The most important social media platforms at a glance

Social networking websites are social media channels that don’t tend to focus on any one specific topic and instead aim to attract a wide spectrum of users. Users communicate, click, and share different content types that reflect their interests, making the themes on such social networks just as diverse as the users themselves.

The behavior of some members of social media sites allows their interests to be narrowed down to a particular category. This is due to the fact that particularly active users often follow certain profiles and channels, like certain content elements, and join or open groups that are related to these interests. Marketers are able to use this information to their advantage and can create tailored campaigns that speak to these demographics.

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First launched in August 2016, this feature allows users to share pictures and short videos (which can additionally be labeled and drawn upon) that weave together a story when viewed in temporal sequence. What makes this function so special is that these pictorial narratives are automatically deleted after 24 hours. This latter aspect makes Instagram Stories remarkably similar to Snapchat’s ‘My Story Function’, a similarity that Instagram co-founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom, was ready to recognize. The degree to which this aspect can be used for marketing purposes, however, remains to be seen. One possibility may be to generate attention for products and services and expanding a brand’s reach through creative, target-group focused stories.

Among the social networks mentioned here, Snapchat occupies somewhat of a special role. This platform isn’t so much a traditional social media platform as it is an image messaging app. The mobile app, which is available for both Android as well as iOS, is used to send photos and videos that have been created and edited (often with drawings and animation) on smartphones or tablets. The trick here is that the sent images and recordings automatically delete themselves 10 seconds after they’re viewed. It should be noted, though, that there are ways to recover and save these images. This app is particularly popular among teenagers, a fact that can partly be attributed to host of playful features the program offers.

Snapchat has gone through some major developments over the last few years. It’s ‘My Story’ function enables users to publish pictures that have been loaded in sequential order so that they tell a story. These can then be accessed over a 24 hour-period after which they are then automatically deleted. Additionally, conventional text messages as well as video calls are also possible.

Marketing with Snapchat: still uncharted territory

Snapchat is quickly growing in popularity among marketing departments throughout the industry. But social media marketing on Snapchat is still relatively new terrain for many companies and is still being experimented with. Some companies even run their own accounts, providing relevant content for their target groups. They also often work together with influencers in order to further make potential customers more aware of their offerings. It’s more difficult for traditional advertising clips to gain traction with this app, as only there is only little user data available, making specifically targeted advertisements a challenge. What’s more, clips need to be presented in Snapchat’s vertical format, which can’t be used for almost any other format.

The online community for images is among the oldest of its kind. Images taken by both amateurs and professionals alike can be found on the platform. In addition to images, the platform also allows videos whose length does not exceed three minutes to be uploaded to the site; there, users can also add other information and buzzwords to their recordings. In addition to enabling files to be archived, Flickr also makes it possible for users to view and comment these images, facilitating an exchange of sorts among these. The platform also commonly used by some companies to archive and distribute press photos. As of March 2016, though, automatic upload of larger amounts of data is no longer gratis and now requires users to be registered ‘pro’ members in order to take advantage of this function. Many experts see this as a chance for platforms like Google Fotos (the successor of the web application, Picasa), which allows many image files to be uploaded free of charge.  

The origins of platforms like Twitter and Tumblr can be traced back to the blogging scenes. Today, however, they’re often used outside of the blogosphere. Twitter in particular has many accounts that have been set up by companies, organizations, media outlets, celebrities, politicians, etc. Users of both networks share different types of content (news, links, images, videos). Those who chose to follow a particular timeline are then presented with news regarding this profile in their time line, just as is the case with Facebook. Users who aren’t registered with the account also are able to view all the content that’s posted.

Unlike Twitter, Tumblr is a more traditional blogging platform given that texts here aren’t limited by a minimum number of characters. In addition to posts, images can also be published on users’ blog space. And while it may not have the same clout as other, more prominent social media networks, with some 230 million users worldwide, most of which are teens are young adults, the platform is nonetheless still full of potential for marketers. Tumblr is also a popular social media platform for companies in North America, and, due to the nature of its demographics, is especially well suited for more international audiences as well as campaigns aimed at younger audiences.

According to Tumblr founder and CEO, David Karp, the publishing platform was never intended to be a social network; however, this is exactly the route that the platform has taken over the past few years. Following this, Tumblr listened to its users’ wishes and introduced an instant messaging function, which enabled registered members to communicate with one another. As a user, one of the site’s main focuses is to share the entries of other Tumblr bloggers.

Another aspect Tumblr has in common with more conventional social media platforms is the fact that content and topics can also be labeled with hashtags, making these relevant posts easier to find. This feature makes it easier to spread high-quality content and increase the chances that an entry will go viral. In order to build up a network and publish target-group specific content, it’s first necessary, however, to acquire your own following of sorts. This can be done by posting relevant content, following users similar to the target group that you’re trying to reach as well as by sharing and communicating others’ content. The trick here is to come off as authentic and genuine as you can. This allows you to more quickly gain the trust and attention of other users.

➔    While not as prolific as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr enable companies to reach younger, more media savvy audiences.

Most experts agree that, at least as social media is concerned, that it’s best to maintain a healthy barrier between your work life and private life. For this reasons, many companies advise their employees to avoid communicating with business contacts via networks like Facebook. Professional networks like LinkedIn, however, have created themselves a niche market by catering explicitly to a more professional environment. This platform model facilitates an exchange between business partners, employees as well as applicants and companies to occur. They aim to offer all of the advantages that sites like Facebook have in terms of communication but in a more professional setting.

The file hosting service, SlideShare, which is owned by LinkedIn, contains presentations, documents, and videos on topics from a wide spectrum of occupations and professional disciplines. Users are able to upload content themselves or simply access other files that have already been uploaded.
The primary focus here is to share information, rather to build up or expand a network.

What Instagram or Flickr offer for images, SlideShare offers for presentations: SlideShare allows you to publish and archive company or job-related content online, which unregistered users are also able to access. In addition to presentations, documents, infographics, webinares, and videos can also be uploaded. And when these are also labeled with the right keywords, then they can also be found in the Google search results. Those who publish information about their company, industry, product, or service also have the opportunity to receive feedback from users in the form of evaluations and comments, which can then be shared in your social networks. Renowned organizations and businesses like the White House, NASA, IBM, and Hewlett Packard all use the platform for their content. LinkedIn recognized the potential of this service and ended up acquiring it in 2012.  

Networking and maintaining an image

LinkedIn is first and foremost about making new contacts and staying in touch with former colleagues and associates. But it would be a mistake to think that the network is set up exclusively for business-to-business topics. People who are active on a professional network are also potential customers of the companies in their contact lists. LinkedIn also serves as a job portal where both potential employees and employers are able to find out more about one another before further steps of the employment process are taken. Current or former colleagues have the option of rating each other. It’s important to note that on LinkedIn, companies are judged by their merits as employers, rather than the quality of their products or services.

Things look a bit different when it comes to SlideShare. Here, companies can demonstrate their expert knowledge, in addition to other their products, services, or innovations. The content published on this platform should always be professional in terms of its appearance and structure and should further include appropriate keywords so that these presentations can also be found in search engines.

➔    LinkedIn is the best platform for connecting with business contacts. As a part of a broader social media strategy, this professional network enables companies to strengthen their own image, scout talent, and share professional competencies.

Vimeo is especially interesting for those looking to promote more technically advanced videos that put a greater emphasis on looks. Not only does the website appeal to more refined and professional audiences with its looks, its content also reflects this aesthetic: wobbly smartphone videos can’t be found on this platform. What users will encounter are professional, high-quality film productions, many of which that are of a more artistic and creative nature.

Vimeo is set up in a similar way to YouTube — anyone can watch the videos, but only community members are allowed to evaluate and comment on these. But the two portals differ in the way they deal with the topic of membership: those wishing to upload more than 500 MB of video material per week have to switch to a fee-based scheme. Companies wishing to post videos containing advertisements or content commercial nature are forced to sign up for a paid membership option. Independent production companies, charitable organizations, and artists are all exempted from this rule. A paid account may be worth it for companies; this is especially the the case for those wishing to engage with a more artistic or creative target audience.