Is Social Media the New Search Engine?
Did you know that 40% of Gen Z use social media for search rather than a search engine, according to research done by Google? So, when a group of Gen Z’ers are looking for a local restaurant they just hop on Instagram or TikTok to see what content has been shared locally by other people. This can be done through geotagging or hashtags, where users can now search for location & hashtags as well as general keywords. And now with the ecommerce shopping that is available through social media, it’s making it the best way for people to discover new products/services that they find valuable to fit their tastes.
Did you know that 40% of Gen Z use social media for search rather than a search engine, according to research done by Google? So, when a group of Gen Z’ers are looking for a local restaurant they just hop on Instagram or TikTok to see what content has been shared locally by other people. This can be done through geotagging or hashtags, where users can now search for location & hashtags as well as general keywords. And now with the ecommerce shopping that is available through social media, it’s making it the best way for people to discover new products/services that they find valuable to fit their tastes. One can merely search for a bathing suit and see the possibilities on content creators they may follow and trust. 83% of Instagram users say they discover new products and services this way (Search Engine Journal). This interactive word of mouth (WOM) marketing is going a long way and it seems that this will be the search engine of the future. People want to be engaged. They want to buy from brands that they trust through word of mouth reviews by real people. UGC Hint Hint. If this is going to be the new Google, then brands on social media have to make sure that they’re optimizing their page for social media searches. SEO but for social media. Here are some of the best ways to ensure that happens.
Use keywords from your field and use them in your description in the profile
Use in the name line
Choose videos/photos that match the keywords
Hashtags are NOT a search ranking factor (except for reels)
Use keywords here as well
Make sure hashtags are relevant
Combine well-known and niche hashtags
Use keywords in the captions of your posts
Use reels & carousels
This will increase reach
Aside from keywords improving your visibility it will also help you understand your audience better, grow your following, increase sales and engagement. The more people engage with your brand in real life with positive experiences, the more they will share you through social media channels. People love to share their likes and dislikes on social media platforms. Since this is the new word of mouth, it is going to be the future of online searching.
Not So Social, Social Media: Pay to Play is Coming
The blue check verification has been like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Everyone wants to get their hands on it, but not everyone can get it. The point of having this is so that your account is less likely to be hacked or copied. And… if you’re a business or content creator can also be seen as a status symbol. This is good for those with larger followings but doesn’t really matter for the lay person who uses social media to connect with friends and family.
The blue check verification has been like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Everyone wants to get their hands on it, but not everyone can get it. The point of having this is so that your account is less likely to be hacked or copied. And… if you’re a business or content creator can also be seen as a status symbol. This is good for those with larger followings but doesn’t really matter for the lay person who uses social media to connect with friends and family. Recently, Elon Musk has announced that it will be offering Twitter Blue subscription from$5-$8 per month that offers subscribers the coveted blue check mark. Meta followed suit and is trying this out in Australia and New Zealand. Two-factor authentication will be removed from those that don’t subscribe and that leaves room for some angry users. This increases the chances of their accounts being hacked and raises security concerns for typical users. Subscribers will also receive increased visibility. This will blur the line of whether we see content from the algorithm or because those accounts paid for it. Good for content creators and business owners. Not so much for everyday users. “Nearly 1/5 of U.S. teens and adults experienced their social media accounts getting hacked within the first three months of 2022,” according to Time magazine. Social media will now be become a space of pay-to-play, where those that have privilege will have the better hand dealt. This will not only continue to increase the gap between lower and upper social classes, it will further perpetuate suppression of those groups that are underserved.
Best Social Media Sites for Video Content 2022
Over 58.7% of the global population is on social media and uses it as their primary source of information. That’s roughly around 4.65 billion people. When it comes to social media marketing though, a one size fits all approach does not work. It’s important to know which audience hangs out where so you can know what kind of video content to make and where to put it.
Over 58.7% of the global population is on social media and uses it as their primary source of information. That’s roughly around 4.65 billion people. When it comes to social media marketing though, a one size fits all approach does not work. It’s important to know which audience hangs out where so you can know what kind of video content to make and where to put it. According to a HubSpot survey, YouTube is still in the lead with 35% of people watching social media videos. This is followed by Facebook, TikTok, Other and Instagram. TikTok is on the rise as it now surpasses Instagram but this is just according to one small survey done through HubSpot. Other sites show different data. So, who’s right? Who’s wrong? Well, they’re both right. It all depends on who your survey group is. Different groups that are different ages or from different regions will alter the results. The real take away here is that you make sure to market and advertise over a range of platforms, young and older. As social media evolves, so will the need to change strategies.
Social Media Planning
You plan everything in your life. Your Google calendar helps you keep track of everything you do from personal to business. So, why wouldn’t you plan your businesses social media posts as well? It’s important to keep a schedule for your content in order for your social media strategy to be effective. Here is what your calendar should include.
You plan everything in your life. Your Google calendar helps you keep track of everything you do from personal to business. So, why wouldn’t you plan your businesses social media posts as well? It’s important to keep a schedule for your content in order for your social media strategy to be effective. Here is what your calendar should include.
1. Date you will post
2. Time you will post
3. Social media platform it will be posted to
4. Visuals you will use
5. Caption
6. Links and tags
7. Campaign/Goal
Doing this will help you be more efficient, save time and not forget to post. It takes a lot of time and attention to stay on top of social media channels. With a calendar it helps you plan ahead and will help free up more of your time later. You won’t forget to post consistently and since you pre-planned them, the posts will likely have less mistakes. Shoot for posting at least once a week if you have just begun. If you’re more established then 3 posts per week are best practice.
Increasing Social Media Engagement
Having a large audience is great but that’s not all that is important on social media. Engagement with your followers will measure more success than just the number of people that follow you. What does engagement from your followers look like? It’s shares, comments, saves, likes, mentions and even branded hashtag usage. Here are a few quick ways to increase your engagement on your social media channels.
Having a large audience is great but that’s not all that is important on social media. Engagement with your followers will measure more success than just the number of people that follow you. What does engagement from your followers look like? It’s shares, comments, saves, likes, mentions and even branded hashtag usage. Here are a few quick ways to increase your engagement on your social media channels.
Know your audience. This will help you dictate when it is best for your brand to post, what type of content to post and help you find your brand’s voice.
Spark up conversations.
Ask questions in your posts or stories. On the flip side of this, have them ask you questions with the “ask me anything.”. This can add value to your brand as helpful or knowledgeable.
Take polls or quiz them. This is another great way to mix it up and engage your audience.
Contests. Everyone loves free things. Offer something from your brand as a prize for a contest.
Promote others in your field. This is a way to keep content diverse but can also be used in situations where you may not have the exact information they need so you send them to where they can get it. Your audience will appreciate that you care that they receive the information they’re looking for whether they get it from you or not. In turn, promoting others in your field will make them more apt to promote you as well should it be necessary. Cross promotion is a powerful thing. And supporting others is cool too!
Create influencer relationships. Using influencers who believe in your brand to help promote it. Typically, a post for a freebie or discount is standard. This helps consumers trust your brand more and this type of marketing is expected to keep increasing in 2022.
Personalize engagement and be timely. Answer direct messages in a timely manner. Show that there is human behind the brand.
Having high engagement will get your brand a higher ranking on social media platforms. The algorithm shows that people find it relevant and valuable. This means it puts even more eyes on it in the field getting your brand even more followers and so on and on it goes.
Social Media Mistakes to Avoid
We’ve all posted that low quality video that got very little love and immediately regretted it. Maybe even taken it down shortly after the fact. We know we’ve done this. There are a few major pitfalls to avoid when attempting to optimize your social media channels. We’re only going to focus on Instagram for the purpose of this article.
We’ve all posted that low quality video that got very little love and immediately regretted it. Maybe even taken it down shortly after the fact. We know we’ve done this. There are a few major pitfalls to avoid when attempting to optimize your social media channels. We’re only going to focus on Instagram for the purpose of this article.
1. Low quality videos. This goes for really any channel. A low-quality video is a sure way to get low engagement.
2. Missing out on live streaming. This new, powerful tool is a great way to engage your audience in real time. This helps you get feedback immediately.
3. Uploading videos with TikTok watermark. Don’t recycle your videos. Or anyone else’s for that matter. Always upload the original video without the watermark logo if you decide the video is worthy of a double share.
4. Skipping out on the bio. This is where you can increase your discoverability. Linktree can help you add multiple links to your bio if needed.
5. Having a personal or private account. I think the reason for this speaks for itself. If you’re a brand you must have a business account in order to see your metrics.
6. Buying followers. Although it may be tempting, buying followers is a hollow purchase. These followers are often bot accounts that won’t engage with your content.
7. Skipping the opportunity of a great caption. Just as when writing a good article, it’s important to have a good caption to hook your user’s attention and can offer more context for your amazing posts.
We love social media and the engagement it creates between brands and consumers. It’s something that brands were unable to do in such a way prior to. With social media, a brand’s audience can connect with them on a deeper level through engaging with their posts, sharing and saving them. It also gives brands an idea of what their audience likes to see versus what they don’t. it’s a great tool for content marketing so making sure that you are doing all the rights things is pivotal. Social media is something that we specialize in when it comes to sourcing user generated content for campaigns so we’ve seen the benefits of it for brands first hand.
Desktop Posting Guide
Did you know that you can post to Instagram from your desktop computer? Yea, neither did we! We recently learned that this was an option so we thought we’d share a quick tutorial on how to do it. It’s basically the same as from your phone but the video quality is better.
Did you know that you can post to Instagram from your desktop computer? Yea, neither did we! We recently learned that this was an option so we thought we’d share a quick tutorial on how to do it. It’s basically the same as from your phone but the video quality is better. Sometimes when posting from your phone the quality of the video decreases. Ok to create a post from your desktop first click the add button on Instagram. It will prompt you do select from your computer. Select the photo or video you want. You can change the aspect ratio as well as do a carousel. Click next. It will then prompt you to choose the cover photo if using a video. You can then trim your video as well here and turn the sound on or off. If using a video, edit and click next. Finally, here is where you can add your caption, hashtags and location. Do this and you’re ready to post! Sharing from your desktop can be easier sometimes and you can avoid any decline in video quality. Happy posting!
Which Social Media Channels are Best for Brands
According to Statista the leading social media platform for brand marketers is Facebook at 93%, with Instagram coming in second at 78%. Even if you’re a content creator, you want to get more engagement and turn followers into customers. We couldn’t agree more with this statistic. Let’s think about why this is. Look at YouTube for example. Sure, you can monetize to make money here but, you can only engage with your followers if they leave comments on your videos.
According to Statista the leading social media platform for brand marketers is Facebook at 93%, with Instagram coming in second at 78%. Even if you’re a content creator, you want to get more engagement and turn followers into customers. We couldn’t agree more with this statistic. Let’s think about why this is. Look at YouTube for example. Sure, you can monetize to make money here but, you can only engage with your followers if they leave comments on your videos. You can’t really build a relationship with your audience. What about TikTok? Oh man, do we have lots of thoughts on this platform. It’s great for viral videos but you don’t really get served content from people that you follow. It’ good for discovering new content creators but not so much for building good connections with your current followers. Aside from this, it’s important for content creators to know that anything filmed within the TikTok platform is the property of TikTok and that the creators do not actually own the rights to those videos. Furthermore, if a creator films inside the app, they cannot monetize their content in any way. Personally, we believe that it’s best to generate revenue from your followers on Instagram because there are so many ways to connect with them through all their different features. The algorithm on this platform is also set up to give you more of the content from the people and brands that you love. It’s important to having a multifaceted approach to social media marketing. Using stories, feed, live, reels, polls, etc. this keeps your audience engaged and it will build stronger relationships with them.
Trending Video Marketing Investments
As we always say here at Locomotive, video content is King! It continues to be the top way to market to brand audiences. However, there are so many different styles of video marketing to consider now, so what types are brands investing in this year? Here is a quick list of our top three trending video marketing styles that brands are investing in.
As we always say here at Locomotive, video content is King! It continues to be the top way to market to brand audiences. However, there are so many different styles of video marketing to consider now, so what types are brands investing in this year? Here is a quick list of our top three trending video marketing styles that brands are investing in.
1. Short-form video. According to HubSpot, 58% of marketers use short form videos. Out of all video types this one provides the best ROI. Short form generally means anything under a few minutes. It should also be noted that the average engagement for short-form videos is around 50% (Wistia).
2. Social media video. 93% of social media marketers say that it’s a vital component of their strategies and 85% of consumers say they want more videos on social from brands according to Sprout Social. Give the people what they want and watch your return on investment increase.
3. Long-form video. Long form video can be anywhere from 3-6 minutes long. One would think that longer videos see less engagement but that’s up for debate. YouTube is a great example of where longer form videos excel with a high ROI. Long form video creation has increased by 446% for videos between 30-60 minutes long and 228% for videos between 5-30 minutes long (Wistia).
Video marketing will always be the top way to achieve and retaining a successful marketing strategy for your brand. If your brand isn’t already investing in the power of these video marketing tools listed above, get on it quick. Staying up to date with current trends will keep you at the top of your game! And remember, User-Generated Content reigns.
Social Media Stats 2022
Upon all our blog research here at Locomotive, there is always a recurring theme in advertising with social media. It’s now one of the most important parts of an advertising strategy in today’s world. We found some really interesting stats that we wanted to share with all of you. We know it helps us see a clear picture of who is watching what and where. It’s important to know where your target audience is to better serve them.
Upon all our blog research here at Locomotive, there is always a recurring theme in advertising with social media. It’s now one of the most important parts of an advertising strategy in today’s world. We found some really interesting stats that we wanted to share with all of you. We know it helps us see a clear picture of who is watching what and where. It’s important to know where your target audience is to better serve them.
In 2005 only 5% of American adults used at least one social platform. In 2021 that number was 72%
Percentage of adults that say they use at least one social media site by age in 2021:
18-29: 84%
20-49: 81%
50-64: 73%
65+: 45%
More women typically use social media (78%) than men (66%) in 2021
YouTube and Facebook are the top most widely used platforms
YouTube: 81%, FB: 69%
Instagram comes in third at 40%
70% of people use Facebook daily
59% of people use Instagram daily
These are only some of the current social media stats but in our opinion are extremely useful when looking at where to target your ads. For more interesting statistics visit: Insider Intelligence, Sprout Social and Influencer Marketing Hub.