Social media is a bit of a hot mess right now. So what’s ahead for 2021?
As you consider your new year’s marketing plan, here is a look at the current landscape and what you should do now.
Following the riot in the nation’s capital on January 6, major social media platforms removed President Trump’s accounts. But it didn’t end there.
Both Twitter and Facebook began removing followers and disabling accounts from many influential Trump supporters, regardless of their content.
In audio leaked by Project Veritas, which Twitter later verified was authentic, CEO Jack Dorsey told employees to expect the purging to continue.
While Twitter was making the leading headlines, Facebook was experiencing problems of its own, stemming from deleting conservative accounts and issues with WhatsApp.
WhatsApp announced changes to its privacy policy without clarifying what they were, sparking fears that WhatsApp will now share user information with Facebook.
This caused a backlash and an exodus from the messaging app by users concerned about the exploitation of privacy.
Both Google’s YouTube and Facebook have come under fire over the past several months for removing videos that challenged the “official” narrative on COVID-19 treatments and lockdowns.
Instagram’s policies are largely in tune with Facebook’s regarding suppression of content and pro-Trump users.
Conservatives aren’t the only ones demanding their First Amendment rights. Supporters of free speech around the world have weighed in on the issue.
Major Policy Changes on the Horizon?
Big tech is also drawing criticism over antitrust practices, which is a bipartisan concern.
In mid-2019, the Democrat-controlled House Committee on the Judiciary initiated a bipartisan investigation into the state of competition online.
The subcommittee examined the dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, and their business practices to determine how their power affects our economy and our democracy.
At the conclusion, the committee found that each of these platforms posed a danger.
Lawsuits have been filed against the tech giants from the U.S. government, all 50 states, other countries, and a plethora of groups and individuals.
While these lawsuits will take years to play out, the companies themselves may make changes by spinning off assets or opening up new cracks in their walled gardens.
Alternative Platforms
Parler was the first platform to be shut down following the Capitol Hill riot. After surging to 12 million accounts, AWS abruptly took the platform down. They are now up on a new hosting service. However, it’s not clear if they can make up ground and regain subscribers who have already moved onto other channels.
Another alternative to Twitter, Gab experienced a massive surge in new users and renewed activity from existing accounts.
To meet the demand, Gab rushed to commission 10 new servers and promised more on the way. However, there remain reports that the service is often unstable or overloaded.
MeWe and CloutHub are alternatives to Facebook and are available in the App Store and Google Play. Of the two, MeWe has a huge head start as it’s been around since 2015, attracting users who seek data privacy.
Messaging apps Telegram and Signal are currently experiencing explosive growth. Having recently added 25 million users in just three days, Telegram now has over 500 million app downloads.
Signal also grew at an explosive rate during that time, causing outages which the app has since addressed.
Originally a site for sharing videos of “dogs and kittens”, video platform Rumble was founded with the small, independent creators in mind. The YouTube algorithm, which favored authoritative names and big brands, suppressed content from independent creators.
Fast forward to 2020 and even larger accounts lost their distribution through shadow banning and complete deplatforming.
As opposed to YouTube, Rumble offers the ability for every creator to monetize their content.
Search engine DuckDuckGo grew 62% in 2020. The primary draw, again, is the promise that “we will never share your data”.
DuckDuckGo doesn’t track users, so it’s not clear exactly how many people use it. However, the CEO estimates it has about 25 million users.
What to Do Right Now
Search engine and social media marketing have always been vulnerable to changes in platform policies and algorithms. Major updates can crash a company’s rankings and reach overnight.
The same is true for Facebook, YouTube, and other tech giants. It is important to stay abreast of these changes. Build agility and the ability to respond quickly into your marketing plan.
Effective targeting relies on finding your tribe wherever they may be.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are powered by sophisticated AI engines to help you do that.
Successful targeting is not just a matter of simply checking the boxes on demographics.
Matched and Lookalike audiences based on your current best customers is a winning strategy.
If you lack sufficient data to build these audiences, try engaging groups made up of users who would be suitable candidates and receptive to your message.
Once you find your targets, create a steady stream of content for each stage of the buyer’s journey. Make sure you optimize for user intent. Great content will not result in conversions if presented to the buyer at the wrong time.
Keep in mind that LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms are still the best options for reaching your audience. Stay abreast of policy and algorithm changes that might negatively affect your reach.
LinkedIn has always been the best social platform for finding and connecting with new prospects and existing customers and engaging in meaningful dialogue regarding business.
Explore alternative platforms as they develop. Understand the potentials they provide for building an audience receptive to your products and services.
Consider adding Direct Messaging (DM) to your marketing mix.
With over 400 million active monthly users and 70 billion messages shared on the platform every day, Telegram is growing in terms of engagement and opportunity.
Ensure you have a well-rounded strategy. Social media should only be one aspect of it.
A solid plan involves defining and attracting your ideal prospects, producing interesting content, effectively reaching your buyers, and using analytics to increase conversions.
The fundamentals haven’t changed, but the methods evolve every day.
Need help navigating the social media scene? Town Crier can help. Give us a call at 214-732-7770, email tracy@towncriergroup.com or visit www.towncriergroup.com
