Social Media Platforms Explained

The world of social media is limitless, with many different platforms hosting billions of active daily users. From posting memories to sharing your thoughts on what is happening in the world, social media is a place for everybody and anybody to connect with others around the globe. 

While many social media platforms exist, we thought it would be easiest to boil them down to what we feel are the “Big Five” for businesses: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok.

Facebook

As the global leader in social media, Facebook allows its nearly three billion monthly active users to easily connects and share with friends, family and strangers worldwide. However, Facebook has also expanded rapidly into a large advertising hub. On this platform, crafting the optimal content strategy comes from knowing your audience and appealing to their interests while utilizing all the features Facebook offers. 

Content Strategy

1. Set platform-specific goals, including engagement, in-app sales, drive to website, ad performance, etc.
2. Use Meta Business Suite to learn about your audience, including demographics, when they spend time on the app and their interests. 
3. Create a content calendar that appeals to your audience and reflects your brand.
4. Utilize all features of the app, including Facebook Ads, Shops, video and photo posting, Facebook Live, stories and Facebook Messenger.
5. Encourage audience engagement by responding to comments and direct messages. Post regularly to keep followers in the loop on what’s happening at your company. 

Marketing Perks 

For businesses and marketers, Facebook is stocked with perks that help companies thrive, including Meta Business Suite, Shops, Facebook Ads and user-friendly account management. 

1. Facebook Meta Suite is home to all your internal business controls, including in-app scheduling, audience engagement management, ad management, insights and so much more. 
2. Shops can be a great way not only to advertise your product offerings but sell to your audience. 
3. Facebook Ads are just that – ads that run on the platform that are managed in Meta Business Suite. Facebook ads provide a user-friendly entry point to the world of social media advertising.
4. Facebook Groups are a great way to create a space for people to connect with similar interests or commonalities. These groups can be public or private and help brands engage directly with their audience. 

Instagram

With over two billion users, Instagram has evolved from a digital photo album to a marketer’s paradise. Over the past year, the platform has prioritized video content, with Instagram Reels dominating everyone’s for-you-page. While photo posts are making a comeback, businesses should still invest in video content to drive reach and engagement. This platform is known for its innovative app feature, and its marketing perks are no exception.

Content Strategy

1. As with all channels, setting platform-specific goals is a must. 
2. Study your audience and incorporate user-generated content into your feed. UGC is one of this platform’s most popular forms of content, so do not miss it! 
3. Create an engaging profile bio, including links, story highlights and a brief description of your brand and services.
4. Formulate a content calendar that utilizes all forms of content, including stories, reels, photos, Instagram Live and videos.

Marketing Perks 

Instagram poses a unique opportunity for your followers to aid in your marketing through user-generated content. This can include reposting stories published by your followers and partnering with creators to advocate on your behalf, but it doesn’t stop there. From its content variety to business profile perks, Instagram has even more to offer.

1. Instagram business profile grants access to insights on your content, audience and more to ensure your strategy performs well.
2. Boosted posts act as “beginner-style ads” to give your content an extra push for increased reach. 
3. Instagram shopping allows your audience to shop your posts by clicking on products that take them straight to a detail page. 

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an essential tool for companies in business development, hiring and networking. With about 900 million members, users are able to connect with other business professionals across the globe. Imagine yourself at a networking event. What are you going to talk about? Who are you going to connect with? How would you describe your company if someone asked? Your content strategy should be centered around the answers to these questions. 

Content Strategy

1. Set platform-specific goals you want to achieve. 
2. Identify your business sector and if that is the same for your target audience. For instance, TRIO is a marketing agency, but our target audience on LinkedIn is small to mid-size businesses from varying fields that would benefit from our services. 
3. Put together a content calendar centered around topics that promote thought-leadership, industry-specific topics and showcase what your company does and has to offer.
4. Take advantage of the unique opportunity to promote job listings on your page.

Marketing Perks

While LinkedIn has yet to position itself ahead of the curve regarding new, innovative ideas for tools within the platform, it has a strong list of perks companies can utilize to optimize their presence. 

1. In-app job applications are available for companies posting positions on the platform. 
2. LinkedIn Groups allow you to connect with people in your industry, your target audience or your colleagues. 
3. LinkedIn Live and audio-only conversations are a great way to connect with professionals and share your expertise. 
4. LinkedIn Ads present opportunities to share your content with a wider audience. 

Twitter

Out of all the platforms listed in this blog, Twitter has seen the most change. With a new CEO, verification program and more, it’s important to stay up-to-date on all that’s happening within this platform. (FYI! Our digital marketing specialist wrote a blog on that. ????) Home to around 450 million users, Twitter is a digital hub fit for sharing thoughts, opinions, news and more. When crafting a strategy, treat your content like the start of a conversation.

Content Strategy

1. Create a list of goals specific to what you want to achieve on Twitter.
2. Identify your target audience and tailor your content toward their interests. 
3. Create a content calendar with content ranging from industry news, thought leadership, polls and questions to spark a conversation.
4. Posting multiple times per day is optimal for reach and engagement. 

Marketing Perks

While Twitter does have some great perks to offer businesses and marketers, some of them now come at a price.

1. Twitter Blue is the new verification program with a subscription plan for $8/month. Verification allows you to see half the amount of ads, edit your tweet 30 minutes after posting, add a blue checkmark in your profile, increase the tweet character limit to 10,000 and more. 
2. Twitter Trends allows you to look up trending topics to see what people are most interested in.
3. Twitter Communities allows you to connect with accounts with similar interests in an open or restricted group. 

TikTok

Finally, we have one of the newest and fastest-growing platforms on the market. With over one billion users, TikTok has proved itself a worthy competitor against some of the largest social media platforms. Primarily centered around video content, TikTok has unlocked a new way for businesses to market themselves and appeal to the younger generations. Authentic content is a growing trend, and your strategy should reflect the same. 

Content Strategy

1. Make a list of goals for your content. 
2. Identify your target audience, their interests and when they are on the app so you can identify optimal posting times. 
3. Create a content calendar with pre-planned and recorded videos with room for last-minute, trend-specific content as trending topics change daily. 

Marketing Perks

TikTok may be limited in its range of content types, but it still has many useful benefits for businesses and marketers. It is also a great creative outlet to experiment with content styles and ideas!

1. TikTok Ads offer a wide range of options for putting together ad campaigns.
2. TikTok for Business is an incredible resource for identifying current trends, popular hashtags, content topics and tips for businesses to market themselves on the platform. 
3. TikTok has become a great way to connect with influencers for UGC and sponsored content to increase reach and brand awareness.

With so many social media options out there, figuring out which fits best can sometimes feel overwhelming. That’s where we come in! As your trusted marketing partner, TRIO helps you find the perfect platform and strategy to match. Contact us today, and let’s boost your social media strategy like never before!