Are You Marketing to Your Major Social Media Channels the Right Way?

Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and to a lesser extent now, Google+, have all become staples in our everyday lives—whether we’re enthralled in our own experience or we’re creating content for others. If you’re a social media marketer or are looking to delve into the world of social media marketing to any degree of proficiency, this is a lot to handle. Between creating posts, finding good content, facilitating shares and likes and retweets, gaining followers and becoming a trendsetter, it can be absolutely daunting to say the least.

The best way to tackle the seemingly insurmountable task of creating good content for your social media channels is to understand the dynamics that each presents—how people use each channel, what type of content is best received on which platform and how to present your content for optimal visibility. Take a look at some of the more intricate facets of each of the major social media channels:

Facebook

With no cap on character counts and built-in previews that give your audience a taste of what you’re posting without them ever clicking on it, Facebook is absolutely the platform for messages with more depth. Share pictures, videos and more with ease, knowing full well that even if your post isn’t clicked on by someone, they’re still seeing what you have to offer while scrolling through their news feed. Facebook is the leader for social media these days, so never be afraid to get visual with your posts.

Twitter

Twitter is the definition of prolific when it comes to generated content each day and if you’re going to get a word in edgewise amongst the billions of tweets, you’re going to have to get someone’s attention in 140 characters or less. This means having a good hook—say something intriguing, witty, astounding or even argumentative in your 140 characters and follow up with a link to bigger and better content. The key to getting the most exposure, however, is maneuvering and manipulating hash tags—choose your relevant keywords wisely and be sure to make a splash with your hash tags to get the full effect of your Twitter experience.

Tumblr

Tumblr is where original content is born these days and 90 percent of it is visual in nature. Don’t be afraid to create original imagery on your Tumblr account and repurpose it elsewhere on the web for full effect. Like Twitter, Tumblr is defined by its hash tag categories, so be sure to create something that will gain traction with those who are looking for similar things by keyword. Also, don’t miss your opportunity to network on Tumblr!

Instagram

Utilizing Instagram means connecting with your audience on a personal level. Instagram isn’t the place to churn out the same old content as everyone else: it’s a place to snap some candid pictures, take a few funny photos and show your audience that there’s more than just a brand behind the camera. Genuine photos are going to be your power play on Instagram and if you’re pairing them with the right hash tags, you’re going to see your photos being liked with a tenacity that’s unprecedented on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.

Google+

It’s no secret these days: Google+ is dying and dying fast. But, that doesn’t mean you can ignore it—in fact, there’s a good chance it will be repurposed, meaning that now is your chance to make something of it, to prepare yourself and your brand for what the future holds. It’s looking more and more like Google+ is going to become a professional repository and a networking platform, much like LinkedIn, so keep your content professional, insightful and on-topic for best results. Also, this is a great place to repurpose your blogs and author intriguing content that can be originally attributed to you.

There are new social media platforms cropping up every day and dark horses that suddenly become relevant in the world of social connections. Whether it’s one of the above social platforms or something else, like Pinterest, LinkedIn or even YouTube, get to know what kind of content is most suited for that platform, how to present it and how to facilitate it and you’ll put yourself on the path to social media relevance.