Social platform smack down

YouTube, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Mxit entered the ring for a social media platform smack down at ITWeb's Social Media Summit today.

The five people who strapped on the proverbial boxing gloves to champion the different platforms mentioned user figures, ad spend, business use cases and user engagement. How organisations can use these social networks to boost business value was a focus for all speakers.

Showcasing the perks of Mxit, Vincent Maher, chief marketing officer for the mobile messaging service, noted that the platform allows users to subscribe to brands. They do so because they want to receive content from those brands, stressed Maher. That said, there should be value in want you are sending, and brands should always keep an eye on their subscriber bases to accurately gauge how the public is responding to these messages.

South African brands are having massive success by using Mxit, he said, adding that companies like FNB and McDonalds use the platform to communicate with the public.

According to YouTube's head of partnerships and product, Jared Molko, organisations should work towards a set of expectations and should attempt to meet the expectations of their users. For Molko, the belief that YouTube is not a social network is incorrect. "Social media centres on communication, and it is about trying to capitalise on something that marketers have been trying to tap into for years - word of mouth. YouTube does this well."

Typically, videos on YouTube have a longer lifespan than things posted on other platforms, said Molko, which makes YouTube a good way for brands to get their message to users and to keep that message relevant for an extended period of time. "YouTube harnesses the power of sight, sound and motion, and brands are moving towards a more content-orientated game."

Molko also discussed Google+, stating that companies can have a branded page on Google+, which allows users to engage with the business and for the business to communicate with its customers and with other organisations.

He challenged the idea that Google+ is a "ghost town", stressing that the service allows businesses to access important information about their customers because so many people use Google services every day. He also noted that it is the biggest and fastest growing social network in the world.

Facebook allows business to target people very effectively, said Jordan Wallace, owner of Gorilla Creative Media, who petitioned the business case for Facebook. Businesses don't need to waste money with people who are not part of their target audience, but can tailor their engagement with a specific audience, he said.

For brands using social networks, all content should be well thought out. "Tailor it, track it. Don't post something if it is not of value to the user; you are posting it to make the user think that what they are receiving is not an advert but rather some form of information that the brand is giving to them," Wallace said. Facebook can be used to tell brand stories, and the social network even has a business user guide to help brands make Facebook work for them, Wallace added.

According to LinkedIn's champion, Zibusiso Mkhwanazi, CEO of Avatar, LinkedIn is the third busiest site in SA, with 71% of users utilising the professional platform to network and 54% to stay up to date with industry discussions. Businesses using LinkedIn can join relevant groups and should embrace an inclusive strategy, he said, mentioning that a lot of people actively represent their businesses using this platform.

Most people who use LinkedIn are doing so in a business mindset, not with a conversational and recreational mindset, as is the case with many of the other social platforms, said Mkhwanazi, pointing out that it can be used as part of a business' customer engagement strategy. Targeting is one of LinkedIn's strengths, he said, as businesses can use the service to communicate with distinct groups of business professionals.

Fighting the fight for Twitter, Jodene Shaer, social media publicist, campaign and event strategist, said the platform can work for businesses, but these organisations need to be thinking about strategy. "For myself personally, by being on Twitter most of the day, I have been able to engage with many big brands." Brands using social media are often too focused on content, but she stressed that responding and engaging should be their focus.

Brands shouldn't use social networks to shove marketing in people's faces, Shaer said. Effective use of social media is about getting people to market us, without us having to market ourselves, she said.

"Using the strengths of each of these social networks is essential, and customising messages for each platform certainty is the way to go," Mkhwanazi agreed.

"Content is king, but context is God," added Molko in conclusion. "We live in a world that is cross device and cross platform; ultimately, an overarching approach is essential."