Social Media Comparisons For Advertisers & Influencers
The internet today is saturated with a variety of social media websites. It is not a bad thing as these platforms have connected us with one another and have been the contributors for spreading endless amounts of content.
This concept has created digital marketing and brought to fruition new jobs, specialties, influencers and more. However, the problem is that some advertisers and social media influencers struggle with deciding on which platform to focus their efforts on. In this article, we will look at social media comparisons between some of the most widely used social platforms.
Learn more about the difference between social platforms.
Facebook’s Platform
Overview:
Facebook is a free social networking platform where registered users are able to create their own profiles. As a user, you choose what and how much information about yourself you want to be added to your profile. Information about yourself can include your relationship status, location, where you work, religious views, etc.
Users can use the Facebook platform to upload their own photos, videos and status’ which can be viewed by their friends and family who are also on the platform.
Facebook’s purpose is to provide users with ways to stay in touch with their family, friends, colleagues, favorite brands, etc. Facebook’s ultimate goal is to make the world more open and connected.
Main Demographic:
Facebook’s demographic consists of 43% female users and 57% male users. Facebook is used by every demographic, but the majority of Facebook users that visit the platform daily are adult women (18-29 years old).
In recent years, Facebook’s popularity has dropped among teen users. In America, about half of the teen population still uses Facebook but is no longer the teen demographics social platform of choice.
Facebook Tips For Advertisers
Facebook had made more than $40 billion in revenue in 2019, which is mainly the result of digital advertisements. On Facebook, companies can create their own Facebook Business Pages which they can use to communicate with their audience.
With 2.7 billion monthly users, it should come as no surprise why corporations are sinking millions into Facebook advertisements. Below are some quick tips for advertising on Facebook:
- Focus on paid advertisements. (It is hard to build an audience organically on Facebook)
- Short but valuable videos lead to more engagement
- Stick to content with positive messages
- Take advantage of Facebook’s Ad targeting in Facebook Ad Manager to reach your target audience
- Dive into Facebook remarketing
Know the difference between Facebook Ads and boosted posts
Twitter’s Platform
Overview:
Twitter is a free online social media platform that relies on micro-blogging. It is a platform where information spreads at a rapid rate. Twitter users can post “tweets” on the platform accompanied by a photo, video or simple text-only format. The catch is that Twitter only allows 280 characters for every tweet, hence the idea of micro-blogging.
Twitter also is known for bringing hashtags into the mainstream. A hashtag acts as a discovery tool, meaning that a hashtag added to your tweet can help other Twitter users find it.
The platform was once a playground for users to fire out constant updates on what they were doing throughout the day. In other words, a place full of meaningless information.
Now, it has become the source of breaking news and the hub for viral memes. It is a platform where the average user with 100 followers can become an overnight sensation with one viral tweet.
Main Demographic:
Similar to Facebook, Twitter has a large demographic. The age group that uses the platform most often, however, are users between 18-29 years of age. As users get older, their usage on the platform tends to drop off.
Surprisingly, 80% of Twitter’s 262 monthly users live outside of the United States. Countries outside of the United States with the most active monthly users are Japan and the United Kingdom.
Only 32% of U.S teens have stated that they use Twitter regularly.
Twitter Tips For Advertisers
The biggest challenge of growing a following on Twitter is that you need to constantly stay up to date with what is going on. This can be difficult to implement if you do not have someone in your office monitoring the platform daily.
A clear success story that involves using Twitter as a way to advertise a business can be found through Wendy’s implementation.
Wendy’s Twitter account focuses on engaging directly with other Twitter users through mentions and comments. The Wendy’s account responds to users in a conversation like manner and has built its popularity through “roasting” other Twitter accounts that include competitors and even customers.
The takeaway we can learn from Wendy’s example is that you can succeed on Twitter without spending millions in advertisements. Success can be the result of normal interactions. Below are some quick tips for advertising on Twitter:
- Focus on creating authentic content
- Respond to users who are mentioning or contacting your account directly
- Use hashtags to increase your visibility
- Create campaigns for specific countries
- Stay on top of the latest trends
- Avoid political or sensitive discussions
Instagram’s Platform
Overview:
Instagram, at its core, is a photo-sharing social platform. Instagram users post photos and videos highlighting their lives which then appear in their follower’s feed.
The platform’s users can edit their photos with Instagram’s popular built-in filters. Along with the photo there is room for a caption to be added underneath each post. Photos with catchy or funny captions sometimes can even overshadow the image itself.
Instagram has become a social platform where its users focus on building its own brand image. Many have used the platform to promote themselves and the lifestyle they live. Being “Instafamous” has become an online status that not only millennials strive for, but every other demographics as well.
Main Demographic:
Instagram’s primary users are between the ages of 18-34. The social platform is popular throughout the entire world but has the most registered users residing in the United States. Other top countries that use Instagram include Brazil, India and multiple European countries.
In regard to gender, it is reported that 39% of women online use Instagram vs. 30% of online men.
Instagram is ranked as one of the more popular social media platforms that younger generations use daily. These are teenagers 13-17 years old.
Currently, the social platform clocks in 1 billion monthly active users with 500 million daily active users.
Instagram Tips For Advertisers
Instagram has been the breeding ground for influencer marketing. Businesses have been reaching out to Instagram users who have a loyal following and audience asking them to promote their brand’s products on their posts.
Using an influencer is one way to make a splash on Instagram, but you can take the traditional route of creating your own content. Here are some tips for advertising on Instagram:
- Post authentic photos and videos that portray your brand’s identity
- Post photos/videos of events or promotions your business holds
- Focus more on creating a beautiful image then selling the product
- Stay up to date with the latest trends on Instagram
- Focus on creating high-quality 3-minute videos
YouTube’s Platform
Overview:
YouTube is not only a social media platform but also can be considered a search engine. In fact, it ranks just behind Google as one of the most used platforms individuals use to search for things across the internet. However, just as it was back when the platform was launched in 2005, YouTube is still primarily a video streaming social platform.
Registered users use the platform to upload their own videos and content. Videos uploaded can be viewed by anyone who accesses the website. Users who view your videos can leave comments, likes and can subscribe to your YouTube channel.
YouTube has always been a popular social networking website, but in recent years the birth of the influencer has really brought life back into the platform. People now aspire to be YouTube personalities since the platform allows them to reach a vast audience.
Main Demographic:
An important statistic here is that over 90% of 18-44-year-old American internet users watch videos on YouTube. A clear example of just how widely popular the platform is in this country alone. Not to mention that YouTube is also available in more than 91 other countries.
It also should be noted that there has been a spike in usage among millennials (25-34 years old). Going a little deeper, 70% of millennials who visit YouTube, use the platform for “How To” videos or for learning more on a topic they are interested in.
YouTube Tips For Advertisers
Similar to Instagram, YouTube is a place where influencers thrive. Not only can businesses pay influencers to promote their product in the videos, but can actually pay for advertisements to appear during the duration of a video.
The advertisements that interrupt YouTube videos can be problematic, however. Typically, they are either skipped as soon as the required 7-seconds is watched. Worse, if the advertisements require the user to watch the entire advertisement the video may be abandoned completely.
However, the fact YouTube reaches more U.S adults between the ages of 18-34 then cable T.V clearly shows how important it is to advertise on the platform. Below are a few quick tips for advertising on YouTube.
- Invest in influencers for showcasing your products or service
- Know your target audience
- Create native content
- Add CTA’s throughout your YouTube Ad
- Create videos that tell compelling stories that portray your business values
Snapchat’s Platform
Overview:
Snapchat is considered more like a messaging app than that of a social media platform. Users can add one another through Snapchat’s mobile app and then exchange messages between one another.
In the early days of Snapchat, communication among users was only through images. These messages are called snaps and are meant to disappear once they are viewed.
Flash forward to today and Snapchat has built off this idea extending messaging in the form of saved photos, videos and text messages. Snapchat filters have also become a popular feature among its users.
The Snapchat app can be considered one of the main contributors to the creation of the cultural phenomenon, the “Selfie.”
Main Demographic:
73% of Snapchats users in the U.S are 18-24 years old and 75% of total Snapchat users are under the age of 34 years old. It is clear that Snapchat is popular among younger demographics despite being referred to as the “sexting app.”
The messaging platform has more female users (61%) than male users (38%)
Snapchat Tips For Advertisers:
Although Snapchat is a messaging app, the platform does offer advertising potential. Businesses can run Snap Ads, which are full-screen video ads that are typically placed throughout Snapchat stories.
The Snapchat Ad Manager is a video creation tool that you can use for creating video advertisements specifically for the platform.
Even though Snapchat could be beneficial if you are targeting a younger demographic, advertising on the platform may not be beneficial. The reason is that most advertisements can be skipped with a simple tap. To get the most out of advertising on Snapchat follow these quick tips:
- Stick to creating only 3-second advertisements
- Know and create content specifically for your audience
- Focus on precise targeting
- Focus on creating a compelling and eye-catching images
LinkedIn’s Platform
Overview:
LinkedIn is a unique social media platform primarily for career development and networking. It is geared towards business professionals who are looking to connect with others in their industry.
The goal of LinkedIn’s platform is to help individuals with their professional careers by offering them new opportunities and possibilities to connect with individuals who share an interest in all things relating to their industry.
Registered LinkedIn users can build their own profile which mirrors a professional resume. Users can add their past job experiences, current position, current place of employment, special skills, projects and more.
Apart from being a place to display your resume, it can also be used for job searching. Businesses can create LinkedIn Company Pages and post job opportunities. Users can view these pages and apply directly to those jobs through the platform.
Main Demographic:
A quarter of LinkedIn users are between the ages of 18 and 29 with the majority of them being male. LinkedIn is more popular among college students and individuals early in their careers. In fact, 51% of US college graduates have been known to use the LinkedIn platform actively.
LinkedIn, although, isn’t just for the young professional. As the #1 channel for B2B marketers, there are plenty of upper-level management and industry leaders who use LinkedIn daily. A non-related statistic is that around 41% of the world’s millionaires use LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Tips For Advertisers:
As mentioned previously, businesses can create their own LinkedIn Company Pages, similar to that of Facebook. These company pages can be used to promote your brand across the platform and drive individuals to your company’s main website or landing page.
The LinkedIn platform is also one of the preferred social platforms for bloggers looking to drive more traffic to their website.
However, advertising on LinkedIn can be a hit or miss. Primarily, the platform is best for B2B companies looking to connect with potential partners. Ideally, LinkedIn is the best place for if you’re looking to advertise job openings at your organization.
Follow a few of these quick tips if you choose to run advertisements on LinkedIn’s social platform:
- Focus on paid advertisements then trying to grow organically
- Utilize hashtags to facilitate some organic traffic
- Keep your ad copy short and to the point
- Familiarize yourself with LinkedIn’s ad formats
- Test all ads
- Focus on creating informative videos for organic growth
- Follow the best practices for LinkedIn pages
Pinterest’s Platform
Overview:
To define it as simple as possible, Pinterest is an encyclopedic like social platform where images, websites, videos and blogs from all around the web are uploaded and organized. Registered Pinterest users create what are called Pinterest Boards which often share a common theme.
On the platform, users can search for topics and follow boards of their liking. Once they find a Pin of interest, they can save it to their own Pinterest Board. This is called pinning.
Pinterest is all about sharing ideas and getting content in front of new eyes.
Main Demographic:
From the beginning, Pinterest has always attracted a female demographic with 70% of women being the platform’s active user base. Despite, that statistic, however, men actually accounted for 60% of New Signups in 2018.
Pinterest’s primary users fall between individuals between 25-40 years old. However, Pinterest has just as many active users as the other popular social platform Instagram.
Pinterest Tips For Advertisers
A lot of independent businesses focus on using Pinterest to drive traffic to a blog or a specific landing page on their website. It can be difficult to build a Pinterest following if you lack the manpower behind being able to Pin new content every day.
However, if you sign up for Pinterest Business Account you have the option for promoting Pins of our choice in the same manner as on other social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Below are a few Pinterest advertising tips:
- Create compelling Pinterest images that follow Pinterest’s image dimensions
- Use one Pin for each campaign you create
- Utilize hashtags to increase organic discovery
- Include a URL with each Pin you post or promote that will lead the user to your main landing page
- Focus on creating Pins that can teach an individual something new