"Stars are not important. There is nothing interesting about stars. Street lamps are very important, because they're so rare. As far as we know, there's only a few million of them in the universe. And they were built by monkeys." - Terry Pratchett
I have been using social media since before it had a name. Whatever existed before the term “social media” entered the lexicon, I was using it. Remember Usenet? It’s still around, but it’s not like Twitter. But then again, nothing is really like Twitter. Facebook, Instagram, even Tik-Tok — no two social media platforms are exactly alike. Knowing these differences, and how to engage their audiences, is critical to any digital marketing effort. I know how to use these platforms the way they ought to be used, both in making great content worth reading and making the content valuable.
Content
There are more and more platforms every day, and I use them all (okay, I haven’t made a Tik-Tok yet). I was one of the first 700k Twitter users, back before anybody knew what to do with it, and I’ve stuck around ever since. I know how to leverage audience interest, grow readership, increase engagement and get those clicks. Each platform is different, and each one has distinct needs. One size does not fit all.
Management
At one point, I was overseeing the content of an entire website and dozens of social media accounts with just as many content contributors across multiple campuses and disciplines. I had to make sure they were all working toward the same overall goals while maintaining a consistent voice. This is no small task and required constant shuffling of resources. I created and nurtured relationships with nearly every department on campus, which allowed for easy communication and friendly collaboration.
Engagement
While content is still queen, it’s not the whole story. Just as I would caution anyone from relying purely on their gut instincts (which are also important!), I would also stress the importance of keeping one eye on the metrics. The best your analytics can do is tell you what your audience already did — it can’t tell you what they will do or how they will react to anything you post. I know how to use the information gleaned from various traffic aggregators (I’ve used Sprout, Hootsuite, and more). It’s one thing to get the information, it’s another to use it intelligently.