Social Media Platforms: For Dummies

    Considering joining a social media platform to show off your business can be a confusing and scary time. Every platform offers something unique, and varying levels of creativity are needed to gain an audience if you are not already known a brand. How do you know that you are reaching your target audience, which platform(s) will work for the company; the list goes on and on of possible questions related to social media marketing. 

     I am a sucker for small businesses, especially those run by people who do not understand the internet, let alone social media. These places are unique and are run by fabulous people with individual passions, but they sometimes do not realize they could share their and their business’s story, and it could reach millions. Ultimately reaching more consumers in the long run or even gaining brand recognition among those not local to the company. 

 A Brief Overview of Varying Social Media Platforms 

The Big Three 

     Personally, when I think about social media, three specific platforms come to mind: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. All three of these are great places to advertise, interact, and engage with consumers. Each of these platforms has something unique about them and the ability to promote to different audiences. Whether that would be millennials, boomers, or gen-z social media provides access to new and unique consumers who will love your business. 

 Facebook 

 Think of Facebook as the older brother; they have already gone through the awkward stage (I am looking at your Facebook games), and they are currently working a great job in the city they brag about. Facebook came to fame after the era of Myspace and has taken hold of social media users everywhere, whether they are trying to sell furniture, meet new people in groups, or even connect with friends and family that they don’t see very often. Facebook has their act together and knows exactly what they are doing when it comes to an understanding of what their consumers want. Some minor concerns would be privacy and security; Facebook does not have the best reputation for safety. If you aren’t super keen on electronics, the possibility of getting hacked is high.

 Twitter

     Ah yes, the middle child is full of rage and angst because they didn’t get the same amount of attention as the baby of the family (Instagram) and the Oldest (Facebook). Twitter can be an odd place to be at times. Twitter users are notoriously known to be cut through, and cancel culture thrives on this platform, so you should be alert to defend your business and your products. “To describe Weird Twitter in this way is oversimplifying the concept. It’s not just a collection of snarky users mocking modern society through odd posts on Twitter. Rather, it’s a postmodern, underground, cyber-cultural movement that is almost impossible to categorize through just one definition. The Awl’s Ken Layne called it “(an) intentionally the wrong style of idiotic comedy.” The Daily Dot’s Fernando Alfonso III deemed it “a burgeoning comedy subculture.” Sebastian Benthall of the blog Digifesto claimed it was “aleatoric poetry.” The New York Times described it as “insane” and posited that early adopters of Weird Twitter used “inside humor to subtly mock the site’s corporate and mainstream users.” (Rosenburg, S. 2017). 

     It is a well-known fact that Twitter ultimately is just an odd place, but if you can get the support of its users, you have a whole army backing you and your company. The users are ruthless and loyal to the core, but they will instantly turn the second you lead them astray. 

 Instagram 

     The beautiful bouncing babe of social media channels, better known as Instagram, is every tween, teen, and emerging adult’s paradise. Their shopping, gossip, and enough entertainment to satisfy even the most obsessed user. Every celebrity profile could be considered a walking advertisement because of the immense amount of paid promotion. This could work in small businesses’ favor, though; if there is a popular user on the platform that your company clicks with, it could be possible to exchange products for promotion, giving the company the gain of new consumers and potentially new consumers, which will increase brand recognition and brand engagement. 

 Which is one is best for you? 

     Figuring out which platform will work for you will be scary, and navigating the internet is tricky if you are unfamiliar with it. People are mean, and they will comment on everything you do, and sometimes those comments are not going to be kind. Other things that should be kept in mind are whether you will be worried about content, conversion, or both. 

    With this in mind, a business needs to think about if they want consumers to find them organically or if they are trying to reach out to consumers. If you are trying to get conversion rates up and reach new consumers, I suggest Facebook or even Instagram; both are owned by the same company meta and offer similar analytic tools. Paid promotions are not uncommon on these platforms and come at a relatively cheap cost. If you are trying to reach consumers organically and want to take a content approach, Twitter may be your platform. Still, if you fear the millennials ready to cancel you at any turn, Instagram can also be a helpful platform; a hashtag can change a small business into a profitable company.

    In conclusion, social media can be a scary place. There are no set rules for what is expected out of businesses or even directions to not offending people because someone somewhere will always have a problem with something making social media, not for the faint of heart. But if you are willing to embrace this challenge head-on, there are multiple tips and tricks out there and plenty of people who will understand the struggle of not wholly understanding what analytics means. Every marketing student everywhere will understand the work of understanding conversion rates and click-thru rates. It is okay to be confused; always embrace it. 

 Reference 

Rosenberg, S. (2021, April 20). The wonderfully weird world of ʻWeird Twitter'. The Michigan Daily. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/wonderfully-weird-world-weird-twitter/