GaryVee coined the phrase PAC for Platform And Culture and it can help you with your online marketing choices. Marketing 2023
I was on the east coast last week. Atlanta and then Florida and being a native west coaster I took the opportunity to observe the culture of both regions. Because of social media and everyday air travel, the regional cultures are not so distinct in our modern day, but they are there. We stopped for Alabama BBQ on our way down to the Gulf. Pulled pork served on white fluffy bread (no option) and no greens to be had. I’m not sure if any of the sandwich shops in Tahoe carry classic loaf white bread. Just think about the connotations the term has come to represent in both nutrition and culture. It was a tasty BBQ and noticeably distinct from our local shops. I never realized the difference between Cajun heat as compared to our Central American heat. It’s more subtle and sneaks up on you and the bread of choice was a good contrast and paired well.
While immersing ourselves in other cultures it is impossible not to bring our biases but it is the joy of travel to open our eyes and embrace what we can. The very reason we travel is to expand our horizons, see what’s new and how it will affect who and what we are. Social media platforms can be the same in your online presence world.
Here are the top six as rated by Buffer March 2023
#1 Facebook 1.29B MAU
MAU (monthly active users)
Connectability and Functionality.
You may hear things like “That’s old news”, “everyone is on….” Yet it is still #1 at 2.9 billion compared to Tik’s 1 billion. The power behind Facebook is its functionality. From Groups to business pages, the options for connection are endless here. Now with community marketing moving up the ranks, Facebook is primed to stay #1.
#2 Youtube 2.2B
information.
There’s a Youtube video for just about anything you want to do. Think evergreen here. With the addition of Shorts to compete with TikTok the relevance of delivering information has not changed, the answers got shorter, more specific, and a lot more of them.
Being married to the largest search engine worldwide there are advantages. I’ve used Youtube for decades as the cleanest, easiest online video delivery system. In the early days of Big Water Event Media, the easiest way to get the kid's videos delivered was what I called the grandma-friendly YouTube link. I used its ease of access as a main selling point for my videos. What I didn’t realize at the time was how SEO would affect my business a decade later. 1K views a month holding strong. LinkedIn Newsletter Evergreen Content a couple of weeks ago.
#3 WhatsApp 2B
Community Communication
I would have placed Twitter here but no, (14th at 236 M) for global communication WhatsApp rules. Especially in India and the Arabian peninsula. One thing Meta does well is functionality. Pure conversation on this platform. Groupings of like-minded people globally communicating. Want to talk to a certain niche group? You'll find it here.
#4 Instagram
Visual Pop Culture
This is where the showing takes centerstage. This social media platform is the place to visually showcase your products and services. Keep the text to a headline. Bright, new, and quick will win here.
Starting as a photo-centric platform Instagram has moved into video with Reels. In the beginning, it was difficult to use as an agency, it’s functionality as its mobile-only culture was difficult to maneuver in the professional world. Advertising was never an issue but managing a professional feed with a mobile device was a pain. With its connection to Facebook and desktop integration through Meta, the clunkiness of professional usage has changed but the culture has not.
#5 WeChat 1.26 B
Communication primarily in Asia. China’s #1 social media app. Similar to Facebook and Instagram which are banned in China. Hmmm, sound familiar?
#6 TikTok 1B
Video Pop Culture
The Wild Child of social media right now has changed how we interact with our online world. It is raw, fast and furious, and requires a lot of content to even say hello to its algorithm. The culture is classic pop! Here today in a big way and gone off the horizon tomorrow. Want the latest trends? Look here. Wanna know how to do something quickly? TikTok is challenging Google for the top seat in search. Yet, Its randomness feeds its wild side and at the same time makes it hard for commerce to enter. Measurement of its ROI is difficult at best but for brand marketing, it’s a powerhouse. Be prepared for the quantity of content needed to move the needle.
Politics have come into play with TikTok, and at first, I too bought into the fear propaganda, but now I have changed my mind. The congressional hearing was eye-opening. It brought to light the need for data controls on all social platforms and TikTok is just another new platform algorithm that has changed how we interact with our global online world. It's not evil only self-serving and it holds its alliance to capitalism, not China. Change is inevitable and I for one am watching how this will play out for commercial use. Banning is autocratic and I vote for democracy every time.
So there are the top six. Find a culture that suits your needs and enter the platform. Stuck between a few? Once the content is created for the #1 choice platform it can always be reformatted for additional posting on another. Check out Leveraging Your Content.
Reach out for a talk over coffee or a hike I give information freely. I only ask to be paid when I do the work. tgold@bigwaterci.com
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Trina Gold
Master Creator