February 9, 2021
Social media takes many different forms. Most people think it only involves social networks, which include Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (we discussed in Volume 1).
In this article, we review another type of social media platform that is known for sharing photos and videos. Unlike the Facebook structure, however, these sites revolve almost entirely around images and interactive media.
The top platforms:
These are the two biggest photo-sharing platforms on the internet.
Instagram offers a visual feed with posts that show photos, graphics, and videos. Users can post live videos or post Instagram Stories, which disappear within 24 hours. You can also interact with others using likes, tags, comments, and direct messages.
The Insta platform has a variety of professional uses that help brands photograph and display goods, services, and products in a crisp and clean way. It is the #1 home to influencer marketing, as 93% of influencer campaigns took place on Instagram in 2018.
Instagram also offers a variety of opportunities for ecommerce and advertising because of the highly-visual layout. Unlike other platforms, you cannot directly share links in posts. However, users have found a workaround by posting links in the bio.
Verified users and accounts with over 10,000 followers can share links in their Instagram Stories.
The addition of shoppable posts makes this platform more user-friendly for ecommerce than most other social media sites out there.
Much like Instagram, Pinterest has a photo-based feed with posts that include a short photo and description. Unlike Insta, however, you can include links in your posts. This is great for linking to outside websites or landing pages where you want to direct traffic.
One unique aspect of Pinterest is that users can heart posts from others OR assign them to a themed “board.” For example, a user might make a board for inspirational quotes or one for a wedding they are planning. Once a board is created, other users can follow it.
Pinterest is well-suited for ecommerce companies and brands looking to do business online. Companies that do best for this audience include those that sell home goods and businesses in the foodservice industry. There is a large audience of middle-class women that frequent the site and thus this is a great place to share crisp, standalone images with links.
Before you get started, you’ll want to do a brief comparison of the two. What is the ultimate goal? Determine whether you are trying to raise brand awareness or drive link-based traffic.
While both are helpful tools for product shots and promotion, Instagram has an active audience that’s much broader and larger in volume than Pinterest does. It currently hosts over 25 million business profiles as well.
When choosing a platform, consider the bandwidth of your content. If it’s just high-resolution photos and graphics, Pinterest may suit you just fine. However, if you need to promote anything with video, Instagram is where it’s at!
There are a variety of reasons why photo-sharing platforms are a popular form of social media. There are also some cons to using these types of sites.
Video sharing platforms are another popular form of social media. The two major platforms include:
Over 88% of marketers claim video gives them a stronger return on investment and 90% feel the level of video marketing has increased in the past few years. Adding video to your social strategy is a superb way to gain a following and earn brand trust.
In addition to social networking and photo-sharing platforms, there are also types of social media that are interactive. In the next installation, we’ll look at sites like Snapchat and TikTok and how they can seriously impact your bottom line.
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