Reaching audiences on social media is appealing to most brands because – for the most part – participating on social platforms is “free,” sort of… While it might be free to set up a profile, you have to factor in the cost of an employee or agency partner to manage the profile, associated design costs if you want to skin the platform with custom colors and imagery, and so on. And now Facebook is seeing ad sales rise as brands scramble to stay in front of audiences while organic reach quickly diminishes.
While brands feel the pressure to up their paid presence on social media, don’t forget that Facebook isn’t the only platform out there, and studies released this week show Google+ and YouTube to be among the platforms delivering the most engaged, valuable interactions with potential customers. So, rejoice… the best things in life are still free (check out these 15 sources for free online images!) – you just have to know how to find them.
New Research
MarketingProfs: Which Social Networks Deliver the Most Engaged Users?
“YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn drive the most engaged social referrals to websites, according to a recent report from Shareaholic.” Need we say more? Read this article for the breakdown – it’s fascinating and will get you thinking hard about your platforms beyond Facebook and Twitter!
Google+
PR Daily: Why Google+ Still Has a Ton of Value For Marketers
This article delivers a deeper dive into the value of Google+ based on the new research from Shareaholic and some other recent talk about Google+ from Forbes and The New York Times – not all of it favorable. Perhaps our favorite takeaway is this video from Freshwire outlining the benefits of Google+. There’s more to social media than Facebook.
The Verge: Twitter Redesign Looks a Lot Like Facebook
It’s official – Twitter has rolled out its new profile pages! Currently only available to a select group of users (unless you start a new account), the new changes will be rolling out to the majority soon. Visuals are definitely the focus, with some fun new features like size adjustment to tweets relative to how engaging they were.
Ragan.com: Facebook Pages Redesign: 4 Things Businesses Will Want To Do
Facebook recently announced the impending update to Pages, which is anticipated to take effect over the next few weeks. Before the changes hit, check out this a short, easy list of things you should do to make sure your brand’s Page is ready to rock the new design.
What GFM Blogged About This Week:
GroundFloor Media’s Gil Rudawsky Shares Crisis Response Insights in Marketing Publication
