Introduction
There’s lots of social media channels for you to choose from, and lots of emerging channels to think about. Here are some of the main ones you should be thinking about.
Facebook is still the staple in social media channels, and with its monopoly through sheer numbers, will probably be top of your list for the foreseeable future.
Facebook use is massive - there are around 1.59 billion monthly active Facebook users worldwide. See further below with the exception of China.
Quick tip: BUdget Beware
You'll need to allow some budget for Facebook as its focus is paid advertising. Having a budget will enable you to boost your posts.
Facebook is good for:
- Advertising
- Customer service
- Community engagement
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Instagram is growing strong, and will probably come next on your list as a platform to be active on. Instagram is online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service that enables its users to share pictures and videos. It also connects to other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr.
Instagram has around 300 million users who capture and share around 60 million photos every day.
Quick tip: Instagram is an excellent space to allow takeovers
That’s letting others generate content for you. Check out how Education New Zealand is using Instagram with students: http://www.enz.govt.nz/news/study-in-new-zealand-on-instagram
Instagram is good for:
- Brand and visual storytelling
- Sharing student stories
- Apps
- Takeovers
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Twitter is still a good platform to consider, although over the longer term it has an uncertain future, with other social channels likely to supersede it in the future.
Twitter is an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-character messages called "tweets". Twitter has over 300 million active users.
Quick tip: Twitter is particularly useful for leveraging events.
Use the # to tag any notable happenings and people.
Twitter is good for:
- News
- Events
- Using hashtags
- Joining conversations
- Customer service
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SA
Twitter requires a lot of content creation and activity to be effective.
Good push to work on Social Media - will use expertise of students
LinkedIn is a useful channel to be present on, in particular for connecting with your alumni.
It is the most ‘professional’ of the major social channels, used by over 135 million. Its focus is mainly on business-business connections.
LinkedIn is good for:
- Connecting with alumni
- Connecting with agents
- Business connections
- Events
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Snapchat
Snapchat is emerging strongly in the USA. It’s a mobile app that allows users to send videos and pictures, both of which will self destruct after a few seconds of a person viewing them. It has around 1 million daily active users.
Snapchat is good for:
- USA specific marketing
- Showing inside your institution
- Showcasing regional/lifestyle benefits
- Brand awareness
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Periscope
Periscope is a live video streaming platform. It currently has around 10 million registered users.
Periscope is good for:
- News (for example, boasting a new programme)
- Showing inside your institution
- Showcasing regional/lifestyle benefits
- Q&As
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Whatsapp is a cross-platform mobile messaging app which allows you to exchange messages without having to pay for SMS. In addition to basic messaging WhatsApp users can create groups, send each other unlimited images, video and audio media messages.
It is fast emerging in India, Saudi and South East Asia. It has around 1 billion monthly active users.
WhatsApp is good for:
- Customer service
- Communicating with agents
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Social media in China
Investment in social media in China means focusing on its two main social media platforms: WeChat and Weibo.
WeChat is a mobile text and voice messaging communication service which has around 697 million monthly active users.
Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website, a bit like a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, and is by far one of the most popular sites in China.
If you want to invest in these platforms, you’ll need to have access to a native Mandarin speaker, and/or look to hiring an agency to support you. This would be a great opportunity to work in clusters to combine resources and start engaging with your audiences on these platforms.
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Keep up-to-date
Social media is in a constant state of flux, with new platforms emerging and current ones falling out of vogue.
Keep up-to-date with what’s trending, and what’s not, with the Social Media Examiner - you can also follow their latest news on Twitter.
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