Whether you work in social media, or your social media helps define who you are, we can all stand to learn a trick or two about this modern phenomenon. These days, many of us are self-employed in a range of fields like blogging and modeling, and so it’s important to promote our services as best we can using as many tools as are available to us.
Social media is the obvious option, with an estimated one in four people around the world having at least one social account. Closer to home, there’s a GWI report stating that the average Brit spends an hour and 20 minutes each day handling on average four social media accounts. Plus, it’s not rocket science to see that some demographics will use this a whole lot more!
Of course, it’s not just about having a social media strategy for your personal brand or business, it’s also deciding which platforms to focus on. Despite Facebook being the most widely used platform, according to Statista, with over 1.55 billion daily users, and despite their new features being rolled out, it is actually the only platform to be experiencing a decline in use. Citing another report by the GWI, it seems that YouTube is the most popular network. It’s not just YouTube, either. The visual networks are coming out on top, according to marketer and blogger Craig Smith, and 20% of regular internet users have an Instagram account.
So, what have we learned? Well, the Greenlight digital agency have underlined that Instagram should be part of a brand’s social media strategy. Citing the various ways that this can be done – from creating Instagram-only content to including it as part of an existing strategy – it’s evident that no matter what works for you personally, you’ll have to choose a way, or miss out on over 75 million daily users. Bizarrely, it has been stated that only 28% of marketers use Instagram as part of their strategy, and that’s despite its growth. If you’re ignoring Instagram, you may be missing a huge part of your potential audience, whether you’re selling yourself as a concept, or a tangible product. Plus, Instagram looks visually pretty, so that’s a bonus!
The key (as with any kind of strategy) is to look at your audience. Use insights to guide what is and isn’t working for you. For example, Facebook may well have once been your most successful platform but with the internet there comes change – constantly. According to a widely-cited study by Social Ogilvy, Facebook reach is now at a devastating 2% organically, meaning that you’re unable to reach even the surface of your audience in most cases. It’s been nicknamed the ‘Reachpocalypse’ by Convince & Convert; things are really that bad. Although you can of course boost posts and work on ways to improve reach, it is often best to think outside of the box with other popular networks as well.
You must work to develop a strategy and revisit it regularly to ensure you are still current at all times, or else how will your audience know that that you also have your finger on the pulse?
Picture credit: “154 Glowing Pink Neon Social Media Icons” (CC BY 2.0) by webtreats