What game do you want to play?
Choosing your social media strategy.
Recently I’ve been finding myself saying just how much social media has changed. What’s changed? Having used social media prolifically since the MySpace days to promote people and products, one of the biggest changes for me personally is the gamification aspect.
Gamification can be a good thing in certain situations, it encourages us and rewards us for our efforts. Yet when the social media companies brought in variable rewards with its machine learning algorithms, thats where the social media game really changed. People expect, or are expected, to play the game of social media when they don’t even know the rules of the game, let alone rules which keep changing. The rules are also different per platform, and per content type, in many cases.
As I plan for my Industry Talk at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival next weekend, I have been thinking about what I can share, that will help people the most, because a strategy for someone wanting to attract clients to local trainings or experiences, will be very different to someone who wants a big book deal or to reach hundreds of thousands of people across the world…
I feel that gamification has created a definition of what a ‘good’ social media strategy is, compared to what the right kind of social media is for each person or business.
Different priorities and values mean playing a different game.
I found this recent insight from Adam Roa interesting…
He changed his content plan, his strategy, which led to him changing his business model. Or did he change his content strategy in order to change his business?
Here are what I would consider some key fundamentals for your personal play book…
The WHY for you and your business
Who your audience are
Deciding which platforms
What audience size you want or need
The kind of content you want / can create consistently
How often you want to communicate
There isn’t just one game per platform, per business, or per person, in my humble opinion and experience either!!
Different social media platforms of course attract different demographics and understanding who spends time on these platforms can help you to tailor a strategy that speaks directly to your desired audience and to your goals per platform.
Each social media platform also has its own set of 'rules'—algorithms that determine what content gets seen and how these interactions happen. Here’s some insights on the algorithms for the platforms I get asked about the most…
Instagram will favour posts with high engagement, especially if that engagement happens soon after posting. It prioritises content from accounts users interact with regularly. High-quality visuals are key—photos, Stories, and videos with Reels becoming increasingly important due to its preference in the algorithm, especially if you want your content to travel further and reach new people.
The Facebook algorithm prioritises content that creates meaningful interactions, especially with friends. Posts that prompt conversations and meaningful interactions are ranked higher in the newsfeed and diverse content works well, but particularly authentic text posts with images / photo’s more than videos.
TikTok is highly driven by interaction and relevancy, quickly adapting to a users preferences based on the time they spend watching videos, their interactions, and the type of content they create or engage with. Short, engaging videos that use popular music or trends tend to perform well. Creativity and originality can quickly gain traction and travel far and wide.
YouTube prioritises watch time, suggesting videos that effectively keep people watching and interacting. It also considers the number of comments, likes, and the rate of subscriber growth triggered by a video. Longer, engaging videos that keep viewers watching past the initial few seconds do well here.
Substack, unlike other social media platforms, doesn’t use an algorithm affecting what your subscribers see. Emails go directly to the subscribers' inboxes, emphasising content quality and direct relationships over algorithmic manipulation., although with their app this is changing. Long-form articles work well for this audience who enjoy depth and niche expertise.
So which of these games do you want, or need, to play for your business?
By understanding platform specifics, you can feel into what is a better fit for you, considering each platform's unique environment.
You can also use the guided visualisation I shared a few weeks ago to help guide you.
Or you can join me at the Mind Body Spirit Festival in London for my workshop on Friday 24th May, tickets are available here.
Do any of these insights change the game of social media for you?