Why the Medium is the Message: Identifying the Right Channels
- 1. LESSON 7
- 2. WHY THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE: Identifying the Right Channels CODE OF CONTENT
- 3. The single biggest mistake new brands and businesses make is that they try to be everywhere at once.
- 4. They get on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. And Pinterest. Then they add LinkedIn to the mix. Before long, they’ve spread themselves too thin.
- 5. With all the social media platforms out there, there’s more ways to access your audience than ever before. It can be tempting to try to juggle every platform. You even might feel like you need to be on every account or you’ll miss out.
- 6. My best advice for those starting out on social media is to pick the 1 or 2 platforms that you can reach your audience on best and focus on building them full time.
- 7. Then once you have 1 platform dominated you can use it to springboard into other platforms.
- 8. Start small and focused. Dominate. Then use that momentum to expand outwards into other platforms and niches.
- 9. So how do you find the right channel for your content? Here’s a breakdown of all the major social media platforms, with pros, cons, and my best advice for each.
- 10. FACEBOOK
- 11. Facebook is the largest and most active social media account with over 1 billion people using it each month.
- 12. A large following on Facebook is one of the biggest assets in marketing. The platform is one of the few that has our full attention. And the targeting options in Facebook ads are the best in the business. Pros
- 13. Building a following is expensive because only 8-15% of the people who ‘like’ your page see your posts. And Facebook will make you pay to access your full audience. It’s also a ‘closed’ platform, meaning it’s hard for people to discover you without paying for ads. Cons
- 14. If you have a budget and are willing to spend on Facebook Ads, there aren’t many better ways to spend your money. But if you want to build an organic following on a limited budget, there are better options out there. Advice
- 15. TWITTER
- 16. Twitter is often recognized as the second most popular social media platform with over 215 million active monthly users.
- 17. Twitter is an open platform, which means if you use the right hashtags you can an build an following from scratch without paying a dime. It’s also the best platform for listening, as you can see exactly what your target audience is saying and you can freely engage with them. This makes it a great platform for lead generation, influencer outreach, and customer service. Pros
- 18. The biggest disadvantage to Twitter is the amount of spam, spurred by automated messaging and fake accounts. Twitter has become a noisy, crowded place and it can be hard to stand out if your content isn’t highly engaging. Cons
- 19. With it’s combination of accessibility, openness, and their tools (Pinned Tweets, Cover Photos, and Twitter Cards) there isn’t a better platform for a new business trying to raise awareness for their brand and build a business on a budget. Advice
- 20. LINKEDIN
- 21. LinkedIn is the largest social network for business people and professionals, with over 230 million users.
- 22. If your target audience is the business professional, there isn’t a better platform for you. LinkedIn’s audience is highly defined and is the go to place for business professionals, a niche that can be hard to reach. LinkedIn Groups are also a great place to connect and share content. Pros
- 23. Most people on LinkedIn just use it to update their resume and never look at their feed. Which makes it a challenge for content creators, as most of your connections will never see your content and engagement pales in comparison to Twitter and Facebook. Cons
- 24. If you’re trying to target entrepreneurs or professionals, invest early and often in LinkedIn. It just might take more time to build a following and see engagement compared to other more active platforms. Advice
- 25. GOOGLE+
- 26. Google+ has gotten a bad rep over the years but it still has over 350 million active users, and isn’t the ghost town most believe it to be.
- 27. Google+ is a blend between Facebook and Twitter, and is one of the most flexible platforms. Their new ‘Collections’ feature is perfect for content creators and allows you to categorize your content into beautiful feeds. The communities on Google are also some of the most active and engaged on social media. And G+ helps your SEO rankings, as your page will show up in the right side bar in search results. Pros
- 28. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, most people don’t use G+ as a primary source for their news. There is engagement to be had on G+, but your overall reach is much less compared to the other, more popular platforms. Cons
- 29. As a primary platform, Google+ doesn't have the legs to carry your brand. But it’s a fine secondary platform. If you leverage Hangouts, Collections, and the Communities it’s very possible to build an engaged organic following without spending any money. And it can even be easier to stand out on G+ compared to more popular platforms like Twitter and Facebook as there’s less competition. Advice
- 30. INSTAGRAM
- 31. Instagram is the second most popular mobile social platform after Twitter, with about 150 million active users.
- 32. Instagram is like Twitter, but with a focus on pictures. Meaning it’s an open platform and you can use hashtags to expand your reach and find potential leads/followers. However, engagement is very high and there’s less spam and fake accounts than on Twitter. Pros
- 33. There is two main cons to Instagram. One, the links in your posts aren’t active and can’t be clicked on. You’re only allowed 1 link in your bio. Meaning, most of the traffic on Instagram tends to stay on Instagram. And two, you have to post pictures, so it may be tough for some brands to keep up with the demand for creative visuals on the platform. Cons
- 34. If you’re trying to raise awareness for your brand, Instagram can be an incredible tool, and might be the best way to reach millennials (18-35). But if you’re trying to drive traffic, there are other platforms better suited for you. Advice
- 35. PINTEREST
- 36. A smaller, but still highly effective platform Pinterest boast upwards of 70 million active users.
- 37. A highly defined target market (80% are woman, between the ages 25-45) and a beautiful collection of images, make Pinterest a very effective platform for the right business. Pinterest is a significant source for referral traffic and studies have shown it’s influential in the decision-making process, making it a powerful tool for any e- commerce brand targeting women. Pros
- 38. Pinterest’s lower active users and highly defined audience of woman means this platform shouldn’t be used by most brands. Cons
- 39. If you’re targeting women, and your business lends itself to images like a photography studio, e-commerce platform, or a retail fashion store, there isn’t a better platform than Pinterest. If none of the above apply to you, Pinterest is better left alone. Advice
- 40. YOUTUBE
- 41. With over 100 hours of video uploaded to Youtube every minute and 1 billion unique visitors every month, Youtube is the most popular video platform by far.
- 42. Youtube is the second largest search engine, right after Google. Which means sharing videos under popular keywords can give you a distinct advantage in your SEO, as videos are 50x more likely to appear on the first page. Considering this, and because Youtube videos can be shared and played on all major social media platforms, and embedded on any website, if you want something to go viral Youtube is the way to go. Pros
- 43. The cost of creating a video is higher than the cost of graphics or blog posts. Because of this, it can be more time consuming, difficult, and expensive to maintain a presence on Youtube. You’ll also need a thick skin as Youtube comments are notoriously critical, and there are a lot of trolls on Youtube. Cons
- 44. If you have the budget to post high quality videos consistently, Youtube may be the best social media platform out there. If you are serious about standing out and have the budget to invest in content, this is the platform for you. Advice
- 45. SNAPCHAT
- 46. Snapchat is the new kid on the block, but has grown at breakneck speed. With over 100 million daily active users and 400 million snaps per day, it’s time to take it serious.
- 47. Snap is one of the most popular hangouts for the younger generations, with over 71% of users in the 18-34 range. Combined with this valuable demographic and their innovative, engaging stories format Snapchat is a great platform to leverage your brands creativity and uniqueness. Pros
- 48. Like Instagram, Snapchat is a mobile app that needs to be operate from your smartphone, which can be limiting. And with Instagram’s new Stories feature, you can now get similar functionality right from Instagram, which could lead to stagnating growth from Snapchat as users move to Instagram. Cons
- 49. With more users, more functionality and Facebook backing it, Instagram seems ripe to steal Snapchats users. Unless you have an affinity for Snap, I’d recommend joining Instagram over Snapchat as it’s continued growth is assured, something that can’t be said for Snapchat. Advice
- 50. Still struggling to decide on which platform(s) to join? Ask me for help. I’ll give you my best advice on which platform is best for your brand.
- 51. In the next lesson, I'll dive into why inbound marketing is a lot like dating and teach you how to set up a funnel.