Week 7A: A Picture of Time

Digital, 1970's

The world is going visual and I believe that it's a time thing.

Or maybe lack of time.

When digital clocks came out back in the 1970's, it was a really big deal. A wonder of technology. My father noted the beginning of this digital age by teaching me about the face of a clock. He told me to look at the digital clock. He asked what time it was.

Bain Clock, 1840's

I read the time and said, "It's 12:30, Dad".

He said, "What you just did is read each digit and then figure out the time."

"OK."

Next, he told me to look up at the old fashioned clock with a hour hand and a minute hand. He said that clock face was actually more like a picture of time.

He said a picture is instant, but reading takes... well... time. Analog clocks and watches would never completely go away because a picture is instant and reading each digit takes more time.

Here it is, decades later, another century even, and Apple agrees. You called it, Dad.

Apple Watches, 2015

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What does all this have to do with Social Media? It's about that one little word my dad said -  instant.

You have to read text, but a photo is instant. It can grab your attention in a micro second, but text takes time to read. Even if it's just a second, it takes more time.

In a world with so much information streaming, news-feeding, and pop-upping, images are the best way to grab attention. I asked a millennial age college woman one time, "Why do you like Instagram so much?" She said she had enough textbooks to read and she doesn't really like reading anyway. Visuals are a better way to relax, she said. As a college student I can certainly understand that.

Here's a breakdown of eight types of social media and why I think they would or would not work for my business as a Social Media Consultant. How would they work for your business?

Facebook - 1.4 billion users

Facebook is the most widely used social platform at this time but it is also practical. The news feed that goes out to a given consumer is nothing short of genius. Based on how recent the post is, the strength of relationship and how much engagement a post has gotten, each person is given what Facebook thinks they want to see. They have it down to a science and put it into an algorithm.
Big Thumbs-Up for Facebook and yes, I must have a page there. Back in the 90's, I used to tell business owners that a website is an absolute must. Now, if you don't have a Facebook page, it lowers your business image in people's eyes.

Twitter - 320 Million Monthly Active Users

Twitter takes some getting used to because of the 140 character text limits. This limit has created a signature communication style that is unique to twitter. Quick and concise, its users move at a NASCAR pace. Until recently, images were counted as 23 characters which made it harder to write posts that could be understood. Now, all that is over and images are not counted against you. Just a taste of freedom!

Big Thumbs-Up for twitter.! This community is younger, faster and more relaxed. I have found it much easier to target certain segments for less money, growing my pages much faster. I definitely must be there.

YouTube - 490 Million Users

YouTube is not a must, but it is important to remember that videos will engage for a longer time than any other visual. I must caution though, that YouTube is a real commitment. Nothing is sadder than a once-great YouTube channel left to rust and crumble. Videos take a bit more effort but the rewards are also great.
Two Thumbs-up. My business is built around video so it would definitely work for me. I will have both public videos and pay videos on my channel which, of course, would tie into the website.

Google+  -  360 Million Users

The most useful feature of Google+ for business people is called the hangout. You can start a "hangout" and meet with up to 9 people, including colleagues or customers or potential buyers. Great for collaboration, internal meetings can be held without booking a physical conference room.And let us never forget that Google has an incredible search engine that benefits users by personalizing results based on their Google+ connections.
I give it One Shaky Thumb-up. Not too sure about this platform. I find the hangout intriguing - that may work for a consultant, but I think I need to concentrate on other platforms for now. I'll watch Google+, however.  I want to see how to younger users receive it over time.

Instagram - 300 Million Active Users vs. Pinterest - 250 Million Users.

My social media consulting business is going to be very visual, conveying marketing concepts and ideas using images & videos. I looked at both Instagram and Pinterest. Because of the clean, organized pages, I do prefer Instagram for business. Unless, of course, your business could have striking images of products, beautiful art or landscape. Pinterest has far more female users so you may find it more suited if you sell, say fashion.
As for me, I will stick with Instagram.

Tumblr

Blogging platforms never made much sense to me. If I am going to go to all the hard work of writing compelling blogs, I want to attract people to my website. Still, there is power in numbers of people gathering in one place and that is certainly true with Tumblr. If following blogs is what your customers like to do in your spare time, there is some advantage. The dashboard has a newsfeed similar to Facebook, in that you see posts from all your favorite blogs as they are posted. Posts and images can be re-blogged. Interaction with Facebook and twitter is possible.
Sorry, that stuff is fairly cool, but I want people going to my website. If I ever get more time, I may cross-post to a site like Tumbler to see if it is a good option for my business.

Snapchat - 20 Million Active Users

From what I can tell, Snapchat is about actively creating fun content, not just sitting back and letting it flow by. It can be goofy pics or videos or a story told in pictures. Teens love it because it's so much fun, but now it is growing in the 20's crowd. Michelle Obama even has a Snapchat account. I find it interesting that the content disappears. Kind of a live-in-the-moment thing. I think if you have a really fun, youth oriented or sports oriented product, this may work for you. A band or performer may do well here, too.
Don't think this would work for my business.

Summary

For a social media consulting business like mine, looks like Facebook, twitter, YouTube and Instagram would work best. What kind of business do you have or want to have someday? Which visual platforms would you choose? Leave a comment below - I'd love to know.

Maxine