Social Media Platforms, followed by tips for using them, courtesy of Sara Zendehnam:
• The most used and engaged with social platform
• The audience is slightly older so it’s actually a great place to run ads because older demographics typically have more money to spend
• It’s definitely not the #1 platform for Gen Z but younger people do still use Facebook
• Facebook’s size and engagement rate makes it a great platform to advertise on
• Second largest used network after Facebook
• Facebook owns Instagram and they share the same ad platform so there are a lot of cross-promotional opportunities for brands
• Trying to compete with TikTok with Reels, but teens prefer TikTok over Instagram so depends on who you’re trying to reach
• Instagram is where influencers thrive and there’s more of a motivation to shop based of their posts
• Usage and growth remained fairly consistent year-to-year
• It offers shorter-term interactions so it’s a good place to get quick news or conduct customer service
• Cross promoting on Twitter good
TikTok
• TikTok has more than 100 million monthly active users
• The average user spends 21 hours per month on the app so they’re dedicated to it
• Younger user-base presents challenges in terms of ad-targeting
• Seeing growing use among adults
Tips:
• Completely fill out your profile (name, about, contact info, resume, what you offer)
• Make sure platforms are neutral
◦ Employers can be turned off by controversial posts, it can lead to problems for them
◦ Clean up all your platforms
• Consistency
◦ Similar hashtags, posting around the same time, same content
◦ If someone comes to your page they should know what to expect
• Do your research
◦ See what other people who are doing the job you want are doing on social media
◦ It’s ok to take their ideas and make them your own
• Short and to the point
• Good lighting
◦ Ring light, or natural lighting as long as your face is night and bright
• Good audio
◦ Speak clearly, no background noise
• Engage your audience
◦ What will they gain from watching your videos/seeing your posts
◦ Comment back, answer their questions, just say hi
◦ Engagement boosts how you land on algorithms of social media so the more you engage with others, the more your posts will be promoted by the platforms
• Repurpose content
◦ Overwhelming to create unique content for each platform so use what you post on one app, on all the others
◦ If you post on TikTok, save the video without the watermark then repost to Reels
▪ Instagram doesn’t want to see branding from its competitor
• Aesthetic
◦ Most important for Instagram
◦ Similar colors show a more professional appearance on your profile page
• Contractual obligations
◦ When you get a job, it’s important to know how your company views social media
◦ Can get in trouble for partnering with other companies
Representing company so your social media needs to reflect that