WEEK 2:A Current Perception of Social Media Platforms & Their Effectiveness

I had myspace back in the day, then transitioned to Facebook in 2008. Wow, almost 10 years ago. So much has evolved with personal use of social media.  In 2017 our options for Social Media platforms are really varied and useable for all ages! I'd say it truly depends on the person or business, but for myself, I prefer Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest.  My primary reason for using these is because they're simple, fast, easy to use and I can really get creative and silly with them. I will often spend 5-10 min a day just watching inspiring stories, finding something to laugh at, or creating boards on Pinterest to inspire me with food, words, or home DIY.   For a more personal functional use I like the options to sell things, share needs, give things away for free, and see up to date happenings of my family and friends in others states and countries for....free.

Facebook is a really valuable tool for business. With options for polls, videos, photos, live feed and more you can really get creative with what your business and/or clients have to share. You also have added values like analytics, being able to see who is following and liking your business page(s) and editing and scheduling your posts. Downside is if you don't have access to the creative content, and are at the mercy of clients to provide it, that can become a drag and rather boring really quickly, as some business' are really stuck in old habits that aren't reaching their target audiences. All because of poor, boring content, or saying too much (like this blog post, have I lost you yet?). 

A traditional business social media outlet is Linkedin.  I think it is the "suit and tie" of social media. A very professional platform that is really valuable for it's ability to see your professional world connections. As well as inbox updates of current job offerings nearby that suit your profession. You can network beyond your current job as well, which is really nice for those transitioning into something new. In my current job I am able to search out possible clients and see who is in which department of their organization and reach out on a more personal level. In many instances it has removed the cold call asking who is in charge. The downsides I've seen are, the cost to upgrade, people not updating their profiles with current information, and though there is a main page to view posts, it seems like a pretty boring place and is usually just self encouragement, analytics and professional updates, not so much for selling anything for a business. 

If you and your business team are creative, you can create content that will reach the people you need to, making some new platforms like Snapchat a fun option. Snapchat is growing with ads, and quick, fun content for business to create. Instagram is doing really well because research has shown over and over that people prefer short, simple, video's and photos, plus they recently added live video as well. One additional benefit of Instagram video is the option to create, edit and have an enforced time limit of 1 min. Thus driving home the fact that as consumers, we want it short and sweet.  The downside to these are that they don't function well, or at all on a desktop. They are in my opinion intended for mobile use. There are apps you can use for scheduling content, but I think it takes the spontaneity and function of the apps away most times leading me back to....why bother then if I can use Facebook on my desktop? 

Pinterest can be a valuable tool for business as well.  Creative photos that your consumers can "pin" to a virtual board has potential to be invaluable. This means your business "pin
 is accessible to the consumer anytime they want.  The downside I see as a consumer is that I often don't notice what is being sold,  because I am more interested in the photograph. I have noticed new things on Pinterest such as scrolling photos (they move with your scroll), and videos as well.  It's a platform I haven't used much in business though. 

There is much more for me to learn. I'm interested in what other platforms are out there I've heard of but not used much of like Periscope. Or how you use any or all of these outlets? We each have something to offer one another, let's get creative.