Popularity
- Important to understand how prevalent social media use is amongst your target demographic
- Data on number of users and time spent helps gauge market viability
Most Popular Networks
- While the major players like Facebook and YouTube dominate, niche platforms can better reach certain demographics
- Compare platform popularity by factors like age, gender, interests to select best fits
Fastest Growing
- With rapid growth, emerging platforms present opportunities
- But they could also be fads, so track growth over longer term
Brand Interactions
- Preference for interacting with brand content shows receptiveness to social media marketing
- Prevalent interactions like liking posts signal content resonance
Engagement Metrics
- Goes beyond reach to measure reactions, clicks, shares, comments etc. that demonstrate true engagement
- Informs content marketing strategy for what resonates best
Post Format Interactions
- Compare engagement with different formats like video vs blogs vs images
- Adapt future content accordingly
Popular Usage Times
- Pinpoint days and times your audience is most active on social media
- Critical for timing high-reach posts and ad campaigns
Key Social Media Terms
Ads Manager
Facebook's dashboard to manage campaigns and ads.
Avatar
An online identity based on the user's choice.
Blog
A website with regular posts and reader comments.
Carousel Ads
Facebook ad format that allows multiple images or videos.
Conversion Rates
The percentage of users taking the desired action.
Fake News
Unverified news often spread to drive a viewpoint.
Influencer
A popular content creator paid to market products.
Live Video
Real-time video broadcasting.
Threads
Connected tweets providing more context.
Marketing with Social Media
The role of social media in marketing includes content creation and distribution, real-time brand conversations, and increased brand touchpoints. The team structure typically consists of a Head of Social Media, Strategist, Manager, Analyst, and Community Manager.
Impact on traditional media includes adapting to digital audiences, altering content publishing, and selling advertising differently. The rules for effective social media marketing are to find balance, avoid over promoting, and respect users.
Facebook
Facebook's statistics are impressive, with 2.9 billion monthly active users. Its features include Pages for business profiles, Reactions to share feelings on posts, a Feed where posts and ads are displayed, Live for sharing real-time video, and Video for uploading videos directly to the platform.
Marketing approaches on Facebook include advertising to target audiences, promoting posts to reach more users, driving sales through Shop, and monitoring analytics for insights.
YouTube
YouTube boasts 2.1 billion users, with 53.9% being male and 37.5% aged between 25-44. An astonishing 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute. Features of YouTube include Channels for a customizable video space, Shorts for quick 15-60 second videos, and a Community Tab to engage with text replies.
Marketing approaches for YouTube involve advertising through Google Ads, sharing valuable content, building subscribers and views, and promoting popular videos.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp is the most used messaging app globally, with 2 billion active users and over 100 billion messages sent daily. Its features include Messaging for texting, voice messages, and video, end-to-end encryption for secure messaging, and Group chats to communicate with multiple users.
The marketing approaches on WhatsApp include communicating directly with customers, providing updates and offers, and maintaining a brand presence through customer service.
Instagram
Instagram has 1.3 billion monthly users, with 400 million daily active users. The user base is almost evenly split with 51% female and 49% male, and over 40 billion photos have been shared. Features include a Profile for photos, videos, and messages, Stories for disappearing photo/video posts, Reels for entertaining videos, and Shop for in-app purchases.
Marketing approaches on Instagram include using influencers for promotions, promoted posts to extend reach, interactive ads to increase engagement, and the Shop feature to enable in-app purchases.
TikTok
TikTok's stats are staggering, with 1.2 billion monthly users, 63% under the age of 29, over 3 billion downloads, and 400 million daily active users. Its features include the For You Feed for personalized videos, LIVE Streaming for real-time broadcasts, Duets for side-by-side reaction videos, and Special Effects like AR lenses, filters, and stickers.
The marketing approaches for TikTok include creating tailored, scroll-stopping videos, using trends, music, effects, and encouraging user engagement.
Selecting Social Media Platforms
When selecting social media platforms, consider the audience by defining the target audience and researching their characteristics. Reach is also important; choose platforms the audience uses most and monitor analytics for insights.
Goals vary, as different platforms suit different objectives, from awareness to relationships to sales. A mix of owned, paid, and earned media is essential, with owned media being content you create and control, paid media being content you pay to promote, and earned media being mentions, shares, and engagement from the audience.
Rules of Engagement
For consumers, it's important to go to them on the platforms they use and ensure authenticity. Content creators should be provided with resources to easily discuss products and have agreements protecting all parties.
Sharers should find it easy to share content with URLs, and link clicks should be tracked for insights. Advertising should be tailored with detailed user data and ensure consent for personal info use. Overarching rules include monitoring online reputation and responding respectfully to feedback. Do not try to control conversations.
Benefits and Challenges
The benefits of social media include interactive brand conversations, viral reach through shares, learning about the audience, and a connected brand community. However, there are challenges such as the rapid spread of negativity, the need for constant involvement, failed attempts to control, and the careful use of data.
Overall, there are more benefits than challenges, but risks can seriously damage brand reputation if not managed carefully.
Snapchat
Snapchat has 319 million daily active users, with 5 million daily users and 9,000 Snaps shared per second. Its features include Snaps for photo/video messages, Lenses for face filters and AR effects, and Memories for saved Snaps storage.
Marketing approaches on Snapchat include creating brand lenses/filters, sharing exclusives, and encouraging screenshotting for engagement.
Twitter
Twitter has 217 million daily active users, with 77 million users from the US, and 500 million tweets sent daily. Its features include Tweets with a 280-character limit, Hashtags to categorize and track topics, Retweet to repost others' tweets, and Threads for a connected chain of tweets.
Marketing approaches on Twitter include using the platform for customer service, listening to brand mentions, and promoting tweets through paid promotions.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn has 756 million total users, with 43.1% being female users, and 96% of them use the platform for organic marketing. Its features include Company Pages for business profiles, Groups to discuss within industries, and Jobs to recruit employees.
Marketing approaches on LinkedIn include establishing thought leadership, using targeted Sponsored Content, and building relationships with Sponsored Messaging.
Social Media Analytics
Social media analytics involve key metrics such as Impressions, Engagement, Link clicks, Follows/Subscribers, Most popular content, and Conversion actions taken. These metrics are used to gauge content resonance, compare performance, identify the best times to post, and inform future strategy.
Selecting Social Media Platforms
When selecting social media platforms, it's important to define the target audience and research their characteristics. Reach is crucial; choose platforms the audience uses most and monitor analytics for insights.
Different platforms suit different goals, from awareness to relationships to sales. A mix of owned, paid, and earned media is essential, with owned media being content you create and control, paid media being content you pay to promote, and earned media being mentions, shares, and engagement from the audience.
Rules of Engagement
For consumers, it's important to meet them on their preferred platforms and ensure authenticity. Content creators should be provided with resources to easily discuss products and have agreements protecting all parties.
Sharers should find it easy to share content with URLs, and link clicks should be tracked for insights. Advertising should be tailored with detailed user data and ensure consent for personal info use. Overarching rules include monitoring online reputation and responding respectfully to feedback. Do not try to control conversations.
Benefits and Challenges
The benefits of social media include interactive brand conversations, viral reach through shares, learning about the audience, and a connected brand community. However, there are challenges such as the rapid spread of negativity, the need for constant involvement, failed attempts to control, and the careful use of data.
Overall, there are more benefits than challenges, but risks can seriously damage brand reputation if not managed carefully.