Discover the pros and cons plus what the key is to establishing successful social media channels
We know most people use some kind of social media channel on a daily basis for personal usage but how do you work out which is the right platform for your business?
I'm joined by Naomi Ross from Sydney Design Social to give you the lowdown on Facebook and Instagram. We chat about how the platforms are different, whether you should use both or just one and what the benefit is for creating separate content for each. Plus, we share tips so you can create successful, engaged accounts.
HOW ARE FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM DIFFERENT, WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS USAGE?
Facebook: More information driven, ability to share links, articles and websites, can create events, easier to read longer-form content (although keep in mind the ideal FB post is no more than 80 characters), easy to schedule posts
Instagram: a discovery tool to find out more about a brand/product and point the user to finding out more elsewhere (e.g a website), very visual, good tool to house striking, curated content across the feed. Cannot easily share links or articles from a post (you can pop a link in your bio) and scheduling is more difficult (there's limited third party platforms you can do this with). Insta prefers to be 'of the moment'
“You should use business social media channels to facilitate and encourage conversation with your followers. Just posting content and not considering whether that content communicates a message or stimulates engagement is a wasted opportunity”
WHY DO YOU NEED TO ADVERTISE (BOOST) POSTS?
Algorithms prioritise content from your friends and family before that of a business
To give a post from your business the best chance of being seen by people following your business on Facebook or Instagram, you need to put money behind that post to boost it
WHAT ABOUT PLACING ADS, IS ONE BETTER THAN THE OTHER?
Facebook actually owns Instagram so the advertising admin platform is the same location for both
You can choose where your ads sit on both platforms
You can use geo-targeting to hone in on your exact target demographic E.g. you can advertise to a user who has a partner with a birthday within the next 30 days, on both platforms
Keep in mind you will need a Facebook account to advertise on Instagram
Listen to the full episode on The PR Pod podcast to understand more about using Facebook and Instagram for your business. You'll also find this episode on your fave podcast players, just search "The PR Pod".
SHOULD A BUSINESS USE BOTH INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK?
It all comes back to your target audience. If the demographic you're trying to reach utilises both platforms, then it makes sense to be proactive on both accounts
If you have a business in a small locality, take a look at the social media accounts of any competitors and see how your future customer base engages with their channels. It could be a helpful guide for you
DO I NEED TO CREATE IDENTICAL POSTS FOR BOTH PLATFORMS?
Again, it comes back to the demographic that will be engaging with your business/brand on the platforms. If you have a huge audience (we're talking tens of thousands here) and it encompasses a younger demo that uses Insta and a slightly older demo that mostly engages with your brand via Facebook, then you might want to look at tweaking the language, copy and imagery to appeal to the respective audience. But, if the audience is virtually identical across both, then you can just use the same content
However, you might need to adapt your messaging to suit that platform. E.g, if you're sharing an article that your business has just been included in, you can include the link within a Facebook post. However, that doesn't work with Instagram so you might just post a quick thanks and tag in the media outlet or direct people to the Instagram bio to find the link. So, just tweak the copy and content to ensure it makes sense for that platform.
WHAT IS THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS?
Have a strategy in place. Evaluate your target audience, understand what engages them and plan your content (copy and imagery) in advance to you ensure you're communicating your messages effectively
Create a conversation and let your social media channels be a forum for your brand fans to engage in a dialogue with your business
Don't just post for the sake of it. It's a waste of your time and energy as you won't grow your audience and the audience you do have are not going to be inspired or educated
Use your channels as an opportunity to learn more about your audience. What they like/dislike about a product or brand, what they want to see more of from your business etc. It's a brilliant chance to hone your offering
Ready to start creating Facebook or Instagram accounts? Don't miss this episode.