Twitter failed to grow followers significantly in 2017. This is not to say it is not an important social tool, as it is still one of the key players in a social media strategy. Businesses with rich content to share benefit most from Twitter’s fast-paced, news-based feed.
Advantages
- Like Facebook, Twitter drives traffic to a business’s website through URL links a company provides. Interest in certain products or services can be gauged by using vanity URLs (e.g. www.poolandspa.ca/VANITYURL) to track visitors easily through Google analytics.
- Twitter is a fast-paced content social site. A business can post very frequently on this platform and re-use content regularly.
- Brands can also be humanized with quick replies, retweeting other people’s posts, and creating a community to share relatable and desirable pool and hot tub images.
Disadvantages
- Twitter users expect businesses to be responsive and address their concerns immediately. If a company lacks the capacity to react quickly on Twitter, it may end up on the receiving end of a number of complaints.
- Putting the wrong employee in charge of the business’s Twitter account can end up being a public relations mess.
Tip: Despite the increased character count on posts (tweets), from 140 to 280, it is still important to write eye-catching subject lines. Further, remember tweets with visuals get two times more engagement than those without, so share pictures and video.
Instagram is currently the fastest growing social network, having gone from 600 million to 800 million active users in the past 12 months. It has had an impact on the way businesses function and Instagram says companies will seek to capitalize on this engagement by using social media to drive direct sales outcomes for 2018.
Advantages
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Using Instagram, businesses can create contests using a unique #hashtag and then share audience pictures. For example, a backyard retreat picture contest. Instagram is hashtag focused, which means custom hashtags can be created for any specific marketing campaign or any product a business wants to promote. As of December 2017, users can follow hashtags as well as accounts, which mean hashtags like #poolandspalife is now available in user’s feeds. By using a hashtag on ads such as the business’s location (e.g. city) will allow it to be found when users follow the city.
- Instagram ‘Stories’ is an option that allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. When a live story is posted, the business’s followers are notified via an alert. Showing a day in the life of a pool installer or a day at the office can be great ways to humanize a brand and give followers an inside look.
- Instagram has great built-in editing apps to take a video or photo to the next level.
Disadvantages
- Instagram is strictly mobile; a desktop option is not available. A mobile-based browser interface is available, but it lacks editing capabilities such as filters, publishing live, and stories, which are all popular features of the app.
- Like Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, organic posts have taken a huge hit. If smaller businesses want to stay relevant on Instagram they must post frequently, run aggressive ad campaigns, and boost more posts.
- Clickable links cannot be placed in posts unless a business runs an ad or promotes the post. The audience must be directed to a live link in the profile bio.
Tip: Create a contest using a unique #hashtag and then share audience pictures. People love recognition. Whether it is a backyard retreat picture contest, a certain pool or hot tub product feature, or simply family fun in the sun, include the Instagram community in the business’s social strategy. Also, ensure the business profile is set to public, not private. If the business account is set to private, it will limit the organic reach. Hashtags used in private accounts are not visible to the general public.
