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Time to Consider Social Media Marketing Reach and Engagement Strategy

social-media strategy

As I continue to discuss social media and application in the industry, when talking about social media and marketing, there’s a blending of the two that eventually takes place as conventional marketing methods eventually include social media reach and engagement. However, when I say engagement, I not only mean that you are engaging, but how as well.

Targeted posting to multiple platforms

I had asked Social Media & Digital Marketing Specialist (and former InfoComm Social Media Coordinator) Kelsey Ohleger on a recent AV Power Up podcast (Episode 63) about reaching to Millennials on social media, as is the goal of most companies today, and asked for her recommendations. She discussed it on more of a multi-platform targeted basis:

“When you’re targeting people across different platforms you need to make that content specific to that platform, so the same sort of thing you put on Twitter that all of the #AVTweeps are going to engage with, maybe that’s not the same thing that you put on your LinkedIn or your Facebook if you’re trying to reach a younger generation or a different audience,” Kelsey said. “You really need to craft your content for each platform, it really should be a little different, the words you’re using, the hashtags, photos or tagging you’re using. Keep an eye on the different platforms and how your audiences are different on each one.”

I see those who post to LinkedIn and put hashtags in the content, so they can post that same content to Twitter with the selection of the Share with: Public and Twitter. There are of course those on LinkedIn who might not be savvy to this strategy (and might not be on Twitter either) and may have no idea what they’re doing. While I am well aware of this strategy, I have seen posts where so many hashtags have been included in the content that I’ve eventually disconnected from the persons.

This also happens when some post on Twitter and have that content post to other social media platforms like Facebook copying and pasting the link to the Twitter post. First, that content post on Twitter may not always translate to the Facebook audience that may be of a totally different makeup, as Kelsey had alluded to. It may be a simpler way of posting the content there, but it may belie your social media strategy. Second, what if that Facebook user is not on Twitter, just like the LinkedIn user who’s not on Twitter? There’s no way for them to access the content and I know quite a few people on Facebook who don’t use Twitter. I do consider Google+ an entity unto itself, and when posting there you do of course need to be knowledgeable of those practices to have the most effective reach and engagement..

Data and Metrics

As an industry that talks more every day about data and metrics, it’s necessary to point out that there are a number of different ways to track metrics, and most social platforms will offer some form of analytics. For instance, on the Twitter analytics page you might find “Tweet impressions.” But measuring engagement on Twitter means tracking various actions including clicks, favorites, retweets, and @replies.

Here is a recent tweet of mine promoting an upcoming podcast (which for an integrator could be promotion of an upcoming event they’re participating in), as well as the activity for this post:

Twitter activity

Now how efficient would it have been to put out this post with hashtags on LinkedIn (ending up on Twitter as well) vs. crafted differently for a more business-intended platform like LinkedIn? What about copying this Twitter post link to Facebook instead of a direct content post to that platform also focused to that potential audience, which could be a younger crowd?

In essence, better analytics can be achieved with original posting to platforms in most instances where the LinkedIn posting to Twitter and Twitter to Facebook can be effective if the content is truly multi-platform intended. A little more work, but a lot more to gain.

Each platform, along with Twitter, provides analytics – like Facebook with Insights for example, which provides information about your company Page’s performance with demographic data about your audience and how people are responding to your posts. Here are some suggested alternative tools as well.

A look at Instagram

Instagram has become well known as a targeted social platform for those who like to share photos and daily activities. It has varied in ways from the other platforms, however recent developments have begun to place it among the mainstream for business usage. While the majority of users reside outside the U.S. (more than 80% according to latest reports), the number of users here continues to rise and according to online marketing experts, new Instagram ads embedded into business accounts will account for over $3 billion of revenue by the year 2017, with that number only expected to rise in the future. Some key recent demographics:*

  • Instagram now has 400 million active users
  • 75% of Instagram users are outside the US (US usage has increased)
  • Over 60% of users log in daily, making it the second most engaged network after Facebook
  • 30% of internet users are now on Instagram
  • 90 percent of Instagram users are younger than 35 (thus reach to Millennials)
  • Instagram usage has doubled in the last two years

This chart shows Instagram usage growth and penetration in the U.S. **

Instagram growth in US

Here’s an example of strategic usage in the industry as Draper Inc. posted a CEDIA promotion to Instagram, with clever and creative (and topical) image and content to go with it:

Draper CEDIA Instagram post

An integrator can post photos – a room system, a trade show, or any other image they’d like to use for promotion.

For those not yet aware, in late May Instagram announced the launch of its tools for business users, including new business profiles, analytics and the ability to turn Instagram posts into ads directly from the Instagram app itself.

My next blog will also take a look at Snapchat as there is more evidence of usage beyond InfoComm now in the industry. Downloading the app now to see what it’s all about…

 

*Source: brandwatch 37 Instagram Statistics for 2016

** Source: eMarketer Instagram Will Top 100 Million US Users by 2018

 

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