Facebook is still King. It's where the Voters are!
One of the most common questions I get from candidates when I'm training them is, "What social media platforms should I be on?" It's easy to get caught up in the plethora of options and assume that you need to be everywhere. In a best case world, it'd be great to run rockstar programs on every site out there but that isn't reality.
Reality
The truth is that you need to limit the number of social media platforms that your'e active on. How many, you ask? The answer is, "As many as you can do well." Keeping your engagement up and the quality of your interactions high is critical. A presence on a few platforms, managed well, is much better than a hodge-podge with a poorly executed strategy. The next decision is which platforms to start with.
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Start with Facebook
Pew Research found that in 2016, 68% of US adults (read: VOTERS) use Facebook. Compare that with 28% of adults on Instagram and 21% on Twitter. As a campaign or candidate, you want to go where the voters are and 8-in-10 of them are on Facebook. Even more important than the raw number of Facebook users is how frequently they get on the site. 55% visit multiple times per day!
Facebook is Growing
While most other social media sites have had a pretty flat growth line over the past few years, Facebook is growing its market share. It's growing the user gap in an industry that fights every day for new adopters. Go where the voters are and make sure your Facebook strategy is rock-solid
Where Else Should I Be?
If you only have the bandwidth for one social media platform, Facebook is a no-brainer. However, you really should try to do more than just that. Twitter and Instagram both command significant audiences and will give you an opportunity to interact with different fan bases. One of the interesting insights from the Pew study is that virtually all users on the second tier of social networks are ALSO on Facebook. For instance, 93% of Twitter users are also on Facebook. This means that using additional social media platforms is to enhance your impact on users, not necessarily to reach new ones.
Bonus Strategy Tip
Each platform has their own personality and you need to make sure that your strategy and content are tailored specifically to that audience. Adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to your social media strategy will lead to very poor results. Don't be that guy.
