There has been steady growth for the networking platforms. Well, why not? The technology that can connect people worldwide needs to be hailed as a significant step towards creating a pan world community. The networking giants starting from Facebook to the latest craze that swept the Gen-Z off their feet, i.e., TikTok, all have carved their niche in the consumer base.
But it would be incorrect to assume that all the platforms can be equated to the same value. Even with platforms amassing millions (and even billions for the stalwart of networking sites), each platform has a different niche base which might be or might not be the audience base you are targeting.
Moreover, each platform has a different area of expertise. For example, Instagram is a visually driven field, whereas Twitter has a lot more to do with characters. Thus, the platforms depending on the features it has prominence in and the users base it caters to can be categorized into brackets of importance.
Why is it important to filter media?
With the rise in the media world over the years and advancement in technology that pretty much allows users to explore a broad range of utilities, there is a rise in the platforms that provide the facility. From the networking giants like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn to the upcoming fields like WeChat, Pinterest, or Kwai, the internet is filled with more than hundreds of networking platforms with a dedicated fan base. Yes, more than a hundred!!
With a large market to choose from, you must filter out and choose a few platforms that you can actively work for. It is no secret that success is not an easily achievable feat on any of the platforms, let alone switching between multiple platforms. Each platform demands a particular content format and a particular content promotion according to the consumers it is targeting.
Though most often, you can link the contents and refurbish them to suit the formats of each platform, the job gets tedious as you expand your area that needs attention. Hence, it is better to stick to the ones that let you enjoy maximum returns.
The simplest way out!
Most often, what people usually do is select a base platform that allows them the most creative freedom to explore and the larger number of audience that they are targeting. Pouring your all into one platform helps you churn out content at its best without getting exhausted. As your seed slowly starts to set in, you can expand your reach to other platforms that follow in the list of your prominence.
To avoid deteriorating the quality of contents on the base platform and to allow yourself a time frame to equip yourself with the features of the new platform, continue creating content for the base platform and share the links or teasers for the same on the new platform.
For example, your base platform is YouTube, and your expertise lies in creating covers for the songs; you can expand out to other platforms like Instagram by creating engaging reels with content sourced from the YouTube platform itself. Edit out the most engaging 15-seconds and turn them into reels.
Refurbish the same content to put them on stories by creating creative thumbnails from the original video itself. Share in the same way to other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. If a platform does not allow videos, create a link and share the content. Use attractive thumbnails to spark the interest in the onlookers.
As you start to know about the what and how’s of the platform, create a content calendar to segregate content for different platforms. Using the factors they are best at, promote your brand on the platforms. This removes the monotony that the viewers face who follow you across all the domains. A calendar helps you know what you have already tried and where you can refurbish the contents and when to do so.
To start them all, you must find one platform for yourself to pitch your base at. There are multiple parameters that can be chosen as the index for you to filter out the platforms. Pick the factor that is most relevant to you and your purpose. The response you want depends on the audience you cater to and the audience group that it reaches. Each media platform has a demographic. For example, Facebook caters to almost 2 billion monthly users, of whom most of the population comes from the age bracket of 25-30. There are also country-wise statistics that dwell information on who uses what more. Other factors like gender, the income bracket, the average time spent on the platform by the users…etc.; all play an important factor in determining your potential success on the platform. In Short! Your audience defines your growth on any social platform. Look out for the split up in the demography to make sure that the platform of your choice has a fair share of the audience whom you can target. Your creative expertise decides a large role in selecting the platform. Especially if you are a one-man army trying to set up a business and cannot afford to hire a dedicated team for promotions. If you can create videos contents, choose the platform accordingly. If you are better with words than visual elements, choose the platform accordingly. You can always grow and learn and then switch to alternative platforms. However, the base you create must be strong enough to help you catapult into a stronger region. Choose a field where you can have the liberty to explore your creativity and bring a new spotlight to your content. This also means defining why you want to use the media. Is it the primary source of your promotions or an alternative handle to split the traffic for your website? Having a clearer picture of what you want and how you are going to execute them helps you choose a platform better. In Short! Each platform has a particular area where it shines the best. Share content that is supported by the platforms and enables you to explore more of the same. Capitalizing on the massive reach of the platforms, thousands of brands, influencers, and entrepreneurs are trying hard, waiting for the day when the stroke of luck brushes them. Hence, undoubtedly it is right to say that most of the platforms are already saturated with content creators. Henceforth there are two alternatives for you to opt for. Either choose the platform with high competition. This means that the particular platform has the highest prospects in terms of both reach and engagement returns. But to tide over the competition, you need to optimize your account to reach the top of the visibility ladder. Up your content game and your promotions to make sure that you are leveling up equal to the competitors. Since they have already been on the platform for quite a time, you must toil harder to reach at the same point as others. Another way is to opt for an alternative platform that has not yet seen the cut-throat competition. It may be because of two reasons: the target population may be lesser or that the platform is relatively new and is slowly catching up attention. With the right marketing strategy, you can turn the negative points in your favor. Here, you need a lesser content strategy to get noticed owing to lesser competition. If the platform is new, then you have a fair chance of getting potential users as any other individual without any biases. In Short! Your competitions can either weed you out, or you can make your spot amongst them. Fighting against competitors is not the only way out. You can always look for other ways to avoid the competition yet enjoy the market shares. The responses you receive are the final benchmark that decides whether you should stay or leave the platform. It is true that success is slow progress on any platform, and some have waited over the years to taste the success they enjoy. But if you remain stagnant over the years, waiting for success, then it is quite hard to achieve them. This is where the response comes in. Take heed of your engagement rates and change your footprints accordingly. If the metrics see a positive light, stick to them, whereas the ideas that don’t yield engagement need to be restitched. If you don’t find success on a particular platform for long, think about moving to other platforms that have given you better engagement rates. In Short! The responses you get give you the actual ground reality of the situation at hand. The analysis of your platform growth helps you understand the right steps that you have taken and the ones that have not worked the same. Growing on the platform in terms of business and outreach is one thing. But the growth you also need to focus on is building networks in the particular domain. Each media platforms hold a different rein when it comes to network building, with some proving a better platform to forge relationships than the other. LinkedIn and Twitter top the chart on the media, which are best for increasing professional connections. Likewise, Facebook groups and Google communities are best to build your community. Hence, be acquainted with what platform offers you want, and hence, suitably, you can use the platforms for your growth. In Short! Choose a media that allows the growth of your brand to partner with others in the same domain. Networking is important to maintain the business conduct with the who’s who of the domain. The main thing to remember is that technologies always advance. The platforms that were back then are not as how they are now. Some have retired along the way, and some are on their way to oblivion. It helps to know the current statistics of the platform that you choose. The trends that are making the platform boom up and what next when the trend shifts are all areas of interest that you need to look after. Because setting a platform and expanding business is a time-consuming process. If you do not want your work to lose significance after a while (maybe three to five years down the line), then you must look around for what is in stores for the platform in the near future. In Short! Keep yourself updated about the news of the platform. Now, this is purely a personal area that you need to evaluate for yourself. All media platforms demand time, energy, and patience before things start rolling in your favor. Even when you think things are getting better in your work front, you can face a sudden drop in the user’s response. Adding to it, the variables like the changes in technology, the platform policies, and changes in the demands for the content all make sure that the ride is never going to be an easy one. Even though all platforms require a significant amount of work, some may be easier (and enjoyable) from your perspective. Just like though everyone grooves to the catchy beats of reels, not everyone is a fan of coming on-screen. Be honest with yourself and evaluate how much work you can do, and the time you can spare for the same. It makes no sense to get trapped in an exhaustive creative cycle just because it has a larger consumer base. In Short! Never put a blind eye to your limitations. Growing is one thing, and getting stuck with what you can neither give time and effort for is another. Hence, choose a platform with realistic expectations insight. Building up your base consumer market on the selected platforms requires a strategy of its own depending on the competition that the platform supports and the audience ranges it bears. The first step should be to know what the platform allows you to put forth and the policies by which it stands. Once you brush up on the basics, it is time for you to build your presence with which users can identify you with. Start off with furnishing the bio. Your bio is the first thing that sets your account apart as the brand from other users on the platform. Be it for the business market or for the influencer. Your bio sets things clearer for you. Create a timeline for how you are going to share the contents and the steps that lead to it. A content calendar helps you to be synchronized with the demands of the media. Visibility requires you to produce quality content on a frequent basis. A layout plan for the upcoming weeks helps you organize and clear the clutter without appearing haphazard on the main page. As you move along trying to take your brand to the next level of the spotlight, take your consumers along. Your growth at each step is due to the overwhelming response it acquired from the audience. Hence, carry the relationship forward with the users to receive the same love and support. A relationship is two-way communication. If you want to keep the bridge steady, hold your end of responsibility, i.e., contents that cater to them. Be open to critical reviews and offer addressal to the situation. Social media is one platform where the consumer can directly report their apprehensions about the product or the grievances they faced. It is also worth remembering that always the words are not sugar-coated. As a brand, you must put out a polite face to solve situations at your end. But this does not mean you need to keep putting up with trolls. Identify the line that sets apart the engagements that need to be responded to and those that do not. Take a look at how @Mcdonalds have a word with grievances of all kind on its Twitter account. A benefit of having competitors is to get a learning lesson from their success charts. Not only brands from the same domain, even the other non-competing brands, give you an insight into how to face the crisis and how to push around to rise up the visibility chart. Try and experiment with factors that have worked for them, they might work for you too! Nurture along one ideology that is close to your heart. It can be anything simple, from loving nature to being vocal about stigmas. Innovate the way by which you can spread the message with your brand and spread the word along with your users. A small step takes a long way ahead. The platforms allow you to enjoy success over the years as a fruit of your hard work only if you are entrusting them in the hands of the appropriate field at the right time. Hence, make sure you know where to spend your time and work to receive maximum returns. Understand that all are not your audience, and your audience requires more than just automated content to keep them happy. Hence, list your priority before choosing the platform that can satisfy most of your needs.Pick your audience!
Pick how you want to share content
Look out for competition
Give insight to the responses
Your growth curve
Know the trends
The hard work and time you can put in!
How to build your presence on these channels?
#bio – a glance to what you are; your first impression
#planahead – make your work easier
#twoandtwomakesfour – build relations
#beopen – harken to the voices
#getinspired – look what your counterparts are up to
#inspireothers – give back what you received
Conclusion
