The strategy behind creating content on multiple platforms
In the last 20 years since social media has infiltrated our lives, so many incredible platforms have come about, all with their own twist on things. While some may see it as overwhelming, the truth of the matter is that every new platform offers an immense opportunity. How you take advantage of each of these opportunities can greatly affect your brand’s success.
When building a social media strategy, there are three main types of platforms you should be using to build a strong presence: an exposure platform, a community building platform, and a longevity platform. If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to start with one platform in each category. This does not mean you should only limit your business to three social media platforms. As you grow, you can use each of these three categories to guide how you position yourself and you’ll be unstoppable.
The Exposure Platforms
These platforms have algorithms with increased chances of going viral and your content being seen by a larger audience. The main one that comes to mind today is TikTok, but now more than ever platforms are coming out with their own versions of short-form video virality. While these platforms are great for getting the maximum amount of eyes on your brand, they are not always great when it comes to building longevity, or having a more intimate connection with your audience. You can have a video go viral one day, and the next day you're irrelevant. So the question is how does your brand remain relevant and create a more in depth connection with its community? That's when having a strong community building platform comes into play.
The Community Building Platforms
Community building platforms are where you really hook your followers into becoming true fans of the brand. Some platforms that come to mind are Instagram and Facebook (specifically Facebook Groups). These platforms allow you to build your brand through a variety of different styles of content (photos, videos, stories, etc.). Features like sharing direct links to your story or having direct messaging with your customers can really take things to the next level. Other platforms like Geneva and Discord are becoming increasingly popular as well, because they allow for more direct conversations between brands and their communities.
While these platforms have a slower rate of organic growth, you might find that the quality of your audience on these platforms are even more committed to your brand. In fact, getting followers to transfer from your exposure platform to your community platform should definitely be the goal. If you can build a “mass audience” on a platform on TikTok and build a “cult audience” on a platform like Instagram, you’ll be on your way to building a powerful funnell straight to your products or services, and beyond.
It's all about building that yellow brick road for your ideal customer through value-based content, consistently showing up, and building a brand they can trust.
The Longevity Platforms
While if you really wanted to you could just stop here, we have one last type of platform you ought to consider. The longevity platform is all about making your content last. When you think about the content life expectancy on platforms like TikTok, if you’re lucky you’ll get a week or two. On a platform like Instagram, usually about 24 hours. If we’re living in an era where the social media landscape is so highly competitive and more and more content is being demanded of us, wouldn’t you want to make every penny spent go as far as possible?
Consider this platform your “deep dive” platform. The place where you really dive into it and position yourself as an authority within your niche. You know how people say you should create content that answers the questions your target audience is asking? Well, here is where you do it. If you want to create content that never dies, then you need to be making searchable content. Platforms like YouTube, Pinterest, and Google are mainly search engines. This means that as long as you are creating content around things people are searching for, that same piece of content will remain relevant even if it’s a couple months or a couple years old.
Another option is to start a podcast. Much like other search engines, podcast and episode titles are searchable. This style of content has become increasingly popular in the past couple years for a few reasons. For one, it is relatively easy and low budget to produce. Listeners also love turning on a podcast as they do everyday tasks like driving to work or making dinner, making it one of the easiest long form content styles to consume on a regular basis. Podcast content can also easily be repurposed as short form content on other platforms.
Having a strong longevity platform in play allows you to have an archive or hub of knowledge to refer back to. Whether you’re posting on your exposure platform or community building platform, having the ability to direct your audience to a platform where they can get in depth information and value is absolutely invaluable. This is how you can ultimately become an authority within your niche and build a brand with true influence.
It's time to build a strategy that works!
The important takeaway here is to recognize the value in different social media platforms and how they can work together. You don’t have to be on every single platform known to man (but if you have the bandwidth for it, then do it). However, putting your eggs in the right baskets will lead to the growth you hope for.
